Bath provides a great place to combine a city break with a caravan holiday
Things To Do
Visit The Roman Baths to really be in the heart of Bath and gain an insight as to why the city exists at all. Before you reach the baths, you’ll be self-guided through a powerful exhibition that brings the Roman history to life, and see the thermal springs that run beneath the streets.
If the Roman baths look tempting, more so is the Thermae Bath Spa where you can actually bathe – great for chilling out on your caravan holidays. The futuristic glass building houses numerous pools and spas with naturally heated water, plus various treatments to soothe and relax. An absolute must is the rooftop spa pool, from where there are glorious views of the nearby Abbey and the surrounding hills.
A real gem is the American Museum in Britain. Housed in a large manor house on Claverton Down, south of the city centre, the museum provides a fascinating insight into American colonial history, with period rooms and furnishings brought from houses in the States. It also has one of the finest textiles collections in the world.
Take off from the Royal Victoria Gardens on an early morning or evening ride in a hot air balloon. Run by Bath Balloons, the rides offer spectacular birds-eye views of the city and surrounding countryside.
Enjoy afternoon tea in Bath. Potentially the most elegant venue is the Pump Room, where you can be serenaded by the Pump Room Trio as you eat beneath a chandelier taller than most people’s houses. There, you can also ‘down’ a glass of spa water, if you can stomach the salty taste, and eat a Bath Bun, created to counteract the taste of the ‘good-for-you’ water.
Or try the more down-to-earth, cosier Sally Lunn’s, one of the oldest tea rooms in the city and the only place in the world to buy a Sally Lunn Bun. Alternatively, take tea at the Jane Austen Centre, where the first-floor tea rooms are decorated in Regency powder-blue and you can enjoy ‘Afternoon Tea with Mr Darcy’ or ‘Lady Catherine’s Proper Cream Tea’. Elbows off the table, now!
Getting There
For caravan holidays in Bath, take junction 18 on either the M4 from the east or the M5 from the south west and the north, then the A46 (from the M4) or the A4 (from the M5). Use the A36 if you are approaching from the south.
Bath’s through routes are well signposted and easy to negotiate when towing a caravan, but anticipate long queues during rush hour on main routes out of town. And remember that rural campsites near Bath might have tight and/or twisty access roads that are tricky to tow on, so ask the site’s owners of the best route before leaving home.
