Ships, castles and spas – passing through southern England and Wales COMPLETED About This Page:

[chezp]

Originally Posted by disney_duke

Good thing you took that afternoon break prior to the movie. That was such a long day!

It was.

Glad you enjoyed the movie, I've heard lots of good things about it, even if it was a little predictable. Likely won't see it myself though.

I've heard lots of good things about it as well, which is always a relief, especially as we were seeing it in preview. I was worried we'd rave about it, then everyone else would hate it, but fortunately that didn't happen.

Amazing sunset! Just for fun, I looked up Fairbanks, AK last Saturday and their sunset/rise this time of year at the solstice. Sun rise is like 230AM and sunset is 12:40PM or so. So it's only below the horizon for roughly 2 hours. Crazy!

Oh my goodness, that is insane! When we went to Oslo in early July 2015 (almost 10 years ago - where does the time go? ), it was still light at 11:30pm and we struggled to sleep, as we just weren't used to that.

[KMB733]

This was a long day! Glad you enjoyed Jurassic World!

[Cam22]

Nice finish to your day with a delicious meal, a great movie, and beautiful sunset. So cool that it was still so light at 9:00 PM.

[chezp]

Friday 12 June – part one: no lie-in for us today then I guess…

I was less impressed this morning when I woke up, asked Mark what the time was and he said “6:45am”. Oh well, no lie-in for us today then I guess…

At least we could take our time getting going this morning, as breakfast was in the room, made up of tea, as they had tea and coffee making facilities in the room, and an almond croissant and pain au chocolat each that I’d bought at the local supermarket just before we left. Given my comments yesterday about pain au chocolat, I was pleasantly surprised at how much chocolate was in mine.

We were going to head off just before 9:00am, but my computer decided it needed the longest ever update in the history of Windows 8 or whatever system I’m on and it took about 20 minutes, so were a bit later leaving than I’d planned. Never mind…

We made our way out of Cardiff…



… and were soon back on the M4 motorway.



Before long, we were on the Severn Bridge, although there’s no toll this way. Bizarrely, it’s only one way, which I have never understood!



Then we were back in England….



We were doing fine until we got off the motorway, and headed towards Bath itself. The GPS told us there was a problem, and sure enough, there was. The main A road was closed by an accident, and from what we could see from some distance away, it did look like a bad one. We headed on to a country lane, and of course so did everyone else. We crawled along there, literally inching our way forward bit by bit. It turned out there was a right turn at the end of the road, and it was over quite a busy road, so it was taking everyone some time to get out, leading to the tailback. However, it gave me some opportunities to get some photos as we waited…



In total, I reckon it easily added 20 minutes to our journey, then we were moving along, and seeing some moos as well!



Soon we were coming to Bath itself. I always think this is such a pretty city.



We found the car park easily enough. Because we’d been here just over a year ago, we knew where we were aiming for this time, which made things much easier.

We parked up, and headed up to ground level. We made our way straight over to the spa, as we were running late. Having said we’d be there at 10:30am, it was now coming up to 11:00am. It wasn’t an issue, except it was eating into our precious spa time of course.

There was a bit of a wait at reception, with a few people in front of us, but trust me, it was nothing compared to the lines that we’d see later on… We were checked in, and they asked if we’d been here before, and did we remember where things were. I think we just about do!

We made our way up to the changing rooms, and here’s where we made a mental note for our next visit, as trust me, there will be one at some point in our future We got changed near the entrance, then struggled to find a locker that wasn’t already in use, as obviously everyone had done the same thing. Well, the reason this isn’t such a great idea is that the showers are downstairs, which we’d both kind of forgotten, and the entrance from the stairs up by the showers is right at the far end. It’s not great when your locker is right down the other end. Anyway…

All ready to go, we headed downstairs to shower, as they ask to before using the spa, which is fair enough. However, it’s a bit of a pain when you have a dressing gown and slippers, as it means that they’re then both soaked. Oh well…

We caught the elevator up to the top floor, which is home to the amazing rooftop pool.Now the last time we came here, the wind was absolutely howling around here, and while the water is heated to a very pleasant temperature, it made getting in and out quite unpleasant. Even in the water, I could feel it on my face, so I didn’t last long in there. It was something I wanted to rectify today.

The weather was much milder, and we headed into the water, and must have been in there for about 40 minutes or so. It was busy, but not unbearably so. It was interesting to people watch, and we came to the conclusion that there were quite a few local ladies there from what we could hear them saying. I’d be here all the time if I lived nearby as well!

It was also fascinating to see all the women with their hair up, desperately trying not to get it wet. Now I’m a regular swimmer, so I’m used to getting my hair wet every time I do, and having to wash it. Trust me, even if you can keep your hair dry in the pool, you’ll probably still want to wash it, as it will get damp anyway, so heck, just get it wet!

Next: sampling the spa food

[disney_duke]

Isn't that always how it goes? You wake up early and then end up leaving late. Yep. Oh well, you managed to see some cows for your troubles.

I soooo need a month to explore Great Britain. Every trip of yours makes me want to see everything in person!

[chezp]

Originally Posted by disney_duke

Isn't that always how it goes? You wake up early and then end up leaving late. Yep. Oh well, you managed to see some cows for your troubles.

I soooo need a month to explore Great Britain. Every trip of yours makes me want to see everything in person!

There are a lot of wonderful places to see over here. I can see how you could easily fill a month.

[cubfancolleen]

Ah, that rooftop pool...I remember thinking how amazing it was on your last visit. Glad the weather was more conducive for enjoying it today!

[chezp]

Originally Posted by cubfancolleen

Ah, that rooftop pool...I remember thinking how amazing it was on your last visit. Glad the weather was more conducive for enjoying it today!

And even better, we're talking about going back next spring/summer with two of Mark's sisters and their other halves. I mentioned it earlier to them and they were sold - we were expecting it just to be the sisters, but nope - they reckon their husbands would love it as well, so hopefully we'll be returning as a group again next year!

[KMB733]

Wonderful pictures of Bath. The rooftop pool looks amazing. Too bad it was so windy you really couldn't enjoy it. Can't wait to hear more about the spa!

[Cam22]

Sorry you had to take the "scenic route." Sounds like a great start to your spa day at Bath.

[Colexis Mom]

Glad you enjoyed the movie! Sorry about the traffic on the way to Bath! Can't wait to hear about the spa!

[chezp]

Friday 12 June – part two: sampling the spa food

We finally emerged from the rooftop pool and headed down one floor to the aromatic steam rooms. This time they had labels on each door, apart from one, which was obviously the mystery steam room. Eventually I found out it was sandalwood. It was probably my least favourite of the four, as it felt hotter than all the others. They had lotus flower, which was fine, but nothing special, lemongrass and ginger, which was my personal favourite, as the scent was lovely, and helped to clear my sinuses without being overpowering, while the final one, eucalyptus menthol, was very strong and, while it cleared your sinuses, it also made my eyes water!

We also showered in there, as they have a big central shower, along with hot and cold showers around the side. We then headed outside to cool down a bit and look out at the view. Obviously you’re a floor lower than the rooftop pool, so the view isn’t quite as impressive, but it’s still fun to look down on the surrounding streets, knowing that you’re having a relaxing day, and everyone else is working.

While there, we both commented that we were getting hungry, so instead of going to lunch later on, we decided to go now. It was probably about 12:10pm by this time. We headed down another floor to the Springs Café Restaurant. In our package, they include a two-course meal and a non-alcoholic drink.

We were seated quickly enough, but had quite a wait before someone came to take our order. I was considering getting a glass of wine, but everything seemed to be quite dry on the menu. I asked the woman, and basically she just confirmed that everything was dry. Now whether that was true or not, I don’t know, but either she wasn’t interested in a sale at all or she was being very honest. I stuck with Diet Coke in the end.

We decided to be a bit rebellious and get a starter to share between us and pay out of pocket for it. We chose the coconut, black sesame, crayfish and prawn arancini with baby leaves and mango puree. The taste of the arancini was delicious, but personally I would have preferred a little more of the puree on the plate, as I felt that really set the dish apart, and there just wasn’t nearly enough of it.

Now there are no food photos, as they don’t allow cameras or mobile phones in the spa, which I understand 100%. In the restaurant, I’d say nearly everyone was there in their swimming stuff with a dressing gown over it, and in fairness, I don’t think I’d be too impressed if someone was photographing in there, even if it was just food.

For main course, I went for the roasted salmon fillet with vanilla scented crème fraiche, sweet potato and the broccoli couscous. I have to say, for me, the flavours really didn’t go together in this dish. It felt a bit as if the crème fraiche and the sweet potato were competing against each other for my attention, which was a bit frustrating, and I wasn’t sure the crème fraiche complimented the salmon in the way I’d have liked.

Mark had the chicken supreme with a medley of mushrooms, new potatoes and herbs, served with a rocket pesto, and I heard nothing good from him about it.

For dessert, I had the vanilla panna cotta with pineapple compote, which was absolutely delicious, and a lovely way to round off the meal.

Mark went for the chocolate and ginger tart with mascarpone.

We both thought our meals here were really good. I like the way they serve up healthy food here, and yet it’s also tasty too, and if you know what I mean, you don’t actually know it’s healthy when you’re eating it…

The Springs Café Restaurant

Appetiser 9 8
Entrée 7½ 8
Dessert 9 8½
Service 8 8½
Atmosphere 8½ 8½

Average score: 8.35

There’s no score for value for money, as we can’t judge that, given that it was included as part of our package.

Also, it’s worth saying here that when we came to leave, we only got charged £5 (about $7.50) for the extra dish. What they’d done is charged us for the dish that cost the least, which I thought was really good of them, as they could easily have charged us for the most expensive one.

From there, we made our way down to the lower ground floor, which is home to the Minerva Bath, an indoor spa, which has currents in it, a Jacuzzi area, and is just generally an area where you can chill. I swam for a little while, then we both just floated around and chilled. We both commented that the floating tubes here were just amazing at keeping you on top of the water with so little effort from you. It’s a very relaxing way to pass the time.

I reckon we were in there about an hour in the end, before it was time to get our treatments, so we headed off that way, and filled in our very expansive health questionnaires. I swear there’s a lot more to them than before.

Next: what an amazing room!

[cubfancolleen]

Sounds like such a perfect way to spend a day - and then having the bonus of realizing others are working?!
Lunch sounded pretty good - more decadent than I'd expect from spa food.

[chezp]

Originally Posted by cubfancolleen

Sounds like such a perfect way to spend a day - and then having the bonus of realizing others are working?!

It must be the evil streak in me, but I do always love seeing people working when you're not - or just enjoying the benefits of a day off. I had yesterday off and went to Leeds Castle in the afternoon and it was so nice to just wander around while it was nice and quiet, knowing that was because so many people were at work.

Lunch sounded pretty good - more decadent than I'd expect from spa food.

They do a very good job of making it very appealing, but also there is an element of healthiness to it as well.

[disney_duke]

You're having a relaxing day and everyone else is working!
Sounds like you didn't wait 30 minutes after eating before going back in the water.... just kidding. Lunch did sound quite good, especially the desserts. Yum!