This is a city walk with a difference — for a city with a difference. There’s nowhere quite like Bath, where wellbeing has been a way of life for 2,000 years, where townhouses stand on stately Georgian terraces, and where you still half-expect to see gentlemen in pantaloons hailing horse-drawn carriages.
Long before the Regency period, of course, came the Romans. Attracted by the large natural hot spring which — then as now — bubbles up from the earth, they settled here, building temples and baths and calling the place Aquae Sulis.
But Bath’s long history is just one side of its appeal. This is also a hugely picturesque city, its skyline dominated by the medieval bulk of Bath Abbey and its outskirts ringed by green hills.
This is where the Bath Skyline walk comes in. The six-mile loop is managed by the National Trust and makes the most of the rambling countryside on the upper edges of town. Bath is no vast metropolis, so the route is still reasonably close to the centre, but at the same time the path immerses you in a world of woodland, wildlife and wide-open views. Points of interest along the way include the turreted 18th-century Sham Castle, the ancient Smallcombe Wood, and the remains of a Georgian quarry tramway.
Adding to the enjoyment, meanwhile, is the fact that YHA Bath sits barely a hop and skip from the start of the route. The hostel is set in a striking Italianate building and is still sitting pretty on the back of a multi-million-pound refurb a few years ago.
Signage for the Bath Skyline walk is relatively consistent throughout, but it still makes sense to use a map. The following directions are an abridged version of the fuller details given on the dedicated National Trust page.
Stay at YHA Bath and explore all that this hisotric city has to offer.
YHA Festival of Walking self-guided maps
If you would like to get out and explore more walking routes, check out our self-guided walks. You can download maps that start and end at our hostels, and we have walks suitable for every ability whether you’re a family with young children, a beginner hiker yourself, or looking for something a little more challenging. Best of all, our maps are free – What could be more convenient!
Photo credit: Adobe Stock – Madeleine / Anthony Brown
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