5/50: Bath, Somerset

Think Bath, and the chances are you won't immediately think of Somerset. After all, Somerset evokes thoughts of rock festivals, cider, an obsession with the letter z, cheddar and the Wurzels, none of which really seem to apply to the history-obsessed, Jane-Austenised, regency city of Bath. Indeed, there is a definite sense of separation between Bath and the rest of the county: partly because it appears to be on the "wrong side" of Bristol, and partly because it has a much higher student population: two universities, compared to er... well, does Somerset actually have any other universities?? Add to this the high number of tourists Bath attracts compared to the rest of what is a rather quiet county, and you see why Bath seems to be in a county all of its own.

Here, this ain't no comboine 'arvester...

Of course, there are some things that link Bath to its county of origin: Bath Abbey and Wells Cathedral, near Glastonbury, were linked for a long time under the Bishop of Bath & Wells, which for me evokes memories of Blackadder II, which had an episode based on said bishop. Fortunately, neither Bath nor Wells have since attracted a reputation for eating babies, which is probably just as well! You can still hear the classic Somerset accent - or should I say, Zummerzet accent - around here as well if you pay close attention, but it is hard to show how Bath and Somerset are one and the same when Bath will insist on being so fantastically different.

"And did you tell him about the baby-eating Bishop of Bath and Wells?"

Take, for example, Pulteney Bridge and the Weir: there are not many bridges I know that have a wide variety of shops on them, nor do I know of a weir that is quite so ferocious. As my good friend Tom Murphy (a student at the University of Bath) explained, you would be mad beyond belief to attempt to kayak down the weir, as the sheer physics of it alone would leave you somewhat doomed. Strangely, this does not stop the odd madman from trying: but judging from the comedy show we walked past near the Abbey, Bath is full of a few wonderfully mad people.

Pulteney Bridge, complete with riverside cafe!

Looking along the bridge itself

My capable guide, Mr Tom Murphy.

As Tom pointed out to me on our way south towards the bus station, there are signs of the weird (and therefore wonderful) everywhere you go in Bath. Near Pulteney Bridge, there is a house with three different styles of roof...

You can walk from the majestic splendour of such Regency streets as the Royal Crescent and The Circus to the Roman Baths in less than 10 minutes, via some truly magnificent parks and gardens...

There is a delightful shop on Cheap Street (west of the Abbey) called December 25th, which presumably does not actually open on the day itself...

And the road system is so chaotic that it actually makes a great deal of sense to get off the stop BEFORE the bus station! Though in fairness, this only applies to the city centre: transport to and from the suburbs is both quick and reliable, and the rail service is pretty good when you consider that Bath wasn't on any of the original main lines. And compared to the madness that is Stroud Bus Station, the only one I know that lies either side of a MAIN ROAD, it wasn't really a huge inconvenience.

I don't really feel I can make a full assessment of Bath without visiting it again: Tom certainly made for a good guide, and it definitely left a good impression on me, but it felt like a place you need to experience quite a few times before fully grasping its many features and contrasts, which is usually the case when there's a high student population kicking around (student housing, incidentally, is not to be sniffed at in Bath). In any case, I didn't actually go to the Roman Baths, which seems beyond belief when you consider how the place got its name. Shocker!