Birthday in Bath – What to do on retirement

As I had several people who all wanted me to do different things on my birthday I decided to take myself to Bath. I went on the train which is easiest, as the station is nearly in the centre of Bath. I didn’t leave very early but the journey is only just under an hour. I read a book about Jane Austen on the journey, which I had started several days before.

On first arrival I went to the Tourist Information Bureau – which had moved, so was not too easy to locate. All I wanted was a decent map – but they didn’t have any really good ones so I bought the best they had. I then went to a……

.....cafe...... — …..cafe I had been to before……

……to have a coffee and look at the map and decide where to go.

From there I went to……

.....Pulteney Bridge..... — …..Pulteney Bridge…..

…..and walked across it to…..

…….then up……

.....Great Pulteney Street..... — …..Great Pulteney Street…..

…..and into……

.......Sydney Gardens. — …….Sydney Gardens.

The weather was beautifully sunny, if a little on the cold side – but it was January.

From the gardens I went to Sydney street to look at……..

…..which is a house where…..

.....Jane Austen and her family lived...... — …..Jane Austen and her family lived……

…..for a few years after leaving Steventon and first moving to Bath.

I then went back the way I had come but turned the other way when I had crossed the bridge and gradually headed towards…….

.....Milsom Street..... — …..Milsom Street…..

……(but not to look at bonnets and gowns) and at the top headed across to Gay Street, another place where Jane Austen and her family lived in Bath. I went down it a bit and then across a side street before going up Gravel Walk. This goes behind The Circus and behind number 4 there is……

......The Georgian Garden. — ……The Georgian Garden.

I had discovered this on the Bath website.

…..was through a wooden gate and then up some steps. The garden was laid out in the late 17 hundreds and later covered over, but has been restored to as close as possible the original form. Before the Gravel Walk was made the garden had been set out just to be seen from the house, but paths were added later to reach the gate into the Gravel Walk.

Georgian Garden from the end by the house.

There is no lawn, just gravel in the middle but January is probably not the best time of year to see a garden!

As it was then after 1.30 I went to the……

.....Jane Austen Centre..... — …..Jane Austen Centre…..

……on Gay Street and had lunch in their Regency Tea Rooms – soup with a cheese scone, a hunk of brie and some salad then a pot of tea. I had a table with my back to the portrait of Mr Darcy(!!) but I could see it in the mirror opposite.

After my leisurely lunch I walked up to…..

......The Assembly Rooms..... — ……The Assembly Rooms…..

…..and was able to go in and admire…..

......the Ballroom..... — ……the Ballroom…..

.....The Octagon Room.... — …..The Octagon Room….

…..and another room, possibly used for concerts or maybe a card room?

I then decided that I ought to head for the station, so I went back down Gay Street, passing….

.....The Jane Austen Centre again.... — …..The Jane Austen Centre again….

….and getting lost, but sorting myself out with the map! I had allowed time for that and had plenty of time to catch the train.

So did I have a good birthday? Yes; the weather was wonderful (for the time of year) and I greatly enjoyed wandering round Regency Bath in my own time and way.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply