I just got back from a quick solo trip to Bath and London. It was so much fun! Here are the details and some tips if you are also planning a trip there:
I decided to visit Bath first, on Rick S.'s recommendation. My initial plan was to go into London, stay 1 night to get some sleep, then go to Bath the next day. Then decided that was too inconvenient, and found a referral to Blackberry Cars on this forum. I didn't realize i could hire a car to take me directly to Bath from Heathrow! Yes, it was not cheap (about $200) but for a quick trip like this i decided it was worth it. As it turned out our flight was 2 hours delayed out of San Francisco, so i really appreciated the time savings. My driver met me at Heathrow with no problem and we were in Bath about 90 minutes later.
I stayed 3 nights in the Queensberry Hotel. It was amazing. Great service and beautiful room with a bathtub!
The next morning i was booked on a walking tour - booked with Getyourguide . I also booked tickets to the Roman Baths along with this, which has a timed entry- for after the tour. In retrospect, i should have done the baths another day or time, as i was tired after the walking tour, and the late afternoon crowds at the Roman Baths were heavy. A lot of the exhibit is indoors and a bit cramped, so i would recommend going in the morning. The walking tour was excellent, about 1 1/2 hours - Bath is small and very walkable (and beautiful!) . fyi: The Roman Baths offer a free audio guide with your entry ticket.
Bath has tons of restaurants, and i had no trouble finding places to eat. it may be tougher in the summer, but i didn't have to make any reservations.
I had booked the Bizarre Bath comedy walk that evening - had heard great things, but i was too tired to go that night!
Thursday, i had an all day tour booked with Mad Max tours. Excellent operation, with small coaches, not big buses. We left at 8:30 and visited Stonehenge first- which was great, because we beat the crowds by getting there at 9:00am. There is now (since 2013) a beautiful visitors center and you take a short shuttle bus ride to the monument. It was incredible!
Next we went to Avebury - more stones in a much larger circle, but not shaped like the stonehenge stones. Lots of thatched roof cottages on the way.
After that stop we visited two Cotswold villages: Lacock Village and Abbey (downton abbey and harry potter shooting locations) and had lunch on our own. Then we headed to Castle Combe, and after that back to Bath by about 5:00pm
On Friday morning, I visited the No. 1 Royal Crescent Museum which i had learned about on the walking tour. It's a townhouse that has been restored to show how people lived in the late 1700s. Super interesting!
Then i took the train to London. I booked it online on my phone that morning. The hotel said i could also just buy the ticket at the station.
I wasn't able to make a seat reservation but it turned out to be no problem.
Continued on the next post....