Roman around Bath

Extra rest day .... Totally needed and deserved.. .. Being a tourist a massive bonus in Bath I finally get the chance to see the Roman baths! Not to mention the beautiful mix of Victorian and Georgian architecture! 

And to top it off today the sun was shining really bringing the local limestone of the buildings to life with a beautiful warm glow! 

The baths.... I can't go into enough detail on this short blog, but between the Roman title Aqua Sulis(Minerva was added later) meaning waters of the Celtic/Brittonic god Sulis this being the only hot spring in the UK it was deemed magical at least! 

 I have a bit of a link to this area, in my metal detecting, the first Celtic coin I found was a silver unit from Antedios of the Dobunni tribe who controlled this area and up into Warwickshire.... Nice to see a similar coin on display in the museum to! 

The hot springs are indeed nicely warm and ignoring the rules I did of course test the temperature! I wouldn't fancy a bath in the stagnant green waters tho!, gifts to the gods were made at the springs mostly coins but one stunning gold Penanular brooch has been found(pic!) jaw droppingly beautiful!

To any metal detectorist the small finds here are pretty familiar fibula of various types and even Roman curse tablets were deposited... Nice to know what one looks like.... It's going to save me unwrapping no end of lead trash now 😄

I don't want to go into great length because the Baths are well worth a visit and I encourage anyone to visit! 

A wander around town for provisions for the next few days and meths for my stove and I'm back to the hotel to rest .... By evening I'm feeling back to normal! 

Lots of eating going on will fatten me a little.... But I'll soon burn that off. Happily the roads ahead are much more civilised!

unexpected Thunderbolt!!

The chewton wood wild camp worked out well, only slightly damp this morning! 

As it's Saint George's day I've carried a small flag to wear in celebration!

Weather is starting dry but the air feels heavy with possible rain.... Glad to say it didn't arrive while I walked! 

Dry as it was I wandered through pleasant pasture and the usual sticky crop fields to Farington Gurney quick stop at the co-op for a second breakfast and through the village as the kids go to school, car dodging reaches a new skill level as I dodge the frantic mum's dropping the little ones off!..... Passing the church and into the fields gives respite before I again hit the B roads through Paulton and Radford to Camerton , hopping onto the limestone link long distance path here I meet a local walker who told me about the local mining history here ... I never expected to be walking through an abandoned coal field here!! The chap used to be a GP and told me of his predecessor "Berty Crook awful GP great surgeon went down mines to free people by amputation!!!" I love local stories!!!

Through the old mine workings now lush greenery, over the high waste piles and down rickety steps at crazy angles!

Safely through I met the local postman who once again was a natural story teller! Notably for me was that an old favourite 1950's movie "The Titfield Thunderbolt" was filmed along the dismantled railway track I was walking! , further along at Dunkerton one scene where a train v train tug of war was filmed for the movie was visible! .... A bit of nerd heaven! 😄

Here I leave the level trail and unsurprisingly find a hill to climb.... Yep another killer! But vastly nicer than the alternative of an A road, I'm feeling the preceding weeks of waking today! So as I'm heading into Bath I decide to take an extra day off, with a premier Inn booked for two nights in the middle of town this makes for a great place to visit the Roman baths and a gentle mooch around town!.... Plus food food food! 😁