UK, England - Bath, Touring a World Heritage Site

Bath is located about 156km west of London and I visited this city in September 2011. Actually, Bath was not on my planned itinerary during my trip to the UK. But I decided to drop by for a short visit as part of my out-of-London day trip which included a trip to Stonehenge.

Like Stonehenge, Bath is a World Heritage Site. The city was designated in 1987 and this city is an extremely popular stop on the tourist map.

As I arrived at Bath, I can't helped but marveled at the beauty of this city. I can't placed what actually made this city so attractive to me. It was probably a combination of factors; the architecture of the age-old buildings, the little sidewalk cafes, the relaxed lifestyles of the locals, the neat and prettily manicured parks, the clean streets and that romantic river that ran through the city!

The iconic Bath Abbey, Bath, England, UK (2011)

My first stop was at the Bath Abbey. This was originally a Norman Church and the current building reportedly dates from the 16th century. In fact, many of the buildings in Bath reportedly date from the 18th and 19th centuries.

A closed-up view of the Bath Abbey, Bath, England, UK (2011)

The church that is the Bath Abbey, Bath, England, UK (2011)

View of worshippers in the church, Bath, England, UK (2011)

Besides the Bath Abbey, another very scenic locale in this city is the Pulteney Bridge which crosses the River Avon. This bridge was built in the 18th century and its construction was completed in 1774.

 The Pulteney Bridge, Bath, England, UK (2011)

View of the the Pulteney Bridge from the banks of the River Avon, Bath, England, UK (2011)

The River Avon is also known as the Lower Avon or Bristol Avon. Tis river starts from South Glocestershire and flows through Wiltshire. The banks of the river are lined with shops and parks.

The small shops are a delight to visit. They sell everything from flowers and daily necessities to tourist souvenirs. There are also a number of small cafes amongst the shops, each unique in their settings and ambience. Sipping my warm cup of freshly brewed coffee while people watching by the river and contemplating life was a unique experience that one simply must try to appreciate what it really felt like.

View of the River Avon, Bath, England, UK (2011)

View of the River Avon, Bath, England, UK (2011)

View of the River Avon, Bath, England, UK (2011)

 View of the banks of the River Avon, Bath, England, UK (2011)

 View of the banks of the River Avon, Bath, England, UK (2011)

View of the banks of the River Avon, Bath, England, UK (2011)

View of the banks of the River Avon which connects to the Pulteney Bridge, Bath, England, UK (2011)

The author, Timothy Tan, at a location overlooking the River Avon, Bath, England, UK (2011)

Flower shop along the River Avon, Bath, England, UK (2011)

Shoppers walking along the banks of the River Avon, Bath, England, UK (2011)

Moving away from the beautiful Rover Avon and into the city itself, I continued to be awed by the amazing architecture that defines most of the buildings in Bath.

Architecture of buildings in Bath, England, UK (2011)

Architecture of buildings in Bath, England, UK(2011)

Architecture of buildings in Bath, England, UK (2011)

Architecture of buildings in Bath, England, UK (2011)

Architecture of buildings in Bath, England, UK (2011)

Architecture of buildings in Bath, England, UK (2011)

Architecture of buildings in Bath, England, UK (2011)

As I walked along the streets of Bath, I continued to be fascinated. Besides the usual shops, many small cafes abound and I thought to myself, the locals must have enjoyed having their cups of freshly brewed and fragrant coffee or tea anytime of the day!

A typical cafe in Bath, England, UK (2011)

Some locals prefer having their cuppa al fresco style, Bath, England, UK (2011)

Locals having their afternoon tea in a cafe, Bath, England, UK (2011)

Cafe, cafe and more cafes...  Bath, England, UK (2011)

A lovely passageway leading to.... another cafe!  Bath, England, UK (2011)

Menu on a cafe shopfront,  Bath, England, UK (2011)

A sign, nestled amongst flowers, along the streets of Bath, England, UK (2011)

Paintings at a shop for sale. Photo taken through the shop window. The reflection of the city on the glass was captured on purpose to present the view of the street where this shop was located.  Bath, England, UK (2011)

All too soon, my short visit to Bath had concluded and I had to board the bus for my return trip to London. As my bus pulled out of the bus park and onto the driveway en-route to London, I kind of wondered how I actually left Bath out of my original itinerary!

Bath, a city in the 21st century but one which retained the old magical wonders of the 16th century.