So, everything organised for the fourth week in September, all the usual touristy sights (Herschel, Austen, Stonehenge) noted, anything novel that Bored or Harry would recommend?

We've got a couple of nights in Bath sometime in August (I forget exactly when; towards the end of the month, I think), so any advice on the usual touristy sights, especially those that would be enjoyed by an eight year old and a twelve year old, would be appreciated here also.

Bath Park (or, to give it its official name, Royal Victoria Park) has a massive children's playground at the bottom end. Or don't children do children's playgrounds these days?

You could take the Bristol-bound bus to Kelston (a village a few miles west of Bath) and then walk up to Kelston Round Hill (or Kelston Round Tump or Kelston Clump; it's got quite a few names). On a clear day, you can see as far as Newport. If you're lucky, it'll be cloudy.

They used to do good scotch eggs (if there is such a thing as a good scotch egg) in Bath Market.

Why's he asking me? I'm not a yokel.

Football.

You inter-related Cardiff fans all look the same to the Irish...

Interesting you mentioned Newport, forget Wales was only over the bridge, so might be interesting for one day.

Do you bike?

If so, this looks like fun.

And you could do the Clifton Suspension Bridge and other Brunel stuff in Bristol.

Well I am absolutely shit as I have never been to the Herschel and have only just checked it out now. The first thing to know about Bath is that you can do a reasonable walking tour in an hour/90 minutes. It is, of course, not a city but a market town with delusions of grandeur so getting around it is very easy.



Not only does it have a kids playground but it has a skate park which your 12 year old may enjoy more. It has a lovely cafe across the road called Picnic in the Park as well but, more to the point, it has the best pub in Bath - The Hop Pole - across the road. You can see the children from the pub window if you crane your neck occasionally. I have researched this so you don't have to. They have some botanical gardens there that are nice to walk around as well and the Royal Crescent is part of the park really as well



You can actually walk to Kelston Round from the centre of Bath in 90 minutes and, has been said, there is a great view. There are loads of interesting little places around Bath that are lovely to walk arouns - Mells, Wellow (which is not only picturesque but has a great horse-trekking centre) and Fairleigh Hungerford that has a lovely river-swimming club.

Another place for a walk is what myself and the wife did today which is to walk up to the The Hare and Hounds and have a pint and some lovely food with an amazing view.

The other thing is that there are many nice places within a drive. Glastonbury, Weston Super Mare and Bradford Upon Avon are all great.

By the way, the Spa is great but it is more expensive for non-Bath residents and isn't open for under 18s. If you want to go to the Roman Baths but just fancy a look and don't want to do the whole tour, walk through the Pump Rooms restaurant and, at the back, there is a balcony overlooking the Baths.




The Bath-Bristol railway path is good and a great way of walking through the centre of Bath. If you carry it along out of Bath the other way from Bristol you can also walk out to the The George in Bathampton via ice cream kiosks and lovely scenery.



Yup, 15 minutes on the train and you are in Bristol

Bored of Education wrote:


Apart from having a BSq-South team and being the birthplace of John Cleese, what is it that qualifies Weston Super Mare as great?

I like it. Preferably in the winter, it has to be said. There again, I collect tacky seaside towns so am not the most objective of respondents. I recorded my album around the corner and, like many seaside places, the beaches just along from the main one in front of the town are pretty. I actually conflate it with Clevedon often as well which ups its appeal somewhat. It also has a great VW festival

John Cleese is now one of the worst things about Bath with his misogyny show about his divorce, his thinly veiled racism and blatant name-checking of Bath shops when turning the Christmas light on. It has to be said that there is a drop-off in the level of atrocity between the third and the first two.

The baths of course are worth seeing. I'd imagine the kids would like that too.
If you like tapas, have a go at La Perla down near the river on North Parade. P and I went there a few months ago and the food was bloody marvellous and pretty reasonable.

That is quite new, I think, hobbes. I only noticed myself recently.

Aye, it had the air of a new place when we went back in May. It's very good though. Slightly upmarket versions of traditional tapas, but without it being poncy expensive.

I shall give it a go. There is a nice Greek meze place - Opa - down the road that has a patio overlooking the river and isn't dissimilar, by the looks of it.

By the way, the Abbey is well worth looking around and is just around the corner from the Baths. Depending on how comfortable you are with religion, it is probably best to go during a Sunday church service. It also has angels climbing up ladders on the outside.



By the way, if anyone is coming down and fancies a pint, PM me. As long as you aren't mental in real life, mind

you could do the Clifton Suspension Bridge and other Brunel stuff in Bristol.

The best way to do that, I reckon, is to walk from the city centre on the south side of the harbour (the north side's a bit loud because of the traffic). You eventually end up on the Portway, where there's a bust of Samuel Plimsoll. I know from personal experience just how fascinated people are when they're forced to stand between a pavement-free trunk road and a water-free river and listen to one of the locals banging on about the Plimsoll Line.

If you then cross the road – it only takes about an hour, although it can take two hours during the rush hour – there's a barely visible footpath that takes you up to the Suspension Bridge.

Another option is Cabot Tower, which is about five minutes' walk from the city centre. The view is excellent, but the squirrels in the park are even better. If you go there and rustle a bag of Twiglets, you'll have at least half a dozen of the little bastards clambering up your leg within thirty seconds.

If you do go to that area, I recommend doing this. . What they don't mention is that there is a rock slide near the observatory entrance where you can relive your youth.

What they don't mention is that there is a rock slide near the observatory entrance where you can relive your youth.

One of my first-ever dates ended up there. The girl I was with had a go on that thing and executed the most perfect slide ever. If it could speak, the rock slide would still be going on about it now, 30 years later.

When it was my turn, I veered to the left halfway down, knackered my jeans and took a considerable slice of skin off my upper arm.

My youth can stay firmly where it is, thank you very much.

PM for Bored!

Anton Gramski wrote:


Bored of Education wrote:


It saddens me to have only seen this two months later, so I missed the chance to scotch the recommendation of Weston-super-fucking-Mare as soon as it came up. It's a bloody horrible place. Worst hard drug problem in the UK and a really disenchanting town centre. Sand Bay, the beach I suspect you might be talking about just to the north around the cove, is spectacular, though.

(The village I grew up in is ten minutes by train from Weston, between there and Bristol, so my views may be coloured by having had to go way too many times. But the hard drug thing is true.)

Clevedon on the other hand is absolutely lovely. And what everyone else has said about Bristol. If you're there on a nice afternoon and somehow end up with a couple of child-free hours, I recommend The Apple. More varieties of cider than you can shake a pitchfork at, and pretty good food as well. I'd stay away from the cider called 'Jane's Jungle Juice' if they're still doing it; not only will it get you smashed after about a pint (it's something daft like 13.5%), but it's also absolutely disgusting.