Bath 🇬🇧

I caught the train to Bath for the day.  This picturesque town was settled by the Romans in 70AD as they had become aware of the thermal springs in the area.  They created an elaborate system of pools and baths, steel pipes to carry the 36 degree water to other parts of the city, sauna rooms with steam heating under the floorboards. 

My train arrived just as the free walking tour started and so by the time I got to the meet point they had moved, but I was able to hunt them down.  The Mayor of Bath has honoury guides who are expert historians and it is a completely free 2hr tour.  

I had booked a timeslot to visit the baths and glad I had as there were a lot of international tour groups and I wouldn't have gotten in.  The self audio guide tour is excellent and it takes 1.5-2hours to make your way through all the exhibits. 

They baths fell into disrepair over time as the river Avon used to flood the area.  In the 1700's the houses inside the walls were raised to protect them from floods, and existing houses were built on top of.  Houses in the inner wall section have two stories underground! The Roman baths were excavated as they were buried in silt.

I then wandered through the city in the short time I had left before my return train.  So much more to see!

I heard two ladies say 'she looks like she would take our photo' and I laughed and said they were spot on.  We got talking and Tracey had literally just finished walking the entire UK coastline over the last few years.  She had had some personal change of circumstances with loss of relationship, house, then job with covid and was falling into depression.  She decided to sell what she had to buy a tent, backpack and shoes and off she went to walk on a very low budget.  Amazingly I had read her story on a FB group we are both a part of and she had gotten into writing poetry on her journey and posted some of her writing.  One had resonated with me and my trip and I shared a little and we chatted back and forth back in October and here we were in the middle of Bath meeting each other and she has just finished her 3 year journey.  She flies out to the US in a fe

w days to see her daughter and grandchildren.

I asked her what's been the best and most amazing part of the trip.  And guess what, she didn't say a destination, she said the kindness of strangers and also learning that we are much stronger than we give ourselves credit for.  These could have been my own words.  Such an inspiring woman 😊

Wonderful day 😊