Pulteney brige and riverside walk in Bath

One of the iconic features of Bath is Pulteney bridge and its weir. The best place to look at both is from this bridge





Pulteney bridge crosses the River Avon. It was completed by 1774, designed by Robert Adam in a Palladian style: it is exceptional in having shops built across its full span on both sides.

The iconic V-shaped design of this weir is quite breathtaking

Flood-lit at night the bridge looks as spectacular as during the day

Access to the riverside walk is from here

down these steps.

Once we descended we got a different view of the bridge and weir

as well as of the building across the water.

Before moving on we decided to try out the Beazer Garden Maze. Although called a maze, the design is technically a labyrinth; unlike a maze, which has a branching pattern, a labyring has only a single line, woven back and forth. It was designed by maze designer and labyrinthologist Randoll Coate in 1984. Coate designed over 50 mazes in England.

The maze is centred around a large Roman-inspired mosaic.

Ken was very happy to finish first.

We had a last look at the bridge and weir before moving on

It's a pleasant walk

ahead of us was another bridge

The sculpture of a harp

Eventually we retraced our steps and walked back into town.

Bath

We decided to go away the weekend before my operation, and Bath seemed a good choice.

The city became a spa with the Latin name Aquae Sulis (the waters of Sul) c. 60 AD when the Romans built baths and a temple in the valley of the River Avon, although hot springs were known even before then. 

Many of the streets and squares were laid out by John Wood, the Elder, and in the 18th century the city became fashionable and the population grew. Jane Austen lived in Bath in the early 19th century. 

This is the street where our hotel was situated, the Holburne Museum, the building at the end.

This is a typical Bath street, the buildings are made from the local, golden-coloured Bath stone, many dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. The dominant style of architecture is Georgian, a style that evolved from the Palladian revival style that became popular in the early 18th century. The original purpose of much of Bath's architecture is concealed by the honey-coloured classical facades; in an era before the advent of the luxury hotel, these apparently elegant residences were frequently purpose-built lodging houses, where visitors could hire a room, a floor, or, (according to their means) an entire house for the duration of their visit, and be waited on by the house's communal servants.

The entrance to our hotel.

One of the things I like about Bath is the fact that if you look beyond the end of most streets, you can see the hills in the distance. These limestone hills have been designated as an area of outstanding beauty.

The river Avon slices the city in two





Pulteney bridge is one of the landmarks, and it was very near our hotel

the weir is truly spectacular

The streets around the city centre were busy with shoppers

a cute building

The Royal Mineral Water Hospital

a few narrow lanes

Large, open squares

The Corridor, a shopping arcade

The Guildhall Market

with an impressive ceiling.

The Victoria Art Gallery

The lanes around the Abbey and Baths

Sally Lunns restaurant, the oldest house in Bath

The Abbey, all lit up at night.

and during the day.

The Baths.

A bridge connecting two buildings

The park by Pulteney bridge

The Circus

Finally, the Royal Crescent.