The Roman Baths, England
japra | Jul 13, 2007 | Comments 0
It was a beautiful day in Bath, England.We had a very pleasant train ride from the Shire to Bath Spa Station. The journey was about 2 hours—about the same as driving—and cost ₤53 per adult/₤26.50 per child (for us, about ₤132.50/$265). We could have driven for considerably less despite the high gas prices, but we decided to take the train this time to give Mr. DJ a break. Plus the station is so conveniently located near the sights; everything is within walking distance.
An old town (with history dating back to the Celts), the city of Bath is way out in the middle of nowhere, nestled among beautiful, rolling hills. From the Shire, we sat on the train for the longest time without seeing anything but farmland, fields, sheep and cows. Then all of a sudden, we saw this pale, beautiful city rising out of the green. Bath, famous for its Roman Baths and well-preserved Georgian architecture, greeted us with elegance and grace. A true lady.
It doesn’t take a whole lot of imagination to picture elegantly garbed men and women waiting for the train in the Lounge. What does puzzle me–what did they do about the public loo in the days before indoor plumbing? 
The Bath Sweet Shop in the Abbey Green.On our way to the Roman Baths, we found an amazing candy store chock full of big jelly jars filled with all sorts of old fashion sweets. We bought some lemon bon bons, pale yellow balls of a chewy, toffee-like center surrounded by a nice outer layer of dense, lemon-flavored powdered sugar. The shop was tiny, so Mr. DJ waited outside, listening to a talented street musician (busker). The fellow was quite good, so good that Mr. DJ wanted to pull up a chair and stay for the whole set.
These bon bons were surprisingly addicting.
The Abby Green. Mr. DJ’s musician is under the archway.
The Abbey and the entrance to the Roman Baths (to the right).
Bath was crowded on this beautiful Saturday. The perfect weather, after weeks and weeks of rain, had the tourists out by the busloads. We had to wait about 20 minutes to get into the baths. The tickets were ₤10.25 per adult/₤6.50 per child. It is a very interesting place, especially if you’ve never seen Roman ruins. Your ticket includes an audio guide explaining the Baths ad nauseum. You can select from the very thorough “grown-up” version (aka wordy) or the “kiddy” (aka short and well-enunciated) version. You can also enjoy some commentary from one of my favorite travel writers, Bill Bryson.
View of Bath Abbey from the Terrace of the Roman Baths. That’s Julius (the statue) on the left, by the way, and Octavius on the right. They were added in 1894.
Part of the Roman Baths. This is only a small part of what you can see here. You can spend hours and hours exploring this site.
Another view of the baths.
Let me say right now, if you have seen Rom
an ruins, walked through them and appreciated them, you might consider saving a little money and just head straight to the Pump Room and pay 50P for a glass of the warm (116ºF) spring water. The baths are explained to death and you will certainly get your money’s worth in the museum (below street level). However, since we recently enjoyed Rome and the very worthwhile Ostia Antica last year, Bath’s baths just seemed overcrowded and overwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, it is all very well done. It just wasn’t our cup of tea for that day. Well, we did like the curse tablets. And upon reflection, I think I would have enjoyed the baths if it had been less crowded. I felt a little like a sheep in a herd, being jostled about. I may have to visit again off-season.
an ruins, walked through them and appreciated them, you might consider saving a little money and just head straight to the Pump Room and pay 50P for a glass of the warm (116ºF) spring water. The baths are explained to death and you will certainly get your money’s worth in the museum (below street level). However, since we recently enjoyed Rome and the very worthwhile Ostia Antica last year, Bath’s baths just seemed overcrowded and overwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, it is all very well done. It just wasn’t our cup of tea for that day. Well, we did like the curse tablets. And upon reflection, I think I would have enjoyed the baths if it had been less crowded. I felt a little like a sheep in a herd, being jostled about. I may have to visit again off-season.
Monkey see… Lots of people had their hands dipped into the water. We resisted.
This is located within the lower levels. If you look carefully, you can see the water steaming. There are also Roman coins piled up to the right.
The King’s Spring fountain. Here you can try the “healing” waters.
After we decided to skip half of the audio guide stops and just wander through the rest of the exhibit, we emerged out of the baths and headed excitedly to the Pump Room (Janites, it’s all you’ve imagined and more). With your ticket, you are entitled to an, um, authentic glass of Bath mineral water. Mr. DJ opted out. Roxi drank ALL of hers. I hesitantly sipped mine and tried to glug the rest when I saw that Roxi was nearly done with hers. I promptly gagged—I just couldn’t do it.
Yuuuuum.
I thought the water smelled like a warm, wet dog. Mr. DJ said it smelled like blood, and Roxi agreed saying it tasted like when a tooth comes out. UGH! It makes my stomach turn just to think about it. But you must try it! It’s 10,000 year old rainwater that some people have claimed can cure everything from infertility (Queen Mary of the 1600s) to gout to… well, you get the picture.
After such a tasty aperitif, we decided to put off lunch for a bit and just eat a bunch of mints to help settle our stomachs. Since it looked like the crowds had thinned a little at the Abbey, we headed that way. More on the Abbey later.
Filed Under: Bath • Blog • Destinations • United Kingdom
About the Author: JaPRA is an expat Texan living in England with her husband (Mr. DJ), their 17-year old daughter (Roxi), and their dog Trudy.
