Accommodation outside of Bath
 

I have been reading and taken note of some of the accommodation, in Bath, that has been suggested on this forum. I have also taken on board that is very unwise to drive around this city due to the parking problems.<BR>We are now leaning towards lodgings in a town or village that has public transport to Bath. Is this idea sensible or not. <BR>We plan to stay three nights, with one full day in Bath and the rest of the time visiting the attractions in the countryside.<BR>We are presently looking at accommodation in Bradford-on Avon but suggestions for other places would be most appreciated.

Southwest of Bath, not more than about 20 miles, is one of the loveliest villages in England--Wells. If you are planning to explore the countryside anyway, Wells is a wonderful spot to stay. You can get a bus to Bath very easily, or you can drive to Bath and park by the railroad station. I've never seen that parking area filled up. The station is an easy walk from the downtown area---the cathedral, the baths, the shops. It's more of a long hike to get up the hill to the lovely arc of buildings that Bath seems known for; but you can see them from the old downtown, where you have the shops, a nice big park area, the river, and the lovely cathedral.

Parking (and more so, driving) in Bath is a problem. But you have options other than taking rural buses. There are a couple of well marked park and ride lots outside of the city center where you can park all day and take the shuttle bus into the city center - or as Wayne says, you can often park at the station. The problem with parking at the station is getting there - traffic on London Road/Bathwick/Pulteney road can sometimes be backed up for miles. Bradford on Avon is convenient because it is on the A36 which avoids the worst of the London rd (A4) bottlenecks. <BR><BR>Bradford-on-Avon is really lovely - but much of the accomodations there are very expensive. You probably couldn't find a more convenient location. If the place you have located fits in your budget - then go for it. <BR><BR>There are many lovely villages near Bath and any would be fine. Wells is very nice - certainly not a "village" though.

Adrian,<BR>If you have read messages regarding accomodations near Bath, you may have read one of my posts praising Eagle House, outside of Bath. We stayed there last June and were very impressed with the hospitality of the owners. We had a nice room with queen size bed, en suite with bath and shower, and I believe we paid 70-72 pounds. It is in the village of Bathford, four miles from Bath. A bus runs into Bath every 20 minutes, and the owners recommended a very good pub about a five minute walk from the B and B. We chose to drive into the city and found a car park with relative ease, so we didn't use the bus. If you are interested, take a look at their website: eaglehouse.co.uk. We will definitely return to this B and B.

Another alternative is to stay on the edge of Bath, within walking distance of the town center but without having to drive in it. We did this last summer, staying at the Sydney Gardens Hotel, which is actually a B&B on the outskirts of town. They provide parking spaces, we walked into town without having to drive there.

I second the recommendation to stay in Wells - a lovely town with its own gorgeous cathedral,cheaper accomodation and less "busy" than Bath. It is very easy to get from Wells to Bath

Thank you all for the helpful replies, much appreciated.