A Short Stay in Bath
Oh yes, it definitely feels good to be back blogging. If you're wondering why it's been a while I explained it all in my last post but basically, life happened! I've been to Bath a few times and I've found it to be a city that really suits me. There are so many beautiful independent shops, cafes and interesting museums. Some of my favourite spots include Meticulous Ink, The Foodie Bugle and the many vintage furniture shops along London Road. These sorts of interesting indie business help Bath feel like a large village rather than a city.
This time I went with my very good friend Angela and we met up with another pal later in the city. The three of us had a wonderful time exploring the labyrinth like streets and as all of us are self confessed interior junkies we popped into pretty much every interesting homeware store too.
After Angela and I dropped out bags off at the house (named Mr Darcy's Abode!) we headed out into the centre. I'd heard that there was an artisan market happening in one of the squares so we went to have a look. There was a lot of seriously good quality wears for sale. Craft markets can be a bit hit and miss but the Independent Bath Market was legitimately good. The square, called Abbey Green, was aptly lined with trees and it had a rural French feel which suited the goods for sale perfectly. I spotted a florist, cheese makers, gelato churners, basket makers, bakers, stationery and jewellery designers.
Angela spotted the gorgeous homemade lemonade stall run by The Foodie Bugle first and headed over to buy us a few cups. I've been following The Foodie Bugle's blog for many years and so I was incredibly happy to meet the team in real life. I'm pleased to say that the lemonade they served us was on the sour end, which is jut how I like it. The shop was just behind their adorable stand so I headed in to have a nose around. As you can see, as well as running a cafe (the perfect spot to tea and cake) they also have a fabulous range of homeware and stationery for sale. I've bookmarked their online store for all future birthday purchases.
After a lovely chat by the till the owner, Silvana, introduced us the Swoon Gelato team and suddenly there was talk of Angela and I sampling their flavours in their shop. Before we knew it we were whisked away through the back streets of Bath to arrive at Swoon, we were immediately handed generous samples of each gelato to try out (which was the best I've ever tasted). Their dairy free chocolate sorbetto was devine and I couldn't believe how rich and creamy it was despite being sans milk. It was so good in fact, went back the next day for more.
After sampling delicious sorbets and gelatos it was time to head to the Jane Austen Centre for some tea add cake and a look at the exhibits. The tea room was really sweet and the very friendly and passionate team working there all looked wonderful in their Georgian outfits. After tea, Angela and I headed downstairs to join the talk that was lead by a young Austen enthusiast, she really knew her stuff.
My favourite part of the museum were the costumes, one was meticulously sewn by hand after someone discovered Georgian pattern pieces in a chest. When put back together it formed a gorgeous pink and white striped dress, it must have taken months to figure out how the pattern fitted together. Angela and I had some fun dressing up in some Georgian garb. I probably took my upper class gentlemen role too seriously, you may have seen a photo on me looking ridiculous in my Instagram stories!
After the museum we headed out to meet Angela's friend and we shared a bottle of wine in town before heading out to find a lovely pub for a couple of proper pints. The King William was across the road from where we were staying and fit the bill perfectly.
I have a pub checklist, I'm incredibly snobby when it comes to pubs. The decor must be tasteful, ideally old fashioned without being grubby. Sometimes the pub will be painted in heritage colours like Farrow and Ball's Railings or Slipper Satin which will get a serious thumbs up from me - I told you I was a snob. They must have a good selection of ales and cider, bonus points if said booze is local. The bar staff must be friendly as I love a good natter and the chairs must be comfy. I'm pleased to report that the King William ticked all my boxes, plus the food looked delicious.
Slightly drunk but happy, we headed back to the house and Angela cooked us up some stuffed courgette flowers and garlicky beans from her mum's allotment. We headed to bed and I read the huge Jane Austen tome that was in my room for at least an hour. I enjoyed reading Emma so much that I made a mental note to buy it the next day.
After the museum we headed out to meet Angela's friend and we shared a bottle of wine in town before heading out to find a lovely pub for a couple of proper pints. The King William was across the road from where we were staying and fit the bill perfectly.
I have a pub checklist, I'm incredibly snobby when it comes to pubs. The decor must be tasteful, ideally old fashioned without being grubby. Sometimes the pub will be painted in heritage colours like Farrow and Ball's Railings or Slipper Satin which will get a serious thumbs up from me - I told you I was a snob. They must have a good selection of ales and cider, bonus points if said booze is local. The bar staff must be friendly as I love a good natter and the chairs must be comfy. I'm pleased to report that the King William ticked all my boxes, plus the food looked delicious.
Slightly drunk but happy, we headed back to the house and Angela cooked us up some stuffed courgette flowers and garlicky beans from her mum's allotment. We headed to bed and I read the huge Jane Austen tome that was in my room for at least an hour. I enjoyed reading Emma so much that I made a mental note to buy it the next day.
The next day we check out out of the house and headed out for a walk around the many shops Bath has to offer. Obviously we had to stop off at Hay and even more obviously I spent a fortune on their amazing stationery. Please open up a proper store in London Hay...on second thought, I don't think my bank balance could take it.
After a bit of research I found a coffee place called Hunter & Sons as I was in desperate need of caffeine. They didn't disappoint, the coffee was very good and I liked that the interior matched my basket bag! Thing I noticed about the people of Bath is that is that they're incredibly friendly and helpful. Genuine friendliness from strangers is quite refreshing after living in London for five years. I don't think I've met so many lovely people in 24 hours as I did whilst we were in Bath.
Our last stop before heading back home to London was a visit to Mr B's Emporium Of Reading Delights. I can never resist popping in to a good bookshop and like I mentioned earlier I wanted to buy my own copy of Emma to finish reading when I got home. I really didn't think I'd enjoy Austen so much! In case you want to give classic literature a go, Emma is a great introduction to her work as it's so light hearted and easy to read.
I honestly can't wait to go back to Bath. But next time I am definitely going for at least a long weekend, 24 hours just isn't long enough! I am so grateful that the team at Visit Bath invited me to have a look around the city and pay a visit to the Jane Austin Centre. Please note, this wasn't a sponsored post but Visit Bath did pay for my entry into the Jane Austen Centre. Accommodation for the night was kindly gifted to us by Bath Boutique Stays.