My trip to Bath, UK in February 2016.  My longest post so far, so you may want to grab a cup of coffee.

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This trip started with a deadhead to London on February 15, 2016. I left Newark at 8:30 AM on February 15, 2016 and arrived in London at 8:30 PM that night.  I was scheduled to fly back to Newark at 4:00 PM on the 17th resulting in a 40 hour layover.  Coworkers told me I should visit Bath when I had the time. So, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity and a plan was developed.
I awoke early the next morning, the 16th, and promptly headed to the nearest ATM where I withdrew enough cash for the trip, bought a coffee at the Nero’s next to the hotel,  then returned to my room to figure out how I was going to get to Bath.   With the help of Google, I found that the Great Western Railway runs trains from London’s Paddington station to Bath.

Using the “London Tube” app on my smartphone, I found the quickest way from the hotel to Paddington was to jump on the Central Line tube from the Marble Arch station to the Notting Hill Gate station, then change to either a Circle Line or District Line train to Paddington.  Once at Paddington I figured I could ask directions on how to buy a ticket to Bath.

I left the hotel at 7:00 AM with a goal to catch the 8:30 AM train to Bath.  As I walked into the Marble Arch Tube Station, I heard a muffled announcement on the PA saying something about all Circle Line and District Line trains to Paddington were suffering significant delays.  So, I switched to Plan B.  I boarded the Central Line train in the other direction and got off one stop later at the Bond station.  I then jumped on a Jubilee Line train and went one stop north to the Baker Street station where I planned to connect to the Waterloo Line and complete my journey to Paddington.  Piece of cake.  The time was 7:25 and it was about a ten minute underground walk from the Jubilee Line to connect to the Waterloo line so I had plenty of time. After I arrived at Platform 6 to catch the train to Paddington, a London Underground employee came down the platform and announced that all trains to Paddington were cancelled for an undetermined amount of time.

Time to come up with plan C.  Google maps showed I could catch either London bus #27 or #205 to Paddington.  The next bus that came along was the 205, so I jumped on and arrived at Paddington at 8:00.  A nice gentleman at the Information Desk directed me to the Great Western ticket office where I bought the round trip ticket to Bath.

I boarded the train at 8:20 and the train left the station on time at 8:30 AM.  The train made 4 stops prior to arriving in Bath at 9:55 AM.  When I got off the train I immediately realized I was not dressed appropriately for the weather.  It was a crystal clear day; the temperature was in the low 30s and the winds were gusting to 25 mph. I wish I had brought a hat and gloves.

Now that I was in Bath, I had no clue where I wanted to visit.  Spying a Nero’s coffee shop a couple of blocks away, I headed over and purchased a large cup of steaming hot coffee.  While there, I googled “Things to do in Bath” and found a four hour tour that would be perfect.

First stop was the Roman Baths.

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The Roman Baths with the Bath Abbey in the background.

Wikipedia article on Roman Baths

Bath Abbey with the entrance to the Roman Baths on the right.

After leaving the Roman Baths I walked up Gay street, past the Jane Austen Centre to the Circus.

Panorama view of the Circus
Wikipedia article describing the Circus

From there, I went to the Royal Crescent.

The Royal Crescent.
Wikipedia article describing the Royal Crescent

I spent about an hour and a half touring this house at 1 Royal Crescent; an 18th century Georgian townhouse now established as a museum reflecting the life of it’s first owner, Henry Sandford.

Link to the 1 Royal Crescent website

Sitting room; 1 Royal Crescent

Henry Sandford’s study; 1 Royal Crescent

Parlor; 1 Royal Crescent

Heading upstairs; 1 Royal Crescent

After visiting the house, I walked to the Putteney Bridge.

St Michael’s Church, Bath, UK

Pultney Bridge

I then returned to the train station, where I caught a 2:00 pm train back to London; arriving near 4:00 PM. There were no reported delays on the tube so I took a Circle Line train from Paddington to Notting Hill Gate, transferred to a Central Line train and arrived at Marble Arch in time for dinner.

It was a very rewarding day and I’m glad I had the opportunity.