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Bath

Bath in July 2010: the green Great Bath and its statue-lined terrace, Bath Abbey next door, a sweeping Georgian curve and organ pipes under fan vaulting.

In July 2010 we gave Bath a summer weekend, and Bath gave us honey-coloured stone, Roman plumbing and more visitors per square metre than the baths ever saw legions.

Panoramic view of the Great Bath at the Roman Baths, green water ringed by stone columns and busy terraces
The Great Bath in one sweep: green water, Roman columns, and a full house on every level.
Inga standing on the statue-lined terrace of the Roman Baths with the tower of Bath Abbey rising behind
Up on the terrace, where weathered statues keep watch and Bath Abbey photobombs from next door.
Inga and Dileep smiling at the railing above the green water of the Great Bath, visitors on the level below
The obligatory couple photo above the water. Nobody bathes here any more; everybody photographs.
Inga sitting on a stone bench in a shaded corner of the Roman Baths beside a woman dressed in white Roman costume
One of the resident Romans joined us in the shade. Excellent posture, very committed wardrobe.
Sweeping curved Georgian terrace of honey-coloured stone in Bath with an ornate lamp post and a strip of green in front
Georgian Bath showing off: an entire street built on a curve, fronted by a lamp post with more detailing than most houses.
Silver organ pipes in a carved wooden case beneath a fan-vaulted stone ceiling
Fan vaulting above, a small forest of silver pipes below.

Bath fits into a weekend and looks good in any weather. We drove home slowly, plotting a return, via Stonehenge.