The Roman Baths in...Bath!

Jessica makes a friend

Bath is a truly beautiful city - so beautiful that in parts it seems almost like a film set. Designated a World Heritage site, it is gorgeous to walk around, full of little streets and wonderful views. But it is also offers loads of shops, restaurants and tea houses, which makes it a great place for a day out.

Of course the city is known particularly for the Roman Baths, the remains of an ancient spa and Roman temple. No one should visit Bath without spending a few hours finding out about the bath-house where people took their dips nearly 2,000 years ago.

I had last been to the Roman Baths long before having children, so I was interested to see what the kids thought of it. Luckily the audioguides include one especially for children (not only in English, but also French and German) and this was a great touch. The English one is narrated by Michael Rosen, and it definitely kept the children engaged. However, I'm not convinced that it would have been as popular for younger children, as ours are at an age where they are able to concentrate, don't get easily bored and won't run off (and attempt to touch the water...)

The Baths are very well set out and genuinely interesting. There are models and displays to help you understand what daily life was like in Roman times and to understand the hot springs, the source of the city's spa water, and the only ones in Britain. Water comes out of here at 46 degrees.

Robert finds out about carving in ancient times

You can see the source of the water and walk through all the different areas, including the saunas, changing rooms and plunge pools, which I found fascinating (probably more so than the kids), as well as a re-creation of the Temple courtyard and the actual Roman temple pediment, which was remarkable. There are also (another great touch for the children), costumed characters who will talk to you and explain what they are doing. In the pump room, you can even try some of the warm water, although I must say that it's not the nicest thing I've ever drunk!

But the best bit (of course) was walking on the ancient pavement past the steaming baths themselves. That's not something you get to do very often.

We think you should allow at least two hours for your visit, and possibly more, especially as there is also a good and very well stocked gift shop at the end. If you decide to leave it until later in the year to visit, you could visit in the evening, when the Baths are lit by torchlight. However, this only occurs in the summer.

The Roman Baths are open all year round, except for Christmas Day and Boxing Day. A family ticket costs £38, which is not cheap, but I think it is worth it for something so unique (and educational!).

More by us on Bath:

Jessica writes about the Sally Lunn Bath House

Jessica writes about No 1 Royal Crescent.

The Roman Baths in...Bath!

Jessica makes a friend

Bath is a truly beautiful city - so beautiful that in parts it seems almost like a film set. Designated a World Heritage site, it is gorgeous to walk around, full of little streets and wonderful views. But it is also offers loads of shops, restaurants and tea houses, which makes it a great place for a day out.

Of course the city is known particularly for the Roman Baths, the remains of an ancient spa and Roman temple. No one should visit Bath without spending a few hours finding out about the bath-house where people took their dips nearly 2,000 years ago.

I had last been to the Roman Baths long before having children, so I was interested to see what the kids thought of it. Luckily the audioguides include one especially for children (not only in English, but also French and German) and this was a great touch. The English one is narrated by Michael Rosen, and it definitely kept the children engaged. However, I'm not convinced that it would have been as popular for younger children, as ours are at an age where they are able to concentrate, don't get easily bored and won't run off (and attempt to touch the water...)


Read more »

Travelling times: our "bests" of 2013

Welcome to
 THE FAMILY TRAVEL TIMES TRAVEL AWARDS!

We have been really lucky to visit some incredible places this year, but which ones have been particularly brilliant? Here are our top ten!

 

Best Beach

 

Jessica says: The best beach of the year, and probably the nicest one I've ever been to, was the famous seven mile beach at our holiday in Beaches Negril (post coming soon). The beautiful blue sea seemed to stretch out forever and the white sand was soft and lovely to walk on. This was combined with the wonderful weather - always hot and barely ever a cloud in the sky.

 

Best View

Robert says: My best view was in Austria (read our post here).When I looked out of my hotel room window I could see enormous grey mountains. When I looked higher I could see no grey just a big blob of bright white snow. I could also see beautiful dark green hills. I thought it was a great view because there weren't any buildings in the way.

Jessica says: My favourite view ever was looking out of the window on our flight to Jamaica. The Caribbean looked incredible from above. The sea was clear blue and there was such a variety of colours. My favourite part was looking at the change of blue in the sea and an island that looked like a giraffe with a massive foot!

 

Best Day Out

Robert says: My best day out was by far the London Bridge Experience and The London Tombs. It is fun, scary, interesting and funny. I liked both parts, the educational and the scary, but some people do find the London Tombs terrifying. Click here to see my post.
Best Day Out For The Whole Family

Jessica: My best day out for the whole family was at Universal Islands Of Adventure, Florida (read our blog post here). The rides were awesome and it was fantastic weather. Rob and I both loved everything, but the best had to be the Wizarding World of Harry Potter as it looked so real.
The atmosphere was amazing, but it was slightly cagey at the start of the day as everyone was rivals in a race to get to the Harry Potter ride first! Disney World felt kinder and more relaxed, but the rides at Universal were better suited to us.

Sarah says: I think the best day out has to be the Harry Potter studio experience in Leavesden. There is so much to see, and it's not all about the rides! It's brilliantly done and works for every age (though there is a lot of walking). Read more of what I thought in my post here.

Best Hotel

The gorgeous Hilton Grand Vacation Suites at Seaworld

Jess says: We have stayed at loads of places during 2013, but a few have really stood out. Firstly, as part of our visit to Orlando in February, we stayed at the Hilton Grand Vacation Suites. This hotel had gigantic and luxurious rooms, as well as massive pools. We were there for a week and thought that it was so convenient as it was near to just about everything and we could walk to Seaworld easily.
Mum and I also adored Beaches Negril in Jamaica, as there was so much to do, everyone was charming and friendly and the food was delicious. It was, really, a holiday in itself.
A more unique and engaging hotel was St Ermins, which is situated right in the middle of London and near all the best sightseeing spots. I have written a review of it here and we got to try out the "Budding Bonds" package, letting us become secret agents. We cracked codes and searched local landmarks for clues, eventually being rewarded for our hard work with mocktails!

Best Ride

Robert says: Jess and I have three best rides. I will tell you about two of them and Jess will do one. The Simpsons ride is at Universal Studios. Our family was laughing before the ride had begun because when you were waiting Krusty would tell you funny jokes. In the ride, you are on a rollercoaster that has been sabotaged by Sideshow Bob. Bob seeks revenge so there are a lot of surprises throughout the ride. The ride is a simulator. The Spiderman ride was also at Universal, but in the Islands of Adventure section. It was an action simulator and a lot of fun. This ride was in 3D.You could feel the car bump when Spiderman landed on your car. You get to see all the baddies use their powers on you. There was real fire.

Jessica says: Harry Potter: A Forbidden Journey, also at Universal Islands Of Adventure is a mixture of a ride and motion simulator. It uses state-of-the-art graphics and motion technology to make you feel like you are actually flying through a quidditch match with Harry, Ron and Hermione!

Most Educational Day Out

Jess says: We had a really brilliant time in Bristol, where I learnt loads without ever getting bored. We went on a City Sightseeing Bus Tour which was fascinating, but the best part was At-Bristol, a fabulous interactive science museum that I enjoyed more than the one in London! As well as this, we visited Bristol Zoo, which I also enjoyed more than the ones at London. The best bit was feeding the Lorikeets - tiny, colourful birds.

Sarah says: We also had a lovely day out in Bath, which was full of things to see and do. The Roman Baths are a must, but we also did a bus top tour, which gave us some historical background, ate at Sally Lunn's (you can read about that here) and simply walked around taking in the sights.

Most Comfortable Bed

Sarah says: We stayed in a lot of lovely places this year and slept in a lot of beds, from the Premier Inn in Bristol, to the gorgeous Meridien Etoile in Paris. But we had our best night's sleep in Thornbury in Bristol. The fabulous double bed at the magnificent Thornbury Castle (Read here for more on our stay at Thornbury) was just so comfortable, I would have liked to have taken it home with me. I even found out what the mattresses were, and they are Vi-Spring mattresses. Fab.

Best Way To Travel

Sarah says: I'm not a huge fan of flying, although I know that it's the only way to get to far off places. That's why my favourite way of travelling this year was via the Eurostar to Paris. I couldn't believe how convenient it was. The security procedures didn't take hours and hours (unlike airports) and there was space to get up and move around. I had been told that it was an extremely boring journey, mostly through a tunnel, so was pleasantly surprised by how much of it was outside, where you could watch the countryside whizz by. Even better, we were in the centre of Paris in just a few hours without being exhausted from an early start or much hanging around. Brilliant.

Coolest Room

Jessica says: I loved our very atmospheric room at Thornbury Castle, which made me feel like I was in medieval or Tudor times! There was a stone staircase leading up to the room and a massive tapestry, and very posh toilet roll. There was loads of space, and it was like no hotel room I had - or imagine ever will again - experience in my life...

Travelling times: our "bests" of 2013

Welcome to
 THE FAMILY TRAVEL TIMES TRAVEL AWARDS!

We have been really lucky to visit some incredible places this year, but which ones have been particularly brilliant? Here are our top ten!

Best Beach

Jessica says: The best beach of the year, and probably the nicest one I've ever been to, was the famous seven mile beach at our holiday in Beaches Negril (post coming soon). The beautiful blue sea seemed to stretch out forever and the white sand was soft and lovely to walk on. This was combined with the wonderful weather - always hot and barely ever a cloud in the sky.

Best View

Robert says: My best view was in Austria (read our post here).When I looked out of my hotel room window I could see enormous grey mountains. When I looked higher I could see no grey just a big blob of bright white snow. I could also see beautiful dark green hills. I thought it was a great view because there weren't any buildings in the way.

Jessica says: My favourite view ever was looking out of the window on our flight to Jamaica. The Caribbean looked incredible from above. The sea was clear blue and there was such a variety of colours. My favourite part was looking at the change of blue in the sea and an island that looked like a giraffe with a massive foot!

Best Day Out

Robert says: My best day out was by far the London Bridge Experience and The London Tombs. It is fun, scary, interesting and funny. I liked both parts, the educational and the scary, but some people do find the London Tombs terrifying. Click here to see my post.

Read more »

No 1 Royal Crescent - By Jessica

It's cold outside, but when we went to Bath, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping and everyone was smiling - it was, to put it simply, beautiful. After a visit to the world famous baths, mum and I decided to take the sightseeing bus to No 1 Royal Crescent, a Georgian town house. This is what I thought...

The bus ride in itself was slightly boring, and much less interesting about the bus ride in Bristol. The bus smelt disgusting and instead of having a real tour guide, you had to plug in earphones and listen to some uninformative commentary. Although Bath probably has some amazing sights and facts to learn about, I definitely didn't get the impression of it from the bus. Plus, the bus sped by the sights really quickly, and we found it hard to spot what the audio-guide was talking about.

When we arrived at No 1 Royal Crescent, I was instantly struck by the absolutely incredible buildings and landscape. The green grass stretched out for miles, and the identical houses looked charming. We were greeted outside by friendly people in costume and, once inside, were given a booklet with a few key facts about the different rooms in the house.
Built between 1767 and 1774,  it was the first house built in the crescent, and is a Grade 2 building. I definitely think that it looks brilliant. It was stunning on the inside and outside, and I couldn't wait to start walking around.

First we watched a brief video introduction, before walking into the first room. It was exquisitely decorated, but you could only stand in a section of it, and was not interactive at all. The short, undetailed information in our booklet was not really enough to give us a good idea of what happened there.

The dining room

After a few more rooms, we entered the dining room, which was definitely the highlight of the museum. The table was set out with various dishes, and a well-informed and enthusiastic lady talked us through the various aspects of mealtimes. I found it fascinating,

We went through lots more rooms, which all looked  wonderful, but I wasn't being particularly enthused by much of it. I can only remember one fact, that servants were seen and not heard, so they entered through different doors to the owners of the house.

Most of the volunteers knew lots about the house, and were ready to tell you everything. However, some were not as familiar with the history, and the rooms felt awkward when they were in there with you. I definitely would have liked to learn more facts, so I think the introductory booklet we were given should really be more detailed, or information should be up on the walls. On the other hand, I enjoyed looking at some of the items in the house, including a lice comb for the lady of the house to scratch her head with, and the "cabinet of curiosities" which contained a dog tooth bag.

For only ten rooms and two galleries, No 1 Royal Crescent was quite a short place to visit, although it was fun. For a Georgian house, it looked pretty special but, it didn't seem that different to other historic houses I've visited. It was interesting, but I didn't find it particularly memorable. That might be my fault, but it hasn't really stuck with me.

6/10

(My mum says she enjoyed it more than me, possibly because she is more of a fan of museums and stateley homes!)

 

More by me:

Visiting the Sally Lunn teahouse in Bath

A brilliant time at Buckingham Palace

No 1 Royal Crescent - By Jessica

It's cold outside, but when we went to Bath, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping and everyone was smiling - it was, to put it simply, beautiful. After a visit to the world famous baths, mum and I decided to take the sightseeing bus to No 1 Royal Crescent, a Georgian town house. This is what I thought...

The bus ride in itself was slightly boring, and much less interesting about the bus ride in Bristol. The bus smelt disgusting and instead of having a real tour guide, you had to plug in earphones and listen to some uninformative commentary. Although Bath probably has some amazing sights and facts to learn about, I definitely didn't get the impression of it from the bus. Plus, the bus sped by the sights really quickly, and we found it hard to spot what the audio-guide was talking about.

When we arrived at No 1 Royal Crescent, I was instantly struck by the absolutely incredible buildings and landscape. The green grass stretched out for miles, and the identical houses looked charming. We were greeted outside by friendly people in costume and, once inside, were given a booklet with a few key facts about the different rooms in the house.

Read more »

A Delicious Sally Lunn Bun...

This summer, my mum and I ate at Sally Lunn's - a delightful eating house and kitchen museum in one of the oldest houses in Bath. This is what we thought...

The first thing you notice when you see Sally Lunn's is the stunning tea house. It feels friendly and welcoming, and as if you are being whisked back in time when you step into it. However, I felt slightly less optimistic about the house when we were waiting in the hallway to be seated (an inconvenient place where it was impossible to be seen).

By the time we were seated, my mum and I were extremely hungry and anxious to start eating. The menu had lots of choice, and we chose to have a savoury bun each and share a sweet one. My mum chose Welsh Rarebit and I had roast vegetable. Unfortunately, the service was slow, but our buns more than made up for it. They were warm, light and fluffy, and a half-size portion was just right with the side salad.

My bun was covered with delicious roast vegetables and a mouth-watering pesto mayonnaise. The flavours will stay with me for a long time!

We chose a cinnamon butter bun for dessert, and I loved it. It had an absolutely massive amount of cinnamon butter on it, and I could have eaten it all day.

When we were finished, we walked down to the museum, expecting to find some fascinating history. However, it was basically a cellar with a few posters on the walls, and someone selling Sally Lunn buns. I would have liked to find out a bit more on the history of the bun, but the information there was down there was quite interesting. In the end, we brought back another bun - who wouldn't?!

Overall, the Sally Lunn had great food, great atmosphere and a great location. With better service and a more interesting museum, it would have been perfect.

More by me:
Three great places to eat with kids in Bristol

A Delicious Sally Lunn Bun...

This summer, my mum and I ate at Sally Lunn's - a delightful eating house and kitchen museum in one of the oldest houses in Bath. This is what we thought...

The first thing you notice when you see Sally Lunn's is the stunning tea house. It feels friendly and welcoming, and as if you are being whisked back in time when you step into it. However, I felt slightly less optimistic about the house when we were waiting in the hallway to be seated (an inconvenient place where it was impossible to be seen).

By the time we were seated, my mum and I were extremely hungry and anxious to start eating. The menu had lots of choice, and we chose to have a savoury bun each and share a sweet one. My mum chose Welsh Rarebit and I had roast vegetable. Unfortunately, the service was slow, but our buns more than made up for it. They were warm, light and fluffy, and a half-size portion was just right with the side salad.
Read more »