Tour ends in Bath and 4 days until next tour begins…

Where os the second tour going?
Paris is always great but you might prefer to add days to where the second tour starts

The 13 day south England tour ends at Bath. The next tour, begins in Bath and tours north England ending in London. I was trying to fill the void with something. Perhaps there is more to do around Bath that the next tour won’t cover??

I would print out the itineraries for each tour and compare them side-by-side to see what’s included and what’s not. Also, the RS England guide book which you will receive in your tour package should give you several ideas of sites/activities in the Bath area.

Paris would be a nice break to do something different between tours. I would be back in Bath the night before your tour begins, just to ensure no hiccups starting with the next tour.

If you haven’t been to London, previously, that would be my vote since you will just be there for the ending of a tour. There’s a lot of options for spending a few more days there.

You could fly easy jet from Bristol to Paris and back, using the air coach to and from Bath.

You could go to Paris.....or.....hop over to Wales.

I second the recommendation to go to Wales, especially since you'll only be seeing a very small part on your Best of England tour.

Forget going to Paris, the travel is a waste.
So much to see in the UK.
Consider visiting Wales, South Wales is close, Cardiff, Tenby and St. David.
Another option is Bristol or Cornwall.

Consider The Capital City of Wales - Cardiff is 1 hour from Bath with direct trains hourly. It has 4 castles in and around the city and all can be reached by local trains and buses.

https://www.cardiffcastle.com/the-castle/ is found in the centre and dates from Roman times. In the middle is a Norman keep (1087) but much of the castle dates from the 1800’s when it was owned by the Marquess of Bute.

CAERPHILLY CASTLE is a massive medieval fortress just a 20 minute local train ride north from Cardiff. The town of Caerphilly is not up to much but the castle is everything that you would expect of an 1100’s fortress complete with moat. If you are visiting Caerphilly, you might like to break the journey at Lisvane station and walk for 5 minutes across the car park and into CEFN-ONN-PARK (free and nice place for a meal next to the entrance). In spring it is very colourful with azaleas, camellias, rhododendrons and bluebells all under the canopy of a temperate rain forest. https://www.outdoorcardiff.com/parks/parc-cefn-onn/
https://cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/caerphilly-castle

CASTELL COCH stands on a hillside in north Cardiff. If visiting by bus from Cardiff - you need Stagecoach 132 from Greyfriars Road and alight at Tongwynlais (about 25 minutes out). The walk from the bus stop to castle is about 17 minutes uphill.
https://cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/castell-coch

ST.FAGANS CASTLE & MUSEUM OF WELSH LIFE is just to the west of the city. The site is vast and needs at least half a day. You have grounds with buildings of significance brought from all over Wales and re-erected. The Castle is really a 1500’s Manor House. You will also find gardens near the castle. You will also find indoor galleries explaining about life in Wales through the ages - handy if it starts to rain. https://museum.wales/stfagans/about/ Cardiff Bus 32 - but make sure you know the times back to the city.

If visiting Cardiff, I suggest you visit CARDIFF BAY - which is just over 1 mile south of the city centre.https://www.visitcardiffbay.info

THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WALES is found just N of the shopping area next to the City Hall. It has extensive art galleries.

Yes, Cardiff sounds interesting to me as I’ve been reading about the Norman invasions, etc. Thank you for the great information..

I think your update to your original plan is good and YES to going to Paris AFTER your 2 tours, lol!!

I love Bath and there is so much to see and do that you will not see on either of your RS tours.

Bletchley Park is a really interesting site but to me, slightly awkward to get to from Bath. Looking at the National Rail site you'd go in to London Paddington, change to London Euston, then out to Bletchley from there. It looks like a 3 hour train ride one way. As mentioned, I thought Bletchley was interesting but not sure if I would spend 6 hours there and back to see it. I'd save it for the next time you are in London.

In Bath, there are a number of museums including the Holburne Museum and the Herschel Museum of Astronomy (he and his sister discovered Uranus. Or Pluto?).

During one trip I also walked up to Prior Park Landscape Garden to see the Palladian Bridge feature that is unusual.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/bath-bristol/prior-park-landscape-garden

I've also been to the American Museum in Bath which was an interesting experience. When I went (before Covid) they ran a shuttle bus from the museum to the small van/bus pick up area near the Parade Gardens but that does not look like an option at present. Looks like the website gives instructions on taking the bus or walking but also present the option of a taxi.

https://americanmuseum.org

You can walk along the tow path in Bath and along the Kennet and Avon Canal if that is of interest to you.

This will also be a time to relax from a busy 2 weeks, get some laundry done and if you've a mind to sit in a garden and read a book while you work to forget the names of former tour members and prepare to remember new ones, lol!

Have a terrific time! These tours are very different!

Since you’re staying in Bath now, a day trip across to Bristol would be fun. The SS Great Britain is a fascinating historic ship and museum.

Bristol has a very different vibe to Bath - big, hip, diverse, student-y - and is full of history.

It’s a very short train ride away.

I don’t know when your going, but if before April 21, the Victoria Art Gallery has a cool exhibit

I’m lucky enough to be able to see it

https://www.victoriagal.org.uk/event/mirror-mirth-satire-georgian-bath