What better way to start our walking tour of Bath than at one its finest new developments, Holburne Park?

Situated in an elevated position hugging the hillside, it offers classically styled two to five-bedroom homes, sympathetic to the local vernacular. From this vantage point you can see the city of Bath stretched out before you, all the more glowing for being named one of The World’s Top 100 Greatest Places by Time Magazine recently.

From here, take the glorious Kennet & Avon canal towpath towards Sydney Gardens, looking out for Cleveland House majestically straddling the waterway. A discreet wrought iron gate grants access into this serene green space, once the preserve of Georgian Bath society, including Jane Austen herself, who lived nearby at 4 Sydney Place.  

We can’t miss a quick whiz around the genteel galleries of The Holburne Museum, one of many local landmarks to feature in the recent TV series, Bridgerton. The museum is packed with old masters, from Gainsborough to Brueghel, and is currently hosting several exciting exhibitions.

Picking up the pace, we head down Great Pulteney Street. Flanked by towering Georgian mansions and feeling like the gateway to Bath, this grandest of avenues marked the city’s expansion south of the river Avon, and anecdotally is said to correspond to the dimensions of RMS Titanic.

Traversing Pulteney Bridge – one of only four shop-lined bridges in the world – and ogling the glittering gems in Mallory Jewellers, we reach Walcot and its plethora of artisan shops and cafés. Intimate in feel and away from the hustle and bustle, is North Range, a warehouse-style development of nine two and three bedroom apartments with an industrial aesthetic, a nod to its surroundings.

After a quick coffee and bulging bagel from Taylors, we dash back across town, heading down Milsom Street with its world class shopping. Sweeping past The Roman Baths we must take a moment to stop at Stall Street, a rather lovely collection of luxuriously refurbished apartments within a Grade II listed corner building. Ideal for holiday letting, these apartments couldn’t be more central and deserving of a closer inspection.

Heading right, past the healing waters of Bath Thermae Spa – a visit to which we’ll save for another day – we stop for a sharpener at the uber-glamorous Gainsborough Hotel before continuing south down Bilbury Lane and emerging onto Lower Borough Walls, where we find St James’s Passage, a limited collection of exceptional apartments, featuring cathedral ceilings and a luxurious specification.

For something a bit different, we head back across the city, ascending through Lansdown we hang a right and majestic Camden Crescent sweeps into view. Bath, amongst many other things, is famous for its distinctive residential crescents – the exact number always a point of contention – but Grade I listed Camden Crescent is certainly one of its most striking. Those with a keen eye will note that it’s not quite symmetrical, I wonder if you can guess why?

Despite all that we have packed in, it’s only a brief stroll back into town. No wonder Bath is bursting with accolades – including an incredibly rare double UNESCO listing – as a World Heritage site and now also one of The Great Spa Towns of Europe.

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