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Friday 9 September, via Bath deeper into England

Great Britain 2005 - part XXI

Elisabeth & Teije
2006-08-28 17:50:26

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Via Brecon we drive through the Brecon Beacons national park. With more than 1300 square kilometers too big to see it all on one day, and we cross it from north to south. Most of the time we drive on a plateau, but now and then there are steep climbs. The landscape is varies from very rural to totally desolate. But the sky is grey, not good weather for making pictures. When we drive out of the national park we decide to leave Wales and go on to England. We have been a week now in Wales, so we will have to skip the south this time. Via Cardiff, the capital of Wales, we cross the Servern riverr and drive to Bath.

It is still cloudy, but much warmer here and in t-shirt we can walk into the center, with an umbrella at hand. Our travel guides tell us Bath is supposedly one of the most beautiful towns of England, but we don't agree. The old center, near the cathedral and the Roman baths, is quite charming, but to call it the most pretty we have seen, no, we don't think so.

But this place has always attracted people, starting with the Celts (or maybe even earlier) who worshipped Sul here, the goddess of the wells. Every day, more than a million liter warm water comes up to the surface and since 500 BC. the wells are known for their therapeutic effects. The Romans, who already were masters in the art of bathing, used the well to build a large bathhouse around it. it is not hard to guess where the name of this city came from.

But at some time in history the knowledge of the well and the bathhouse was lost and only redicovered in the 19th century when the neighbours complained about a leakage. Excavations brought the Roman public baths to the surface again and it is amazing how much has been preserved. The entrance fee is high (9.50 pounds per person) but this time really worthwhile. We get an audioguide (many languages available) and it has much to tell about the baths and all things on display. The temperature of the water from the ...