How to Tour Bath in 90 Minutes or Less

This month’s theme is Jane Austen locations, particularly Bath, which immediately brought this story to mind.

My husband works for Boeing and he occasionally travels with his job, jetting off to exotic vacation destinations like Glasgow Montana, Roswell New Mexico, and Fairbanks Alaska in the dead of winter. Needless to say, I’ve never felt the desire to accompany him on these business trips. But then, several years ago now, he casually dropped the news that he was being sent to Venice, Italy, for a couple of weeks, and asked if I wanted to go along.

When I finally finished squealing with delight and jumping up and down, I ran to find my passport, arranged for a sub at work, and began making reservations. Boeing had taken care of my husband’s travel arrangements, but I was on my own. The first thing I discovered is that there were no direct flights from Seattle to Venice. I would have to stop over, or at least change planes somewhere – Rome, Amsterdam, Berlin, or London.

London? Hmm. That’s when the wheels started turning.

I was at the time working on my second Jane-Austen-inspired novel, For Myself Alone, which is set partially in Bath. I’d gleaned what I could about the town from Austen’s writings and other sources, but I couldn’t help thinking how fantastic it would be to visit the place in person. If I had to pass through London anyway, why not stay a day or two and hop on an excursion to Bath? An inspired idea! So, I booked two nights at a London hotel and started hunting for a tour to Bath.

In hindsight, it probably would have been smarter to consult a train schedule. But, since I wasn’t a seasoned international traveler, I still hoped to avoid the scary prospect of navigating public transportation on my own in a foreign, albeit English-speaking country. So I signed on to the only bus tour I could find going to Bath, with the bonus that it made stops at Hampton Court Palace and Stonehenge on the way. The big plus was that it was supposed to pick me up at my hotel. Nothing could be simpler or more convenient. Right?

They arrived at Bath. Catherine was all eager delight – her eyes were here, there, everywhere as they approached its fine and striking environs, and afterwards drove through those streets which conducted them to the hotel. She was come to be happy, and she felt happy already. (Northanger Abbey, chapter 2)

As you may have already guessed, my carefully laid plans didn’t work out exactly as I had envisioned. Turns out that when the tour company advertised “hotel pick up service,” they didn’t mean my hotel. But, a city bus and subway ride later, I caught my tour and I was on my way. Hampton Court was very interesting and Stonehenge captured my imagination more than I had expected, yet I was chomping at the bit to move on to Bath. I longed to see for myself the places Jane Austen mentioned in her books, and to spend the entire afternoon strolling the cobbled streets she knew so well.

When we at last rolled down from the hills into town, I craned my neck and was delighted to catch sight of the Pultney Street Bridge over the Avon. That was the first “check” on my list of must-sees. Yay! The bus parked behind the Abbey and, before turning us loose, our guide matter-of-factly informed us what time we needed to be back aboard. I gasped. I want to scream in protest. An hour and a half?!? That was nowhere near enough time!

Nothing I could say or do would change the schedule, however. It was be back at the appointed time or get left behind. So, with the stopwatch already running, I raced off.

Bath RomanI hurried through the Roman Baths, learning from an on-site guide how the place would have looked entirely different in 1800 (check). Next, the Pump-room (check), where I sampled the healing mineral water from The King’s Fountain (check) – warm but not nearly as redolent of sulfur as I expected. Then I crossed the churchyard for a quick tour of the Abbey (check), with its soaring ceiling and magnificent stained glass windows on all sides. I paused in a pew for a couple precious minutes, to take it all in before reluctantly moving on.

With a glance at my watch, I decided to head for the Royal Crescent. Here’s where Bath’s terrain comes into play. The oldest part of the town was established on a fairly level area beside the river. But it later spread out from there, up the slopes of the surrounding hills. So when you read in Northanger Abbey that Catherine Morland is attending a ball at the “Upper Rooms,” it’s called that because these newer assembly rooms are literally at a higher elevation than the old ones. What it meant for me, however, was that the hike to my destination would be all uphill.

Bath JA Center2Along the way, I had the presence of mind to turn and look for Beechan Cliff (check), which I could see peeking out over the tops of the Georgian-style buildings. Then I luckily stumbled across the Jane Austen Center (check) on my way up Gay Street. Wishing I had an hour to spend, I popped in just long enough to purchase a couple of informative books from a helpful clerk.

A little further up the street, I entered The Circus (check), a circle of connected town houses in three segments, with a green at the center. I wondered if the same old trees stood there in Jane Austen’s day (No, according to my research later).
Exiting the Circus to the left, I finally reached the Royal Crescent (check), with its expansive front lawn and famed gravel walk (check, check). I admired the view, took a few pictures, and then turned to run for the bus.
Bath Royal CrescentI’m sure I looked like a mad woman, flying down the gravel walk and cobbled streets as if pursued by an 18-century apparition. I was in a panic; I had already used up every one of my ninety minutes and now pictured the bus pulling away without me. It didn’t, but I got a reprimanding glare from the guide when I climbed back aboard, excessively out of breath and precisely seven minutes late.
Lucky thing they waited for me, or was it? Thinking back, I feel fortunate that I got the chance to see Bath, and I’m amazed how much I was able to accomplish in so short a time. But, oh, how I wish I could have stayed longer! If I’d missed my bus, I would have had my wish… and another story to tell. And, in case you’re wondering, I will be going back to Bath for a proper tour just as soon as I can arrange it!

17 comments

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    • Michelle Hall on September 8, 2016 at 3:48 am
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    Bath is beautiful, I am so glad you enjoyed it. If you get the chance try and go to Derbyshire as it is beautiful and lots of great stately homes to see e.g. Sudbury House, Hardwick Hall, Calke Abbey and Lyme Park. What did you think of Hampton Court. This is one of my favourite places but I love history especially the Tudors. Thank you for sharing.

    1. I was impressed with Hampton Court, too, Michelle. My only complaint was that it cut into my time at Bath, which was my primary goal! My husband and I are planning another trip to England, and he promises to be patient and indulge me in a full Jane Austen tour this time, including Derbyshire!

    • Deborah on September 8, 2016 at 5:36 am
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    What a whirl-wind tour! Just to be in Bath for 90 minutes makes me envious as I have never been there. I am hoping to one day. Thank you for sharing the story about your visit and some of the pictures you took.

    1. It was both wonderful and terrible, Debbie – a thrill to be there but a nightmare to find out I had so little time. I would wish you an altogether better (and much more relaxed!) tour of Bath one day.

    • Caitlin Williams on September 8, 2016 at 8:11 am
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    You managed to pack quite a lot in during your hour and a half. I’m impressed. If I’d just arrived in a strange new town, I would have still been in the car park studying the map, dithering.
    Thanks for the post, very entertaining. I hope you get to go and stay for longer soon. It’s a great place to wander slowly around and there’s lots to see.

    1. Thanks, Caitlin. Yes, wandering slowly sounds wonderful! I had looked at maps before I got there, so I already had a picture in my mind where things were. But some of what I did see (and what I missed) in my 90 minutes was just by chance.

    • Carole in Canada on September 8, 2016 at 10:38 am
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    I am out of breath and grinning from ear to ear just reading your about your adventure! Thank you for the quick tour and hope you get back soon! I just finished ‘The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen’ this week and absolutely loved it! I love how you mentioned and described Venice in it!

    1. Yay! I’m delighted you enjoyed this post, Carole, but especially that you loved TPMJA! Tell all your friends, please. I really do think it’s my best book, but often overlooked because it’s not P&P.

      Yes, Venice will always have a special place in my heart. Luckily, I had more than 90 minutes to spend there – about 10 days. Wonderful!

    • Ann on September 8, 2016 at 10:48 am
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    What a lovely description of a whirlwind tour of Bath and other stops in Britain – thank you Shannon.

    1. You’re very welcome, Ann. Thanks for reading and commenting!

  1. I’ve taken that same bus trip myself and I agree that the time in Bath was far too short. There is simply too much to see in the town, even if you are not an Austen fan! You certain saw far more than I did. Kudos! I hope your next trip there yields more time and plenty of Austen inspired goodness.

    1. We were supposed to go to Windsor instead of Hampton Court, but they diverted us because the queen was there, which was fine. All very enjoyable, but I couldn’t believe they allowed so little time in Bath! Let’s hope we both get to go back for a longer tour, Wendy.

    • Kristine Shore on September 8, 2016 at 10:00 pm
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    We loved Bath, but took a train and spent far more time touring than you did. I didn’t mind the water at all, but I am on a well and sometimes our water tastes similar to the Spa water. Even though we spent the majority of a day in Bath I would love to go back and explore more in depth.

    1. I wish I had just taken the train like you did, Kristine, since I ended up dealing with public transit anyway. The good thing was that I did see some other interesting places, and I got a story out of it too. I guess there’s always more cool things to see than we have time for, though.

    • Jane Chapman on September 17, 2016 at 9:07 am
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    In 2014, my husband and I visited Bath from New Zealand. We were so lucky to see Lady Maybury in costume from 1760, standing in front of the Abbey. She took us on a wonderful walking tour of Jane Austen’s Bath which took only 1-1/2 hours. It was fantastic, and very inexpensive. She had an extensive knowledge of Jane’s books and her life. After that we had the rest of the day to visit the rest of Bath’s attractions. We hope to repeat the experience next year, when we come over again. She’s worth looking out for!

    1. Sounds perfect, Jane – a much more effective (and less frantic) way to see JA’s Bath in 90 minutes!

      • Irena Warmenhoven on October 1, 2016 at 1:42 am
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      Did it cost anything to tour with Lady Maybury? Where exactly did you pickup her tour? Thanks Irena

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