Travel To Bath, England - EuropeTrip Part 1

TRAVEL TRIP (AUGUST 2011)

Some people said Bath is boring. I did not agree. I guess each traveler's interpretation of the journey itself could be different from one to the other. I am city boy. I was born and raised in a metropolitan city. Once in a while I wouldn't mind going to a place where the lifestyle is very calm and relaxing. Having a wild nightlife is not a 'must have' criteria in my travel checklist.

 



After I came back from Holland, I stayed in Nottingham for another few days before continued my journey to Bath. Bath is really beautiful. Classic and elegant. Most of the buildings are made of stones from hundred years ago. Bath is an historic Roman and Georgian spa city. It's a World Heritage Site, situated 100 miles west of London and 25km south-east of the nearest big city, Bristol. Bath is the oldest of England’s principal tourist destinations and has been welcoming visitors for centuries. The three hot springs within the city were sacred to the Celtic goddess Sulis, whom the Romans later identified with the goddess Minerva.

 

 

The surrounding is breathtaking, with houses on top green hills and colorful flowers everywhere. I found the locals too are nice and friendly. I asked for direction and a lady was willingly to walk with me half way through it although she was supposed to go to a different path earlier.

I came to Bath from Nottingham.

TRANSPORTATION

1. From Malaysia
If you are travelling from Malaysia, usually you will departure from KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport). KL or Kuala Lumpur is the federal capital with lots of city attractions.

To book the airlines ticket, you have two choices. Try AirAsia (www.airasia.com) for a better rate as this is Malaysian low-cost carrier. AirAsia flies only to few international destinations. You must check where is your departure airport in Malaysia because most of AirAsia flights fly from KLIA2. For another option you may also check MAS (www.malaysiaairlines.com) as this is the national carrier of Malaysia, price could be higher. But you will be surprised during promotion, price is very competitive. MAS definitely takes off from KLIA, not KLIA2. Journey will takes about 14 to 15 hours by direct flight.

MAS will lands in Heathrow Airport while AirAsia in Stansted Airport, London (check for update information).

2. From Nottingham
By Road:
You may travel by car/bus/taxi to Bath. Journey is about 3 to 4 hours. The National Express coach is very reliable. National Express is an intercity coach operator providing services throughout England, Scotland and Wales.

You can check this website for more information on UK National Express: www.nationalexpress.com.
You can check these websites for car rental: www.avis.com.my, www.europcar.com.my, www.thrifty.co.uk, www.hertz.co.uk, www.enterprise.co.uk.

By Rail:

If you want to travel by train, please check this website www.thetrainline.com or www.raileurope.com. The journey will also takes about 4 hours. Train to Bath will departure from Nottingham Station and arrive in Bath Spa Station.

ACCOMMODATION

For big cities where there are lots of attraction, I usually will advise before deciding on places to stay in, you need to choose which area is your preference. Since Bath is a small town, to be honest it does not really matter where you stay. I would suggest for you to pick an accommodation around the attractions area. It will be easier for transportation as you will only need to walk. Basically there are 6 favorite neighborhoods in Bath (bear in mind that outside the city center are just countryside village atmosphere, thus I will not put any specific description as the sceneries were almost the same):

1. Bath City Center

2. Bathampton

3. Monkton Combe

4. Oldfield Park

5. Weston

6. Southdown


PLACES OF INTEREST

There are few interesting places in Bath, but the one that I love so much was the Romans Bath.

 

A visit to Bath should take in the following venues if possible, top of the list has to be the aforementioned Roman Baths but a visit to the Jane Austen Centre, Bath Abbey, Royal Victoria Park, Fashion Museum and Thermae Bath Spa should all feature on your itinerary where possible.

People always said if you go to Bath, your trip is not complete if you do not visit the famous Romans Bath. It is quite true actually. In here, you will feel like you are travelling throughout the time capsule back to the past where Roman civilization period was. Imagining how people from the past lived and used this public bath for social gatherings. The experience felt real due to the fact it is so well preserved compare to other Romans bath ruins in the world.



Finally as my tour ended here, I looked at the watch and found out that I still have two hours more before my train back to London. I decided to join 2-hour Free Mayor Honorary Walking Tour. Check this link:
http://visitbath.co.uk/travel-and-maps/explore-the-area/mayor-of-bath-honorary-guides-p43001
I read about this guide earlier in the website. Initially I was planning to go to the Fashion Museum but the comments I read from people that the trip was not really worth. So I decided to join the walking tour. At least it is free. :)

The tour was really good. Walking around the city of Bath by foots was very pleasant. Especially when the tour guide is very knowledgeable and funny. He educated me about the city's history pretty well. The 2 hours I spent was completely entertaining. He made me fell in love with Bath more and more. And the fact that I was the only young Asian boy in the crowd, he teased me couple of times. It was hilarious. He also said he was impressed that I am an architect at such young age and I travelled all by myself on this trip. According to him, most of the people around my age in Bath have not settle down yet and just working for fun.

My oh my....I do love Bath...It reminded me of my parents. I believe they will too love a place like this.

-Alvy-