Bath and Lacock

Thursday, 12 June 2014

This morning we headed to Bath. It was a beautiful drive through Wiltshire and Somerset countryside. We left our car in a long-term parking lot and explored on foot. We began at the Roman Baths. It was fascinating. The water in the large bathing pool was warm and very green. The water beneath the ground was orange and steaming hot. There are a remarkable number of Roman antiquities there.

We then visited the Bath Abbey. It's known for it's incredible stained glass windows. There are 35 windows depicting scenes from the life of Christ. The vaulted ceiling is a work of art too. It was the first time Elizabeth had ever been inside an abbey. She and Anna sat in one of the pews and noticed the prayer cushions hanging there.

From there, we went to the Fashion Museum. Because of it's location in Bath, the fashions focus on the Georgian era, so the clothing was very "Jane Austin". We persuaded Elizabeth and Kent to try some on!

Across the street from the museum is the Circus and Crescent, famous rows of Georgian houses that are right out of Jane Austin novels.

Then it was time for another nerve wracking drive on narrow roads (we even had to pay a 70p toll to cross a bridge that was as wide as one car but meant for two-way traffic--oh, and we had to pass a tour bus on the other side!) The scenery was beautiful and the sun shone all day.

As soon as we arrived in Lacock, we went to the Abbey and toured some of the rooms there. The most exciting part of the abbey for the girls were the cloisters, where some of the scenes from the Harry Potter movies were filmed. We walked through the village. The houses were old, quaint, and very picturesque.

Another pretty drive through the Cotswolds brought us to Bourton-on-the-Water, where we checked into another Bed and Breakfast. We took a short walk along the river this evening and hope to explore the village a little more tomorrow.

The Roman Baths






Bath Abbey




At the Fashion Museum




Entering Lacock Abbey


The Crescent, Bath


The Cloisters, Lacock Abbey (and Harry Potter :))


One of the many footbridges in Bourton-on-the Water


Lacock Abbey