July/August: A trip to Bath and a long weekend in Bathford
Celebrating our anniversary in Bath
This blog post was originally published on the 21st October 2018.
When we’re planning our housesitting adventures, we like to leave a few days in between finishing a sit and arriving at a new one just in case anything unexpected happens! On this occasion, we had a few days between leaving our two and a half week housesit in Marlborough and starting our next housesit in Bathford. We took the opportunity to have a few days to ourselves in Bath itself while we celebrated our seven year anniversary! We spent our time exploring the Roman baths, soaking up the more unusual parts of the city on a walking tour, and pampering ourselves in the famous thermal spa! We enjoyed a gorgeous few days in a hotel near the city centre, and we treated ourselves to breakfast in a new cafe each morning. On our last evening in Bath we took a long walk to Alexandra Park, then another to Sham Castle the following morning before we left, so we could see beautiful views over the city from a higher viewpoint. We loved the easy-going vibe in Bath and how friendly all the people were! Exploring a new city and experiencing new things are two of the best ways to celebrate being together for seven years, reminding ourselves that there is always more to see and do together!
Arriving in Bathford
Following our walk to Sham Castle, that afternoon we left Bath for our next housesit in Bathford with playful Spaniel Digger and gentle Australian cattle dog Storm! Our hosts welcomed us to their lovely farmhouse, situated in the absolute middle of nowhere which made for a beautifully peaceful stay! We were introduced to Digger who was very excited to see us, then Storm who was a bit older but still friendly and interested in us – just a bit less so than energetic Digger! When our hosts had departed for their trip, we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening giving lots of cuddles to laidback Storm, and learning Digger’s extensive list of commands. We spent hours playing fetch with his ball, which he would ‘fetch’, ‘wait’ for and ‘go get!’ as he responded perfectly to each command we gave.
The following morning we woke up early to visit Digger’s favourite swimming spot, opting to leave older dog Storm at home to snooze. There was a public footpath that ran parallel to the field closest to the house, along the River Avon to Dundas Aqueduct, passing through fields of wildflowers on the way. We knew instantly when we’d reached the part of the river where Digger liked to swim as he ran straight for the water and jumped in! We spent some time throwing his ball into the water and getting him to bring it back while we watched from the riverbank, before walking up to the aqueduct for a view of the river from above. Digger was eager to make friends with a family of swans who peered at him curiously as they swam past us! On our way back to the house we didn’t pass any other walkers or see anybody along the river – it was a truly secluded area and we loved walking in the peace and quiet of the countryside on such a beautifully sunny August morning.
The weather over our few days in Bathford was just spectacular – soaring temperatures and not a cloud in the sky every day meant for some relaxing time spent on the balcony at the house reading our books. We spent lots of time in the fields by the house too, playing games with Digger and his ball and even Storm joined us for a bit of tug of war with an old frisbee. When it got too hot, we’d retreat to the coolness of the house to make sure the dogs got a good drink of water. On our last day of the sit, we walked down the steep hill below our house to the edge of the river where our hosts had built a pontoon perfect for a summer’s day swim! Chris and Digger jumped in and had a good splash around while chasing Digger’s ball, while Storm sat on the riverbank in the shade with Suze. It was such a naturally beautiful place, it felt really special to be able to have it all to ourselves! After a good play around in the water, we headed back up the hill to dry off Digger and start packing up our things. We got a surprise when we took our bags out to the car and returned to the house to find we’d left the door wide open, and all the dogs from the neighbouring farmhouses had come in to say hello! We spent some time having LOTS of excitable snuggles with our temporary new pets, before saying goodbye to Digger and Storm and sadly leaving our lovely farmhouse behind.
Our long weekend in Bathford, preceded by a lovely few days spent in Bath, made for an amazing and varied week of sight-seeing, walking with dogs, soaking up the peacefulness of the countryside, and rewarding ourselves with sweet treats and a spa day! We feel so grateful to be able to have such incredible adventures and explore new parts of the country and try new things together. Bath is a beautiful area of the country and we’d happily return for more new experiences!
