Starting to awake from Winter Gloom

For our second trip of the year we headed to Bath as our first stop and then on to Cheltenham before returning home after six nights away. 

Our first stop was at Bath Marina and Camping Site of the River Avon on the western edge of Bath. Good for motorhomers as there is a Park and Ride a short walk away with a very regular service into Bath and as an added bonus we could use our bus passes. Apparently dogs are also welcome on the buses. In many ways we are quite spoilt in the Club by the quality of the campsites we have and we tend to judge others sites by what we are used to. Bath Marina is fine and functional for a short stay. Most of the pitches are on concrete which is fine for a motorhome but if you have a caravan you have to book a specific pitch which will accept an awning.

 On the Saturday we ventured into the fine City of Bath. We found a short cut along the river the  P&R. It wasn’t long before we were being whisked into the City. When catching a bus into a town we are not familiar with we tend not to move until the bulk of the passengers get up to leave. It generally works but is not fool proof!!!  Bath was very busy, no doubt with both Saturday shoppers and tourists. We headed off towards Poultney Weir which we found with the aid of a map I had printed off from the internet. We were quite exposed and it was bitterly cold and muggins had forgotten to bring his scarf and hat!!! After a few quick photos we dived into a nearby covered market where I found a suitably long and woolly scarf for the princely sum of £4.

By now we needed a coffee but every coffee shop was very busy with lots of people waiting. Opposite the Roman Baths we spotted a shop selling Cornish Pasties and a further look showed that had a small seating area with two free seats which we bagged. We enjoyed the smallest pastie they had and the coffee was excellent. Refreshed we crossed the road and joined the queue for the Roman Baths. The exhibition is much more comprehensive than you imagine and well worth a visit. That was enough excitement for one day so we made our way back to the bus. En route back to the site we stopped at the Boathouse Pub, next to the campsite, for something to eat whilst we watched rowers on the river. 

Sunday dawned a bit brighter although still far from warm. It was back to the P&R and on the bus which even on Sunday was pretty regular. We were transcending several millennia today from Roman Bath to the refined Georgian Bath.  Once off the bus it was quite a hike uphill to the Georgian Bath of the Jane Austin era. First you reach the Circus which is a set of four terraces set out around a circular grass area which it is said is the same dimension as Stonehenge. The builder was convinced that Bath had previously been a Druid centre.  A short walk away is the famous Royal Crescent which curves away into the distance. Number one the Royal Crescent is now a museum dedicated the Georgian Bath and is worth a visit. 

Monday we moved onto Cheltenham to a site called Briarfields Touring Park which is adults only. That was not the reason for selection but as you will know there are only a limited number of sites open at this time of year. We were only in Cheltenham last year when we stayed at the Racecourse site  and use that to explore the town. Another reason for the choice of Briarfields was the excellent bus service, from outside the gate, that runs between Cheltenham and Gloucester at very regular intervals. Briarfields is another site with where you park on concrete but most pitches also have a gravel area for awnings. 

Tuesday and we are off to Gloucester but unlike Dr Foster not in a shower of Rain fortunately. First stop was the Cathedral which is not the largest we have seen. We used their coffee shop before heading to Gloucester Docks which is at the head of the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal. Many of the old warehouses have been converted in accommodation in the form of apartments. Although one of the major warehouse is the home of the Gloucester Waterways Museum. Unfortunately it was closed for renovation during our visit but reopens shortly.  I think Gloucester illustrates quite well what can be done with redundant industrial building.

 Wednesday and our last day at Briarfields. It was a pretty lazy day but in the afternoon we walked across to the nearby Retail Park which as well as having an ASDA supermarket it also has a Harvester Pub where we enjoyed a reasonably priced meal. As you walk back to the site you can see GCHQ a little over to the right. Not sure they do guided tours!!!