Mike Laycock follows in the footsteps of Jane Austen – and enjoys the spa waters like any good Roman – during a weekend break in Bath

IT is a truth which should be universally acknowledged that a married man in possession of good taste must be in want of a visit to Bath with his wife.

My apologies to Jane Austen but I can say without pride or prejudice that this gorgeous city ticks almost every possible box for a perfect weekend break.

It was the setting for some of the writer’s most famous novels, of course. But there’s also a spectacular rooftop spa fed by natural hot springs, Roman Baths which used the same thermal waters, an abbey, and some stunning Georgian and Regency architecture.

My wife and I were lucky enough to stay in Queen Square, built between 1728 and 1735 by architect and town planner John Wood the Elder, during an excellent weekend break in Bath.

Having travelled from York by train with Cross Country via Bristol, we were accommodated at the Francis Hotel Bath, created out of a series of seven Regency townhouses along one side of the square by a local builder called Soloman Francis in 1858.

The Grade 1 listed building has recently undergone a £6 million restoration which has created 98 luxurious bedrooms while maintaining its historic character. Blue plaques along the corridors describe some of the eminent Bath citizens who have lived there over the decades.

We started our exploration of Bath with a two minute walk across the square to the Jane Austen Centre, situated in a Georgian townhouse in Gay Street and well worth a visit.

The exhibition, which includes an introductory talk by a costumed “character” guide, tells the story of Jane’s time in Bath, which included long visits followed by a five-year spell as a resident.

We then had a ten minute stroll into the centre of Bath to visit the abbey, where Edgar was crowned King of England in 973. Built with honey-coloured stone, it features distinctive fan-vaulting and large stained-glass windows.

We decided to get our full bearings in Bath by finishing the afternoon with an open top bus tour around the city. This proved chilly but informative and entertaining.

Back at the hotel, we decided to eat at the Brasserie Blanc, opened next door by Raymond Blanc. We didn’t need to put our coats back on, for hotel guests can access the restaurant directly through a door from the hotel lounge.

After a good meal, I decided to head back into town to sample one more attraction – Thermae Bath Spa. I had seen pictures of this place before we travelled to Bath, and it looked amazing – and I wasn’t disappointed by the reality.

It opened some eight or nine years ago with the aim of reviving the spa in Bath with some very modern additions, and it now attracts a quarter of a million visitors a year.

There are all the usual steam rooms, saunas and treatments on various levels but it is on the top of the building that this complex is at its best, with an extraordinary rooftop pool. I swam in the bubbling, steaming naturally heated water and was quite mesmerised by stunning views across the city roofscape, including the nearby abbey.

Of course, it was the Romans who first took advantage of Bath’s waters and we decided to devote the final day of our stay to a visit to the city’s Roman Baths.

They were constructed in about 70 AD as a grand bathing and socialising complex and they are now some of the best preserved Roman remains in the world.

About 1,170,000 litres of steaming spring water reaching 46C still fill the site every single day. The Romans believed this was the mystical work of the gods but modern science has established that it is water which fell as rain about 12,000 years ago and is finally returning to the surface.

The centre of the complex is the Great Bath, which can be viewed from the Terrace, with the abbey standing majestically in the background.

We also explored the remains of the ancient heated rooms and changing rooms as well as tepid and plunge pools, with a commentary on our free audio guides proving invaluable.

We needed two or three hours to do the baths justice, before heading back to the station for our return journey home.

For further information on Bath, go to www.visitbath.co.uk or contact the Bath Visitor Information Centre by phoning: 0844 847 5256 or emailing: tourism@bathtourism.co.uk

For further information about the Francis Hotel Bath, phone 01225 424 105, email enquiries@francishotel.com or go to www.francishotel.com.

For more information about CrossCountry services, go to www.crosscountrytrains.com or phone 03457 48 49 50.