Planning your day
What you need to know about the walk
In order to give you the best experience possible, I have collected some information about the walk. This way, you are able to plan ahead according to your needs and wishes.
The walk in a nutshell
» Start and Finish
The walk starts in front of the Abbey in Abbey Churchyard, where the Roman Baths Museum is – 8 minutes’ walk from Bath Spa train station.
It finishes at the Abbey, too.
» Distance and Time
The walk is 8.5 miles in length. The narration lasts 4.5 hours.
Give yourself at least six hours total for breaks and solo explorations.
» Getting the timing right
It’s an all-season walk but in the darkest period, two weeks either side of 31 December, start at 9 am so you can do the walk and take breaks before the light starts to go.
» What to bring
Dress for puddles and rain. There are gentle hills and one big one.
You’ll need headphones or earphones.
TIP: If you don’t have good, noise-cancelling ones, start by 9 am on weekends and holidays because the first chapter takes place in the historic centre, which fills up quickly with crowds and buskers, and you may struggle to hear over the noise.
Planning your breaks ahead of time
During the walk I’ll tell you when we’re at the quarter, half, and three-quarters-way-through points. Here you will find cafés, restaurants and pubs.
In order to be able to get prepared, here’s where the quarter, half, and three-quarters-way-through points are:
- Quarter way is at the end of Chapter 3: River, on the pedestrian bridge behind the bus station (link takes you to Google Maps so you can see what’s around). https://maps.app.goo.gl/mqNDwrtXd3644aH47
- Half way is at the end of Chapter 4: Stone, in front of the White Hart Inn, Widcombe. https://maps.app.goo.gl/UkQH8G5FZcfF7Dsw6
- Three-quarters way comes at the end of Chapter 6: Guild, in Kingsmead Square. https://maps.app.goo.gl/vkQ9YyRdX33bsVXR6
Tip: take more than one day
If you have more than a day, you can split the walk up and do other things, like visit the Roman Baths Museum, the only way to see the Roman bathing complex.
Visit the Roman Baths Museum’s website
You might also like to learn more about Bath as World Heritage Site.