Things to do in Bath ... and spring outfit inspiration

I spent the Mother's Day weekend with my daughter in Bath, she is studying to be a Norland Nanny and is on the last little bit now, those three years have flown by!  We spent Friday afternoon at Thermae Bath Spa, Saturday we did a Bridgerton Walking Tour and Sunday we shopped, walked and enjoyed a lovely lunch near the Royal Crescent.

I also got to try out two lovely blogger gifts that were sent to me, it felt amazing to cast off a layer and dress for spring ... and Bath looked spectacular with the blue skies and sunshine.  Read on for spring styling ideas and things to do in Bath!

This blog post contains gifted items and some affiliate links.

Picnic lunch in Bath before our visit to Thermae Bath Spa

Thermae Bath Spa

I arrived in Bath Friday lunchtime and met up with my daughter, we grabbed a sandwich from Marks & Spencer and headed to the one of the smaller city centre parks to enjoy a picnic in the sunshine!  We'd booked a 2-hour Thermae Welcome package at Thermae Bath Spa for 2.30 pm.  We actually were allowed earlier access and were in the changing rooms by 2.15 pm, the timings are flexible and there wasn't any pressure to leave until at least 4.45 pm.  There are plenty of changing rooms and lockers and the key system is easy to use.  Thermae Bath Spa provide robes, flip flops and a towel. 

The open-air rooftop pool was what we were most looking forward to so after getting into our swimwear we headed straight for the roof - but promptly discovered there are no sun beds and the lower terrace was still closed for the winter months!  We also learnt that there is a strict no photography policy - I had already managed to get one photo of the view before I was told off!  But we embraced our afternoon anyway and loved relaxing in the rooftop pool, the view of the City of Bath and the hills beyond is spectacular and we could see the spire of Bath Abbey.  The water is warm, mineral-rich and there are seats to relax on and the bubble jets come on and off.

We had a cup of tea and shared a cake in the Springs Café Restaurant and then tried out the Minerva Bath on the ground floor but with the sun shining and the mild weather we preferred being on the rooftop so made our way back up there!

Thermae Bath Spa gets really busy and there are a limited number of sessions to book in advance so if you are keen to go then book in good time.  We'd have liked to have had a treatment package but these had all been sold out.

We had a lovely dinner and a few G&T's in the evening at Graze Bar and Chophouse with a uni friend!

View from the Open-Air Rooftop Pool at Thermae Bath Spa

Below: lunch on Saturday outside Bath Abbey

Bridgerton Experience Walking Tour of Bath

On Saturday morning, we left our accommodation on the London Road side of Bath and walked through Walcot Artisan Quarter - a vibrant collection of eclectic independent shops featuring vintage clothes and home items.  We popped into the Neptune flagship store and dreamed of having a massive home interiors budget!  We had a wander in the flea market and then into the main Central Bath Shopping streets before meeting Emily's uni friend at Mjolk Cafe where we could sit outside for lunch and enjoy the hustle and bustle by Bath Abbey.
​
In the afternoon my daughter had booked us in for a 2-hour walking tour around the sights of Bath, including the filming locations for the much loved Netflix series, Bridgerton.  Our Blue Badge Guide, Fred from Get Your Guide was excellent, he knew all the history and was clearly very up to date on the plot and characters from Bridgerton.  We met outside Bath Abbey, near the Roman Bath Museum and saw the locations used for Modiste Dressmakers and Gunter's Tea Shop, we learnt more about life in Regency England and the history of the buildings, we visited the famous Royal Crescent and saw where the Bridgerton Ball was filmed in the Bath Assembly Rooms - and where my daughter will attend her Norland College Leaver's Ball in June!  Fred shared lots of gossip and insights from the Featheringtons and Lady Danbury and showed us photographs to explain how Bath had been transformed for the filming.  The walking tour included the Pulteney Bridge and the stunning Georgian houses and architecture and lots of historical facts.  We ended our tour at the Holburne Museum, which was used as Lady Danbury's house in Bridgerton, and we caught the last of the sun and had a cup of tea in Sydney Gardens before walking back to the City centre and enjoying a glass of wine in a pub garden!  Dinner was delivered by Deliveroo from The Oyster Shell Fish & Chip Shop.

Above: Gunter's Tea Shop, a scene from Bridgerton and Modiste Dressmakers 

Holburne Museum, Bath - Lady Danbury's House in Bridgerton

​The Royal Crescent, Bath​

The Royal Crescent in Bath is one of the most iconic and magnificent crescents in existence, it was originally built as lodging houses for the visiting gentry, it is surrounded by the stunning Royal Victoria Park and is a short walk from (also famous) The Circus.  I was sitting in The Circus with my daughter when she received her offer email from Norland College back in 2019!  In the centre of the Royal Crescent there is the luxurious Royal Crescent Hotel - really must stay here, rooms start at £400!!  On Sunday morning after losing an hour to the clock change we parked the car in Royal Victoria Park and walked through the park, past the crescent, had a cup of tea at Boston Tea Party, I bought a dress at Boho and then we went back to the Royal Crescent once the sun had warmed up and the clear blue skies appeared and took loads of photos!  

We had our Mother's Day lunch together at The Marlborough Tavern near the Royal Crescent, owned by The Bath Pub Co, we have visited a few of their pubs now and their Sunday Lunches are delicious.  The mild weather meant we were able to sit outside, always my preference.

The Royal Crescent, Bath

Above and Below: dress from Baukjen (previous season) styled with my new bag from Katherena

More ideas ... what to do in Bath

Bath has so much to offer ... including the Roman Baths, the Fashion Museum, the Pump Room, the Jane Austen Centre, beautiful gardens, ancient woodland and National Trust properties like Dyrham Park.  The parks are stunning and I love the viewpoint at Alexandra Park.  A river trip would be lovely and I enjoyed the canal walk many years ago.

Bath has some beautiful hotels, I love staying at Grays, a boutique hotel in Oldfield Park, but within walking distance of the city centre.  However, it gets booked up very early and any central hotel is expensive especially in high season and at weekends.  For this trip I booked a small flat using booking.com, it wasn't the best but it was a good price and we weren't in it much.

Bag from Katherena, also available in mint green, poncho from Creative DeZigns and boyfriend jeans from Baukjen - details below

Spring outfit inspiration ... what I wore

It felt so good to shed a layer and not have to worry about a coat, although I still needed a jumper! 

Last summer I was on the hunt for a bag to replace my white Karen Millen grab bag, you may have seen me discussing it on Instagram.  My two favourite bag styles are cross-body and a tote or grab bag style with small handles (as opposed to a shoulder bag). 

The bag I am featuring here is The Leam from Katherena, all their bags are designed by founder Katie with style and practicality in mind.  The Leam is a lightweight, faux leather handbag that comes in Pink or Green with either a faux leather or cotton and faux leather detachable cross-body strap, the bags come with a cotton drawstring bag for storage and it is the perfect size for everyday use.  And it is currently on offer for a very reasonable £30.

Katherena have a range of styles, including backpacks, clutches, holdalls and shoulder bags.

My sweater is from Wild Like Her, bag from Amelia Rose Accessories, jeans from French Connection

My blue sweater is from Wild Like Her, a small business with positivity and love at its core!  Cathryn is the founder of Wild Like Her and she was inspired by the need for confidence and joy in this world.  She designs beautiful and comfortable everyday styles with thoughtful words and inspirational quotes.  Everything in her range is made to order from her home in the Cotswolds.  The cotton is mostly organic and Cathryn embraces sustainability wherever possible including the recyclable packaging - always something that impresses me.  The collection at Wild Like Her includes Hoodies, Sweaters, T-Shirts, Joggers and Shorts.

I am wearing the Remind Me Sweater in Blue.  It is made from 100% organic cotton, it is super soft and was ideal for my sightseeing day in Bath, it looked good with jeans or worn over my shoulders, I also used it on Sunday as an extra layer over my dress.  Blue is known to promote peace and relaxation and the sleeve is printed with a caption of your choice in a beautiful vibrant pink.  There is also the Wild Like Her logo at the bottom on the back.  It is a unisex shape, I am wearing a Small and I am a Size 10 usually.

I am also wearing ...

Boyfriend jeans in dark denim from Baukjen - get 15% off using code FIFTYANDFAB15
Jersey dress also from Baukjen (previous season but lots similar)
Poncho from Creative DeZigns
​Silver cross-body bag from Amelia Rose Accessories

The Leam bag in pink from Katherena

Remind me Sweater from Wild Like Her

It was such a fabulous weekend, helped by the amazing company of my daughter, seeing her friends and blue skies and mild days!

Love from
Michelle xx


Other blog posts on Fifty & Fab you might enjoy:

A previous trip to Bath with my daughter
Starting at Norland College in September 2019
​Bath and a virtual cocktail making class

Disclaimer: this blog post contains gifted items from Katherena and Wild Like Her, I was under no obligation to share on my blog.  

---

Other blogs I link up with:

Is This Mutton
#WowOnWednesday 

​Mummabstylish
#Chic&Stylish

---

Pin it for later!