New Year’s Eve in Bath

New Year is always a special occasion for me and my boyfriend. We always try to see new things, go new places and try new experiences.

This year we were looking for somewhere easy to get to, but which was still interesting and fun, and that we hadn’t visited together before. Bath caught our attention as offering everything we were looking for, with the added bonus of being able to visit Stonehenge on the way there!

We drove down, and broke the journey with a stop at this magnificent ancient monument. I had never visited before, and couldn’t wait to see this extraordinary, mysterious place. Sadly my English Heritage membership had run out, but luckily my boyfriend’s sister was able to lend us hers, so we could enter for free (the entrance fee for non members is quite expensive).

Not everything about this trip went swimmingly (does it ever?), and we nearly got off to a really bad start. 

Stonehenge is divided into two sections. The first section includes the main entrance, with a visitor centre, a museum, a gift shop, and some preserved Neolithic houses. The second section is reached by a small bus, and is just the stones themselves, standing separately and majestically in the middle of the countryside.

As English is not my first language, I took my time in the museum part, taking in everything and making sure I understood the fascinating history of the monument. My boyfriend got a little impatient with me, and went on ahead, moving more quickly through the exhibition. By the time I’d finished exploring the museum, I couldn’t find him, so I headed to the Neolithic houses expecting to find him waiting for me. But no luck, he was nowhere to be seen. I searched everywhere – the main entrance, the museum again, and even the gift shop, but he’d completely vanished. I thought about calling him, but I’d left my phone in the car…and he had the car keys! There was nothing to do but wait, and hope he showed up soon!

One and a half hours later, he stepped off the bus coming back from the stones with a huge smile on his face…which only lasted until he saw how angry I was!

As soon as he saw my face he looked worried, and asked me where I had been. ‘I was looking for you!’, he said…but his eyes were telling a very different story, that he’d enjoyed his trip to the stones by himself and that he couldn’t be bothered to wait. At first I felt overwhelmed by my anger…but something changed and it just slipped away. I didn’t want to spoil the weekend, and I couldn’t feel mad anymore. Once he’d apologised we got on the bus and went to look at the stones, him for the second time!

Once we’d finished at Stonehenge, we headed to Bath. We parked outside the city, and jumped on a bus to the centre of town.

Bath is a gorgeous, romantic city nestled in the valley of the River Avon. It was founded by the Romans as a spa town called Aquae Sulis (the waters of Sulis) for wealthy travellers due to its remarkable hot mineral springs, which were said to have healing properties. It has been a popular place for health and wellness tourists ever since, the forerunner to today’s yoga and meditation retreats! Bath was given city status by Queen Elizabeth I in 1590, and was further recognised as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1987.

We stayed at Z Hotel, which was perfectly located just opposite the Bath Royal Theatre. As we’d had a long day, driving and visiting Stonehenge, once we arrived we stayed near to the hotel, visiting a few of the shops nearby and then ending up in the Garrick’s Head Pub.

As soon as we woke up the next morning, we headed straight to Sally Lunn’s for breakfast. This is a delightful place, a combined restaurant and kitchen museum, set in one of the oldest houses in Bath. 

My boyfriend likes to plan (I may have mentioned this before!), so we already knew pretty much exactly what we were going to be doing with our day. Nevertheless, we stopped off at the Information Centre, mostly because it is just one building away from Sally Lunn’s, and it was useful to get a little more information about the city. 

Fully prepared, we headed to Parade Gardens, and walked across Pulteney Bridge. Built in 1773, this is one of only four bridges in the world with shops along its length on both sides, just like the Ponte Vecchio in Florence.

Having ticked this off our list we moved on to Bath’s most famous attraction, and the place that gave it its name, the Roman Baths of Aquae Sulis. They are a lovely place to visit, and the overall experience is fascinating. However they are extremely popular, and can get very crowded. We unfortunately missed out on trying the healing, 38 degree mineral waters as the line was just too long at the Pump Room.

Having seen the baths of Bath, we took a stroll around the corner to Bath Abbey, and then down Stall Street and Union Street for a little light retail therapy. Bath Abbey is an awe-inspiring sight, with some of the most beautiful stained glass I’ve ever seen, and remarkable Gothic architecture. The Great East Window, which was completed in 1873 and repaired after World War II, is particularly impressive, and tells the story of Jesus in 56 scenes.There are also over 600 stone memorials lining the Abbey’s walls. Most commemorate people from the 1700s and 1800s, and are quite moving.

On our third day in the West Country, we climbed up the steep steps of Jacob’s Ladder to Alexandra Park at Beechen Cliff to see the wonderful panoramic view of the city…which I have to say was breathtaking, and well worth the climb! I then took a quick professional break, and stopped off at Tivoli Cinemas to take some photos of my friend’s tiles for her social media marketing needs. The interior decor was so cosy that I had to stop and enjoy a coffee there too.

After this quick return to work, we got back to sightseeing! And the afternoon had some of Bath’s most beautiful and famous sights in store for us. The Circus, the Royal Crescent, Royal Victoria Park and the Jane Austen Centre – Georgian Bath in all its glory!

We grabbed an early dinner at Yum Yum Thai, close to our hotel, which was absolutely delicious and lived up to its name. We had something truly special planned for the big night, as we aimed to see the New Year’s Eve lights at night from Thermae Bath Spa! As they were closing early for New Year, the queue was HUGE, and we weren’t certain we were going to make it in before closing. But after a stressful hour in the queue, we finally made it, and the experience was well worth the wait. The view of Bath Abbey at night from the rooftop pool, lit up magnificently, was a truly magical experience. 

Surprisingly, there were no outdoor celebrations planned for New Year’s Eve in Bath. I had searched for clubs, nightlife and live music online, but hadn’t found anywhere that I really liked the look of (or that was still in business), so we started our night at the Slug and Lettuce, as it looked like the most lively place near to our hotel. From there we went on to The Botanist, where we were going to welcome the New Year. I loved this place in every way. Their branding was very professional, their interior was decorated beautifully, and best of all they had live jazz music. Upstairs was done up like a garden, while the ground floor had the ambiance and decor of a wine cellar. Overall it was a fabulous place, and we enjoyed our evening there immensely. 

Bath is a beautiful, interesting and historic city, and we only really had time to scratch the surface. I would love to go back at some point, as there were a number of museums and attractions we missed out on, like the Museum of Bath Architecture, the Holburne Museum, the Palladian Bridge at Prior Park, Beckford’s Tower, Sydney Garden, Bath Royal Theatre, and the Victoria Art Gallery. Hopefully the future will bring this opportunity.