Bath
Day 2
14,236 steps (5.24 miles)
Mon June 9 - 65°
Once admitted to the Roman Baths, we were given a personal audioguide and set free to wander at our leisure. We plugged in the headphones from the Whispers into the audioguide. This made it much easier to hear the information. The Roman Baths were Avery's favorite part of the entire tour; she found the whole complex fascinating and really enjoyed the audioguide. We even tried the natural spring water. It didn't taste very good, but hey, when in Rome...
Group Activities
We live in the desert, so we thought it was a beautiful cloudy morning with some sprinkles of rain.
Our first full day on tour! We had breakfast at the hotel, then met the group at 9 am for a walk through Bath to the Circus and the Royal Crescent where they were setting up for a Robbie Williams concert. The architecture of the buildings is beautiful, and there are lovely green spaces throughout. We finished up the morning walk around 10:30 am at the Roman Baths.
Royal Crescent
The Circus
We spent a little over 2 hours in the Baths and were ready for some lunch. After Google navigation had us walk in a very unhelpful circle, we picked up some pastry bakes from the Cornish Bakehouse in The Corridor. The sun was out now, so we enjoyed them at the Parade Gardens.
Solo Activities
Our lunch spot!
We let Avery pick the next activity, and she wanted to see Bath Abbey. The abbey was beautiful, especially the ceiling. And while we thought it was quite spacious at the time, it would be dwarfed by the cathedrals we would see later on the tour.
​After that, we grabbed a hot tea (Brie), a hot chocolate (Chris), and a milkshake (Avery), then headed down to do a river cruise with Pulteney Cruisers. We learned they do not allow outside food and drink on the boat. Thankfully, we arrived early and were able to finish ours before we headed down the River Avon. The river cruise went to Bathampton and back in about an hour, and you can see some of the views from the river below. We then visited Topping & Company bookstore, followed by pizza for dinner at Dough, before heading back to our hotel for the evening. Phew, what an amazing first full day!​
Avery captured some of
the local art scene. :)
The Old Mill Hotel
Day 3
10,278 steps (3.89 miles)
Tue June 10 - 66°
Day 3 dawned with another cloudy morning (though no rain). After our table service breakfast we hopped on the coach for a drive through Cheddar Gorge. We had a quick stop to take pictures of the rock formations and some goats, then headed on our way to Glastonbury.
Group Activities
We had a guided tour through the ruins at Glastonbury, and you can really get an idea of how huge the complex used to be. The grounds are beautiful, and Deb provided us with a picnic lunch of apples, cheddar cheese, crackers, strawberries, cider, and apple juice. I still talk about the cheese and strawberries being the best I've ever tasted.
These guys popped
up to say hello
to Avery.
After the tour, we had a little time to wander the streets of Wells and grab some fudge before hopping on the coach and making our way back to Bath. A short rest in the hotel and then we were off to a group dinner at The Victoria Pub. We highly recommend the Steak & Ale Pie, followed by the brownies and ice cream or sticky toffee pudding!
After a little free time to walk the grounds, it was back on the coach and off to Wells. As a group we walked to Vicar's Close and then the Bishop's Palace, which is surrounded by walls and a moat. The moat is home to some famous swans, who at one point were trained to ring a bell for food.
Next up was a guided tour of Wells Cathedral. Bath Abbey seemed small in comparison! Our guide was very good, and informed us they were filming scenes onsite for an upcoming movie called Masters of the Universe. Part of the exterior was covered in scaffolding due to restoration, but it didn't diminish this landmark's charm and beauty.
