A Warm Bath in a Cold England...
Forget beaches and sand. For a different kind of warmth, try Bath, England in December. Who needs sun when you have British hospitality, Christmas cheer and steamy rum cider. But bring ye long undies anyway.
Bath U.K.
(that’s pronounced with “ah” and not the way us Yanks want to say it)
Bahhhhth is a unique English city in that it was founded by the Romans way back in 60 AD. They discovered natural hot springs there and thought it would be a perfect spot for a spa resort. Not sure how long that vacay trek took them but for us, it’s about 2 hrs west of London by train. Well at least when the train is running (more on that later).
England can be cold and dreary in December. Who knew. A valuable travelers tip that the Romans no doubt omitted from their spa resort brochures.
Your toes may be cold but nothing that can’t be cured by Christmas markets, carolers, decorations…
…and most of all, mulled wine and hot spiked cider.
Bath England December trip
The Roman Baths
So about the main attraction, the Roman Baths. Those clever Romans found a way to tap into the natural hot springs and create a world class retreat complete with feasts, orgies and human sacrifices. Not unlike a modern day Carnival cruise.
The hot springs are no joke, reaching a scorching 115 degrees. That’s much higher than my hot tub but the water color is about the same.
And tempting as it looks, no you are not allowed to get in.
Trip to Bath England in December
Bath England December travel
The town of Bath
December Bath England visit
Christmas in Bath England December
After a couple days of merriment in Bath, it was time to head east to London. Ah but there was a glitch. Seems the rail workers had another strike planned. Those Brits are tirelessly polite though, providing plenty of advance notice of when, where and how long they would be striking. Not the full railroad mind you. Just a section here and there. Unfortunately it was our section. Indeed this resulted in an inconvenience but nothing an Uber couldn’t solve…albeit the priciest one in my illustrious Uber career.
The next day the trains were back to normal. No harm, no foul. And I imagine not an inch of progress on the longstanding quarrel between labor and management. Sir Topham Hatt where are ya?
Back in London we found the same cold temps but less of the balmy holiday cheer. Even more wet stuff but none of it in the form of hot baths.
I have Bahhhth, England down for another visit when I am ready to pronounce it properly and walk the town while still feeling my toes. Regardless of the thermometer, I’ll hopefully experience the same warmth as this trip.
Wisdom of the ‘Fool
Traveler’s Tips for Bath England December
- It’s Cold there in December. An icy cold. Pack accordingly
- There is really only one hot bath you can book for a dip. Bring your swimsuit if that’s on your itinerary
- Reserve the above well in advance
- Those streets are narrow and the busses give little quarter. Oh and look right before crossing. Then left and then right again
- Do get the shepherd’s pie. It’s alot better than the frozen ones you ate in college
- The fact that I hummed along to a couple of carols proves that even Scrooge and the Grinch would find Christmas cheer in the Bath England December
