Bath: Georgian streets and steaming rooftop waters
Bath has plenty to celebrate in 2027. It’s been 40 years since the entire city became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognised for its Roman remains, natural hot springs and Georgian architecture. It remains the only UK city whose entire urban area holds this status. In 2021, it gained a second UNESCO listing as part of the Great Spa Towns of Europe, cementing its reputation as a top destination for a wellness escape.
It doesn’t take much imagination to picture Bath in its Regency heyday – and the city has plenty of photogenic corners to prove it. Start with the sweeping curve of the elegant Royal Crescent, keeping an eye out for the yellow front door at number 22, then wander past the grand façades of the Circus towards Pulteney Bridge lined with shops. Bath Abbey and the elegant colonnades of Bath Street make equally good subjects, while Great Pulteney Street offers a good perspective from the fountain at Laura Place. Fans of Bridgerton can join Brit Movie Tours’ walking tour of familiar filming locations, while the Jane Austen Centre lets visitors explore the life of the beloved novelist and the world that shaped her work. For something to tempt the taste buds, the three-hour Savouring Bath Food Tour serves up local history alongside tastings at independent food and drink shops.
Bath’s spa heritage is still very much alive at Thermae Bath Spa, where visitors can sink into naturally heated, mineral-rich waters in the rooftop pool, with fine views across the city. On a clear winter day, swap warm waters for walking boots and set off on the six-mile Bath Skyline Walk, which leads through meadows and woodland beyond the city centre, with views towards Prior Park Landscape Garden and Sham Castle, an 18th-century folly on Claverton Down. For a longer ramble, sections of the Cotswold Way and Limestone Link can be combined into a circular walk from the city.
After a day outdoors, Bath offers plenty of ways to continue the Georgian theme. The Pump Room serves traditional afternoon tea surrounded by Regency grandeur, while Michelin-starred dining awaits at The Olive Tree and Restaurant Hywel Jones at Lucknam Park, just outside the city. Green Park Brasserie offers a more relaxed alternative. When it’s time to check in, options range from the spa heritage of the opulent five-star Gainsborough Bath Spa or The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa to boutique stays such as No.15 Bath by GuestHouse or Eight, an independent townhouse hotel. The newly opened Parade Hotel brings a contemporary boutique stay to three Georgian townhouses on North Parade, right in the heart of the city.
Hadrian’s Wall: Roman frontiers and vast skies
Built on the orders of Emperor Hadrian from AD 122, Hadrian’s Wall once marked the north-western frontier of the Roman Empire. Stretching for around 73 miles across northern England, it formed part of a wider network of Roman frontiers, with forts, milecastles and other remains revealing how the empire kept watch over its territory. Awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1987, the wall celebrates its 40th anniversary on the list in 2027, a fitting reason to explore the stories behind the stones, stride across the wild landscape and ponder how anyone managed to patrol all that in Roman sandals.
There’s more to the wall than ancient masonry. Wrap up warm and march across windswept fields, following in the footsteps of Roman soldiers who spent their days guarding the empire’s northern edge. At Housesteads Roman Fort, explore the remains of barracks, a hospital and a communal toilet, imagining the daily routines of soldiers stationed at the empire’s edge. At Birdoswald Roman Fort, where the wall’s longest continuous stretch survives, interactive displays reveal the story of Roman Britain. Meanwhile, Chesters Roman Fort boasts Britain’s best-preserved Roman cavalry fort and an impressive military bath house, where, after a long day on patrol, even a legionary deserved a soak. For an even closer look at frontier life, Vindolanda reveals excavated buildings and remarkable finds from the settlement, offering a glimpse of the people behind the empire’s military ambitions.
For those who want to know what life was really like for the soldiers stationed at the empire’s northern outpost, the Roman Army Museum uses digital reconstructions to reveal what went on behind the armour and military marching. For more inspiration, drop into The Sill National Landscape Discovery Centre before pulling on your walking boots for the Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail or hopping on a bike along Hadrian’s Cycleway, which runs from the Cumbrian coast towards the North Sea. The landscape around Sycamore Gap is still worth exploring, even though its much-loved tree was felled in 2023.
As Hadrian’s Wall marks 40 years as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, there’s more to its story than Roman relics. English Heritage and other organisations continue to protect its ancient remains and care for the surrounding landscape, helping ensure that this extraordinary frontier survives for future generations.
Once the sun sets, the Romans aren’t the only ones worth looking up for. Northumberland’s wonderfully dark skies make it one of Britain’s best spots for stargazing, and winter’s long nights give visitors plenty of time to spot the celestial sights. Near the wall, the Twice Brewed Inn hosts evening astronomy sessions with powerful telescopes and astronomers from Kielder Observatory. On a clear night, you might spot distant galaxies and constellations twinkling above the frontier Roman soldiers once patrolled.
And why stop at a history lesson when you can sleep in one? Langley Castle Hotel offers the chance to sleep within a 14th-century fortress, complete with battlements and thick stone walls built to keep unwanted visitors out. In Wark, Battlesteads occupies a former 18th-century coaching inn with Battlestead Darks Skies Observatory only a short walk away. For a comfortable base close to the monument, Hadrian’s Hotel in the village of Wall has refurbished rooms, a pub and dining. The Milecastle Inn near Haltwhistle is another dining option, serving hearty dishes and cask ales, with the prospect of an open fire to round off a day on the wall.
Planning a longer heritage escape? Discover more of the 35 UNESCO World Heritage Sites across the UK: World Heritage Sites | UNESCO in the UK.