Bath is renowned for its hot springs, Roman remains and Georgian architecture. It also makes a fantastic place to base yourself for a number of nights whilst exploring nearby attractions. Many visitors will know that Stonehenge is just under 1 hours drive from Bath, some will know that you can easily explore the South Cotswolds from Bath. Fewer visitors are aware of the other wonderful places nearby - places like Wells.
Wells is England's smallest city. Very few of the big tour companies visit it (ssshh - please don't tell them!) making it a charming place to visit, away from the tourist crowds. The city is renowned for its beautiful 13th century cathedral. It is one of my favourite cathedrals in the region. In addition to its impressive architecture it has a number of unique features such as one of the oldest working clocks in the world. Nearby you can also explore Vicars Close which is said to be the oldest residential street in Europe!
Wells is the seat of the Bishop of Bath & Wells and if you have time you can visit the Bishops Palace where you can stroll among its 14 acres of picturesque gardens.
Old traditions are still alive in Wells. If you are lucky you may get to see the Town Crier in action and if you visit Wells on a Wednesday or a Saturday you can browse the local market and pick up some authentic Cheddar Cheese which was invented in the area! As you walk around the Market Square film-buffs may recognise some of the buildings - Wells was used as the town in the popular British film "Hot Fuzz" starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Timothy Dalton!
If you are interested in getting off the main tourist path, exploring a beautiful cathedral and seeing gardens then Wells should be on your list of places to visit. For guests with limited time I have created an afternoon tour of Wells where we will explore the cathedral and the gardens of the Bishops Palace. You could do a tour of Bath in the morning, have lunch and then visit Wells in the afternoon. I operate this tour between April and October on weekdays. If you would like to visit Wells outside of these times just get in touch. You can read more about the tour here. If you have more time then you could do a full-day tour exploring Wells and other attractions nearby such as Cheddar - where Cheddar Cheese was invented and home to England's largest gorge, or Glastonbury - one of England's quirkiest towns renowned for its myths and legends. I already have a tour which combines Wells with Cheddar (please click here). If you are interested in combining Wells with Glastonbury please get in touch (you can read more about Glastonbury here).
There is lots to see and do in Bath and the surrounding area - if you need anymore ideas just let me know! In the meantime here is a video to give you a taste of Wells Cathedral. The video is a montage of photos I have personally taken, the accompanying music is from a tour that I did at the cathedral back in December. We were extremely fortunate to be there when an orchestra was rehearsing for a concert that night - it was magical! I hope you like the video, I look forward to showing more guests around another delight of the West Country!