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England > South West England > Bath & Bristol

Bath and Bristol are only 12 miles apart in the lovely county of Avon. Most tourists, if faced with a choice, choose to visit Bath. While this is the obvious and correct choice, Bristol has its own rewards too.

Click on the headings to find out more: Bristol is the region's largest city and it would have been far more aesthetically pleasing if not for the World War II bombing raids that destroyed much of the city centre. There are however still pockets of fine architecture, docks and warehouses and there are lots of good pubs and restaurants.


Temple Meads railway station is the oldest surviving railway terminus in the world. St Mary Redcliffe is a stunning church, described by Queen Elizabeth 1 in 1574 as "the fairest, goodliest and most famous parish church in England". The old sea port is home to the salvaged SS Great Britain, the first propeller-driven iron ship to sail the oceans and in its day the greatest ship afloat - until she was scuttled off the Falkland Islands in 1866. A century later the money was raised to salvage her and she now sits on the same dock where she had been built.


In the northern suburb of Henbury you'll find Blaise Castle, an 18th Century house and museum and Blaise Hamlet, a cluster of thatched cottages that looks like a typical medieval English village. From June to the end of September open-top bus tours circle the city with hop-on, hop off opportunities at 14 points.


Bath. If you only have the choice of visiting only one city in Avon, it must be Bath. It's famous for both its hot springs and the Romans who developed the area 2000 years ago as well as the magnificent Georgian architecture that gave it World heritage listing. People who have been to Florence in Italy will see a similarity and not just for the Roman influence. It too has a charming, shop-lined, much photographed bridge. Bath is ideal for discovering on foot but you'll need at least a day. If you start at the abbey (across from the Roman Baths and Pump Room) you'll see a colonnade. Follow it to Bath Street to discover the thoughtful arcading that was constructed so bathers could walk between the town's three sets of baths without getting wet. Explore on your own or take a free two-hour guided walking tour from outside the Pump Room. Tours run daily except for Saturdays in winter.


Nobody goes to Bath without visiting the Roman Baths Museum and Pump Room and it's certainly rewarding. You can hire programmed handsets, similar to a telephone, that will tell you all about the history of the Roman Baths as you walk around the complex. The baths are still full of steaming mineral water and it is easy to imagine what they would have been like in the heyday of Roman occupation. Note: You can't swim in the Baths anymore, so don't bother packing your swimming costume!


No 1 Royal Crescent is a grand Palladian town house restored in every detail to how it would have been in 1770. No 15 is the fictional home of Sir Percy Blakeney, The Scarlet Pimpernel. Nearby is The Circus (the Georgian houses are in a circle) and Dr Livingstone, we presume, lived at No 13 and the painter Gainsborough at No 17 (he painted Blue Boy here).


Just off The Circus is Bennett Street. Lady Nelson lived at No 2 and Captain Arthur Phillip, first Governor of Australia, lived at No 19. Phillip is buried in the Australia chapel in St Nicholas Church, Bathhampton. In the northwest corner of the courtyard lies John Du Barry, the last man killed in a duel in England in 1778. He was shot on the hillside above the churchyard and was taken, dying, to the George Inn across the lane. If you're into headstones, see our section on Gravestyles of the Dead and Famous.


The Museum of Costume is a marvellous collection of fashions since the 1500's - not reproductions but the real thing.


3 miles south-east of Bath, Claverton Manor is an 1820's mansion that has recreated 17th to 19th Century American home interiors as well as a collection of American memorabilia. Why an American Museum in England, we don't know, but it's worth a look. Dyrham Park is 8 miles north of Bath and surrounds a grand 17th Century house once belonging to William Blathwayt, the secretary of state to King William III. On the 105 hectare park deer roam freely.

Author's note: The first time I arrived in Bath other tourists had beaten us to the accommodation. After serious searching we decided there was no room at any inn and decided to find one that just served drinks. After an evening of fun, playing darts with the locals, we asked the publican if he minded us sleeping in our car in the car park. No problem, he said. At around 7:00am there was a knock on the car door and I opened it to discover the publican's wife with two trays of hot breakfast and a steaming pot of tea. The joys of travel!
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