It’s All About Books in Bath This Week

We’ve been looking at the events coming up in Bath this week and a bit of a theme has emerged. Bath will be enjoying a plethora of bookish events. If you enjoy reading, we’re sure one or more of these will be of interest…

Waterstones in Bath sometimes puts on events, but when if you enjoy going to talks given by prominent authors then Bath’s independent bookshops are the place to go. 

 

This week Toppings and Company (who have a marvelous shop on the corner of The Paragon (if you haven’t been we really recommend taking a look)) have organised a couple of amazing events.  

The first, on Monday 17^th, is an event with neurosurgeon-turned-author Henry Marsh. He’ll be reflecting on what forty years on the surgical frontline has taught him, and why he still continues to devote himself to work in Nepal and Ukraine while promoting his new book Admissions. His book Do No Harm was a wonderful read, and in his latest book he explores the purpose he has found in his own life, and the fresh understanding he has gained of what matters to us all in the end.

Then, on Tuesday 17^th, internationally best-selling author Natasha Pulley, who wrote the captivating The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, will be speaking about her new book. The Bedlam Stacks is set in 1859 in the shadowy, magical forests of South America. We’re intrigued and sure that her talk will be a fantastic event for any fans of historical fiction. 

Both of these events can be booked via Toppings website, or through their shop on The Paragon.  

Next, we couldn’t write this post without mentioning that this week marks the bicentenary of Jane Austen’s death, so naturally Bath has plenty of events planned to help commemorate her life and achievements. Our top pick of the events going on being the walking tour, Crescent vs Crescent, with Dr Amy Frost on Wednesday 19^th

The tour, though not Austen themed per-se, will explore the social history that took place between the construction of the Royal Crescent and Lansdown Crescent (via Camden Crescent and Cavendish 

Crescent), so very much Austen’s era. (Tickets from http://no1royalcrescent.org.uk/events/ )  

Finally, although not book-themed, we have to mention an adaptation of a film that will be playing at the Theatre Royal from this Friday (21^st July) to the 12^th of August.

Alfred Hitchcock’s classic, North by Northwest, has been adapted for the stage and, having seen clips online, looks wonderful. They’ve blended top-notch acting with clever set design and live film to create an incredible show. They’ve even managed to recreate the scene with the crop-dusting plane!

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Bath Has Gone Cheese Mad

If you’ve been out and about in the centre of Bath, have come across cheeses randomly scattered around, and have wondered what’s going on, this might help to clear things up.  

Until very recently we’d forgotten that one of the cities that Bath is twinned with is Alkmaar in North Holland. It seems we weren’t the only ones. In an effort to help tell the wonderful story of how Bath and Alkmaar came to be twinned back in 1947 (more on that in a minute), Bath Comedy have teamed up with Visit Bath and Bath-Alkmaar Twinning Association to create The Big Bath Cheese Trail.

It runs from July 10^th until July 16^th and will see 74 cheeses, kindly donated by Alkmaar cheesemongers, being scattered around Bath in the windows of Bath’s independent shops and in other ‘prominent’ places (the organisers have made it clear that some cheeses will be hard to find and that not everyone will find them all). The idea is that each cheese will have a fascinating fact about the history of the twinning attached to it, and also a link to a numbered quiz question on the entry form that’s been created for The Big Bath Cheese Trail.  

The Trail is free to enter and the winner gets a giant cheese. Of course. (The entry forms with the most correct answers will be placed in a draw and the winner will be drawn at random.)  

So, what is the story behind the twinning of Bath and Alkmaar?

Despite the fact that Bath was still reeling from the awful Baedeker bombing raids which devastated the city in 1942, the citizens of Bath raised the equivalent of £250,000 in today’s money for the children of Alkmaar – the city was in the grips of the terrible Hunger Winter of 1946/47 and families were being torn apart by famine and freezing conditions.

As well as sending money, clothing and food, families in Bath played host to a large group of the children who were most in need – giving them a Christmas to remember! Later on Alkmaar returned the gesture by organising a holiday for 50 Bath children. For many of them this was their first trip abroad and their first holiday for many many years.   

The first official visit to Bath by dignitaries from Alkmaar took place in 1946, with the cities being twinned in 1947. Although the cities weren’t formally confirmed twinned until May 1990.

To this day the two cities still have regular sporting and cultural exchanges, and so to honour the 70-year anniversary of the cities long friendship, they’ve launched The Big Bath Cheese Trail and Bath Comedy will also be presenting an evening of contemporary cutting-edge Dutch comedy at Widcombe Social Club on July 11th. Besides this we’ve seen that there will be other events in coming months to mark the landmark year, but we’ll save those for a future blog.

In the meantime, if you’d like to enter The Big Bath Cheese Trail then you can download a free entry form here. (After all, it’s a good excuse to go and explore all over Bath, and who wouldn’t want a giant cheese!) 

Visit Bath – Top Insider Tips

We love living in Bath and over the years we’ve come to know it pretty well! So when it comes to planning what to do when you come to visit Bath, you could have a look at what the guide books have to say, or pop in to the Tourist Information Centre when you get here; but if you prefer the more personal touch, and would like to know what will make for a good weekend in Bath, read on…

Bath has been for many centuries, a city of rest and relaxation. For this reason a visit to Bath really has to

include a visit to a spa. The Thermae Spa is amazing at this time of year as it’s the perfect weather for spending time in their rooftop pool. As the evenings are mild and light until late, now is the time to make the most of it and it’s a perfect first-port of call if you arrive in Bath on a Friday afternoon for a long weekend. Another spa we can wholeheartedly recommend are the spa rooms which LUSH have to offer. They’re not the cheapest, but they really are something special.

Next we suggest taking a tour of Bath’s Royal Victoria Park. It has its own small botanical gardens, runs adjacent to the Royal Crescent, and has a splendid crazy golf course if you feel tempted to play a round of golf but don’t fancy lugging a golf bag around with you. On the other hand, Bath’s pitch and putt course at Entry Hill also makes for a nice golf outing (again, as with the rooftop pool at the Thermae Spa, expect some great views).

If you’d like to have a tour of the city then there are a few options to consider. The Mayor of Bath's Honorary Guides do free walking tours at 11am and 2pm each day; in the evenings you can join a ghost walk of Bath or a comedy walk, or if you want a tour you can pause, then you can also download a walking tour app and/or a free audio walking tour from the visitbath website. Other options if you don’t fancy being on your feet all day include the big red tourist buses which you can hop-on and hop-off, or a boat trip/tour, or you could choose to book a horse and carriage tour.

After all or some of the above you might like to stop for a cup of tea. We can recommend a visit to the Georgian Tearooms on Abbey Street (near the Roman Baths (also, of course, well worth seeing)). They have a fantastic range of lunches, cakes (we particularly recommend the cupcakes) and different teas. The atmosphere is perfect for relaxing in; it has lovely big windows and a quaint but elegant Georgian feel to it. 

When it comes to a good evening atmosphere one of our top recommendations is Vino Vino. It’s very close to the Theatre Royal, so convenient if you plan on catching a performance after your meal, and has a great choice of Italian dishes, wines, and dining options (while the weather is so nice, dining al fresco is a must).

We hope one of two of these ideas help you decide what to try while in Bath, and, as always, if you have any questions about Bath or special requests that we can help you with then please do let us know!