BATH

Lovely comfortable train  trip, check in with no problem, head into town for lunch and a walk. Free walking tours are run by volunteers every day of the week- real free walks, not the type who experience tips at the end. They have been conducted since the 1940s,  what a good idea.  Very informative too.

Jane Austen lived here for under five years but like everything Jane Austen the marketing is pretty heavy.  The local guide gives her some attention but concentrates on the city itself.  It is a beautiful place and a little bit weird as everything is built out of the same stone, both old and new. The new version is a stone facade moulded onto a concrete backing with looks just like the old limestone blocks.

Bit of spontaneity takes me up the bell and clocktower of the Abbey climbing a narrow spiral staircase. The day trippers are all gone by around 4 so only a few of us on tour at 5 to enjoy the view from the Abbey rooftop.

Do a little shopping (raspberries @ £2.50 Rob), drop it off at my attic room, back to town for dinner and a Bizarre Bath walk. More an entertainment than an informative event we walk about town amused no end by the antics of our "guide" who includes us in his stunts.

Look forward to the promise of warmer weather in the next couple of days.  I have heard that before and hope that if the sun doesn't shine that at least the Arctic wind abates a little.

Good news, Rob has arrived safely in Ireland.