Our writer, Rachel McAlley visited Bath for the first-time last summer. She fell in love with the city so much, that she recently returned for a few days.
I knew that I wanted to go back to the city of Bath with my family for a little staycation, and what better time than towards the end of winter. Last time I visited it was summer, and a scorcher at that. This visit was a little cooler, but everything was just as fabulous as my past visit.
This time in Bath I wanted to spend more time in the attractions that I loved, and also visit new places. Myself and my family stayed in two different properties, visited a couple of restaurants we had heard great things about, and enjoyed some previously un-explored tourist attractions. It was going to be a wonderful few days in Bath!
Haze House
We collected our key code for our first property and checked in to Haze House, just off London Road in the city. It was a short walk of around 25 minutes from Haze House in to Bath, which was a great way to see the outer city streets by foot.
Haze House, one of Mint Stays properties is a high-end luxury town house. It includes all the mod cons that you would expect within a newly renovated property. Across four sprawling floors we had a stunning kitchen, laundry room, shower room, and beautiful dining room in the basement.
The ground floor held a living room with three huge sofas, massive flatscreen smart TV, pretty décor and gorgeous lighting. It also had a bedroom and separate shower room on this floor.
The first floor was where the master bedroom was located, with unique mirror which spanned almost the entire length of the wall. The mirror had its own incorporated lighting, hair dryer and hair straighteners (also found in every bedroom). Another bedroom on the first floor could be found, with quirky beams and alcove lighting.
Moving upwards to the second floor, there was another bedroom. Again, with beautiful lighting and hair tech, along with a family bathroom complete with roll top bath.
Each room had its own unique feel, with the décor, lighting, and beds. Speaking of beds, they were insanely big and comfy, especially in the master bedroom!
The Mint Room
We went for dinner on our first evening to award-winning The Mint Room, an exquisite Indian restaurant. Greeted with warm smiles by the team at The Mint Room we were shown to our table in the window. Serving both traditional and modern dining the menus offered something for all tastes.
Within The Mint Room they have two menus to choose from, an A La Carte Menu or the Tasting Menu. We opted for the A La Carte. The three of us tried a selection of starters including Peshawar Malai Tikka, Sweet Potato Shami, and Anjeer Paneer Tikka. Our mouths watered with the paneer, it was perfectly cooked in green chilli, cardamom and cumin, with fig chutney.
Main courses consisted of Chicken Tikka Makani, Shahi Korma, and Saag Gosht, served with a selection of breads and rice. It’s hard to say which was the standout dish as we all came away saying that they were all excellent. However, if I did have to choose then I’d say the Chicken Tikka Makani was melt-in-the-mouth delicious!
We decided to try two desserts between the three of us, the Roasted Pineapple, and Assorted Kulfi. The traditional Indian Kulfi came in three flavours; Saffron, Cardamom, and Pistachio all served with almond crunch. Such a great way to end a wonderful meal at The Mint Room.
Bath Abbey
The following morning after visiting the local supermarket for breakfast we checked out of Haze House and headed into Bath. We had planned to visit Bath Abbey in the morning and spend a little time learning about the history of the Abbey. Whilst inside, my daughter pointed out a few locations where the recent Warner Bros. movie Wonka was filmed. This meant that we spent a while in the Abbey so that she could WhatsApp her friends to show them where Timothée Chalamet had once stood!
Bath Abbey is a stunningly beautiful church, with separate museum, which offers a real insight into Bath’s rich historical past. It details hundreds of years of the build process of the church through its different phases. You also learn who ran the church, who is buried within the church, and much more. Even how the Abbey uses Bath’s famous thermal water as underfloor heating!
The Amazing City of Bath
From there we ventured across Abbey Churchyard to the world-renowned attraction, The Roman Baths. The Baths were a favourite of mine from my first visit last year, so I had to return again.
Once inside The Roman Baths visitors are offered an audioguide for personal use. This is for a self-walking tour to enjoy at your own pace. Available in twelve languages, or via a printed language sheet. We each took our audioguide and set off to the points of interest within the site.
Learning about The Roman Baths from historians, celebrities, and museum curators is a fantastic way to educate yourself about history. After spending a couple of hours visiting the different rooms, we relaxed around the main outdoor baths. There is something magical about being there, in the exact spot where the Romans visited in years gone by.
From the baths we ventured to a few shops, and found Topping & Company Booksellers of Bath, and the Guildhall Market. After spending some time in both of these, we rushed for our lunch booking at The Scallop Shell.
The Scallop Shell
Where should I start with The Scallop Shell? A fish and chip restaurant loved by Marco Pierre White, with friendly staff, and a beautiful bath adorned with fresh fish in the entrance. Or should I simply say, the food was so good that the entire restaurant was filled with diners?
Either way, this is one restaurant that is not to be missed when visiting Bath. They offer a number of different menus to choose from. A fisherman’s lunch set menu of cod, mussels or fishcake with chips, mushy peas, homemade tartar sauce, and a pot of tea for an amazing £12.50 per person. A specials menu of shellfish plate for £30, or fish to share plate for two people at £60. Equally, they offer an A La Carte menu with starters, mains, sides and sauces.
We chose Fried Salt Cod Fishcake, Cornish Mussels, and Classic Prawn Cocktail to start with a side of Sourdough Bread with Anchovy Butter. Honestly, we couldn’t call it as to which was the best starter as they all offered a taste sensation. Although, the mussels were seriously special!
For the mains we choose two of the fisherman’s lunches, both with Cod & Chips alongside all the trimmings. Furthermore, I went for the Cornish Haddock Fillet from the A La Carte, and it was so good I didn’t want it to end. None of us could manage a dessert as we were too full! No wonder The Scallop Shell was so busy at lunchtime, it was because the food was another level outstanding!
Totts House
Checking in to our new accommodation was next on our agenda, so we got in the car and drove to Colerne. Just seven miles outside Bath, this quaint village is perfectly located for some much-needed countryside fresh air. Totts House is a family house that can easily sleep up to eight people, and has everything needed for a group stay. It is owned and run by a husband and wife team, and part of Sykes Cottages.
The kitchen was very big, fully stocked with everything needed to cook and entertain the family. The owners of Totts House had even given us a welcome hamper with fresh bread, milk, eggs, butter and juice, which was a nice little touch.
More from Totts House
Our favourite room in the house by far was the living room. Comfy sofas, warm central heating, and log burner complete with logs and fire-starters ready for use. As it was still winter this meant we could spend our evenings watching TV, eating home-cooked food, and lighting the log burner. Such a wonderful way to relax in the evening!
The bedrooms were comfortable and practical, with very soft pillows and mattresses, which meant a great night’s sleep. Totts House also has private off-street parking, and a large back garden, which would be great for the summer months. All-in-all a very spacious property within easy reach of the city.
After enjoying a hearty breakfast at the kitchen dining table in Totts House we had a relaxing morning, and went for a walk in the village. It was then time to get back in the car for another day exploring Bath.
We used the Lansdown Park and Ride Bus Service to get into the city, which was around a 10-15 minute journey. Once in Bath we went to Knoops on Old Bond Street for a hot chocolate in the shopping district, and then on to find a TootBus.
TootBus
TootBus Bath is run by Bath Bus Company, and they also run the CitySightseeing Bath Buses. We used the ‘Hop On Hop Off’ service so that we could choose to take breaks and then hop back on later.
There are plenty of TootBus bus stops, we opted for the one outside Bath Abbey and caught one of their famous open top buses. This particular tour was called the City Tour and took in the likes of Pulteney Bridge, The Thermae Spa, and The Jane Austen Centre. It also toured around Queen Square, The Royal Crescent, Botanical Gardens, City of Bath College, Bath Abbey, The Roman Baths and more. It was a really interesting journey, and included a fully guided tour with headphones.
After lunch we went shopping on Milsom Street before choosing to board another TootBus, this time for the Skyline Tour. This particular tour is outside the city and sees places like the Holburne Museum, Bath Spa Hotel, and Claverton Down. Equally, the bus takes you around Quarry Hill, Prior Park, and past Rainbow Woods Farm American Museum. Another fully guided tour with headphones was included.
More From TootBus
Both TootBus tours took approximately 55 minutes to complete and were extremely educational. We learned about the history of the spa water in Bath, where Jane Austen lived, and so much more. It costs £22.50 per adult on a TootBus and £14.50 per child and you can hop on and off as often as you like.
Bath was designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987 due to its hot springs, cultural background, Roman remains, and architecture. Visitors can instantly see why it’s a World Heritage Site by simply standing in the Abbey Churchyard and looking around. Everything about the city is beautiful, and I personally love it!
After spending our final night in Colerne at Totts House it was time to pack up our belongings, get into the car, and head north to York. As a family we had a fantastic four days in the city of Bath and it still remains one of my favourite cities in the UK.
For more details about Bath, what’s going on in the city and all the attractions open to visitors please do check out Visit Bath.
The Amazing City of Bath – Words by Rachel McAlley
