A weekend in the West Country
This past year, I’ve spent more time exploring the UK opting for staycations rather than the hassle of travelling internationally with so much uncertainty around travel restrictions.
Just as I would with a city break in Europe, I do my research to make sure I get to experience the best a city/ town has to offer.
I’d booked to go to a music event in Bristol, when I saw that Bath was only 30 minutes away it made sense to make a weekend of it.
To stay
You just can’t beat a Premier Inn bed. There’s a number of Premier Inns in Bristol, I’d recommend choosing the one closest to where you want to visit. I’d say it’s better to stay in Bristol and do a day trip to Bath rather than vice versa as there’s more going on for restaurants and nightlife in Bristol. We drove between the two, but you could also get the train.
To eat
Sandwich, Sandwich, Bristol. Best sandwiches ever! I don’t know how the bread manages to hold the filling. I could only manage half of my spicy buffalo chicken coleslaw and blue cheese sandwich for lunch and had to save the rets for later. I expected the bread to go soggy by dinner time but it hadn’t! Also had to try one of their chilli and cheese sausage rolls (which I’ve since tried to recreate at home as it was so delicious) and chocolate brownie. The produce is so fresh, if I lived closer I’d be visiting every week to try out the whole menu. And the price is so good value for money; £4/5 for a sandwich that lasted me lunch and dinner when I’d paid £3 for a Ribena at London Paddington train station that morning!
Fudge Factory, Bath. Not far from the historic centre this shop and cafe is the perfect pit stop for a hot chocolate/ mulled wine with some fudge or chocolate covered marshmallows.
There are so many yummy food places in both of these cities. We only stayed for one night so didn’t get to try them all. Bristol has a number of restaurants and food markets. There were lots of Thai cafes in Bath that smelled amazing, and Magu Burger looks incredible too.
To do
Bristol Cathedral. I visited on a Friday afternoon. I was planning to just take pictures from the outside but when I saw you could enter for free (donations are welcomed) and there was no queue I took a visit round. As a student I lived in Canterbury, and walking around admiring the stain glassed windows and architecture reminded me of having seminars from our Medieval History professor learning about the “flying buttresses”.
Motion and Marble Factory, Bristol. Always in the Top 10 of nightclubs in the world I was looking for events so I could visit the place for myself. We booked tickets for Festival of the Dead which was lots of fun- fancy dress, a mixture of music genres from Craig David to Linkin Park and acrobatic performances. The venue was fun too, but I wouldn’t put it above Mayfield Depot (Warehouse Project) or Printworks.
Roman baths, (you guessed it, Bath). When in Bath, do as the Romans do, aye? For your £20 entry ticket you get to spend the afternoon learning a bit of history. When I think of the Romans I always think of Rome, forgetting we had Roman Britain and coliseums right here in the UK. If I was in the area again I wouldn’t do the tour but I’m glad I’ve done it!
I’d return to this part of England just for the food alone! Well worth a weekend, or even a stop by on a road trip to Cornwall/ Devon/ Wales.