Small towns/cities near Bath

Bradford on Avon

http://www.bradfordonavon.co.uk/

Bradford On Avon is a little gem, as is Painswick. I thought Tewkesbury was an attractive, working town.

I, too, recommend Bradford on Avon. Tithe barn, Saxon church, pleasant walking by canal tow path, short train ride from Bath.

Salisbury-cathedral and a nice local museum. Easy train ride from Bath.

Thanks for the suggestions. I’m also wondering if anyone has ever been to Cheddar Gorge and caves?

Castle Combe

Castle Combe is a lovely little village and it is also worth wandering up the drive to The Manor House Hotel. However, you might get bored if having to spend more than an hour in the village. www.traveline.info will tell you how to get to places. https://www.visitwiltshire.co.uk/towns-and-villages/castle-combe-p462723

Also consider taking the train to Chepstow - which has a medieval castle. To reach Chepstow, you will need 1 or even 2 changes of train. www.nationalrail.co.uk will tell you how to reach Chepstow by train. (Click ‘details’ for where to change). From Chepstow, it is just a short bus ride up the Wye Valley to see the ruins of Tintern Abbey (built in the 1100’s). Buses are usually hourly between Chepstow & Tintern.http://www.castlewales.com/tintern.html https://cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/chepstow-castle?lang=en

As has been mentioned, Salisbury is an easy train ride to the SE & has a wonderful medieval cathedral. Also consider taking the slow train south to the seaside town of Weymouth. Weekdays direct trains leave Bath at 8.59 & 10.05 & take 2 hours for the trip. Coming back, one leaves (weekdays) at 15.08 to arrive Bath at 17.10. £19.10 day return. (Trains may be crowded - especially on weekends on the Weymouth line). I am not a great fan of Weymouth.

Cheddar Gorge is impressive but a bit tacky in the village. Wells, is also worth a look but the problem with these places is it takes a long time to reach then by bus considering that they are not that far from Bath. Bradford-upon-Avon is easy to reach by train from Bath. However, the town has masses of traffic going through it & over a medieval bridge. It should have a by-pass!

Cheddar Gorge, Wells and Glastonberry.

I would suggest Wells. The cathedral, bishops palace gardens, and Vicars close are all wonderful and worth seeing. If there on a Wednesday or Saturday, the market is fun as well. That was my favorite day trip when I was in the area this summer. You can find a bus to get you there.

Cheddar Gorge is beautiful, but the town isn’t worth a full day there if you only have two day trips to go on.

Not sure of the transportation options but Glastonbury and Wells going south are two lovely places to go.

So sorry I am boring. I won’t bother then!

James, you weren’t being called boring! There were several very very long spam posts that have since been removed and that’s what Norma was referring to! 😊 Thanks for your input and also thanks to the others who made suggestions- much appreciated!

Yes, Jamies ........... there were 4 lengthy boring posts from a person, that went on and on, and I reported them to the Webmaster. The posts had nothing to do with travel. So I posted a comment about the length and the boredom factor. The posts have been deleted and I just deleted my post referring to them. Sorry that you thought it was aimed at you!

James, you weren’t being called boring! There were several very very long spam posts that have since been removed and that’s what Norma was referring to!

I'm glad that cleared that up then, I was going back and forth trying to find out what James was referring to. It would have made sense for the webmaster to delete James', now defunct, response.

You could visit Laycock. Easiest way is probably to take the train to Chippenham and then a taxi (although there are buses). You could also visit Longleat House by taking train to Warminster and then 15 minute taxi. The Warminster line passes through Bradford on Avon as well.

Drove through Cheddar Gorge year’s ago. While pretty, I wasn’t overly impressed.

Ah, so that is what happened.

James isn't usually boring

Great suggestions!! Thanks, All! 🙏