The Editor of Bath Life reveals why she loves her home city

We’ve fallen head over heels in love with Bath, what do you love most about the city?

I always ‘joke’ to my other half, that when we met, it was his city of Bath that I really fell in love with. I moved from London to here within 10 months of meeting him – that was 21 years ago and I have not once regretted making Bath my home. It’s a small city that punches well above its weight in terms of architecture, indie enclaves, unique restaurants and a high standard of living. I’m constantly reminding my children how fortunate they are to be born Bathonians.  

When you’re not working hard crafting a fabulous magazine, what type of things do you enjoy doing in or around Bath?

I’m lucky I get to do so many amazing things for my job – restaurant visits, gallery openings, concerts, gigs, and the theatre. But every time we have visitors new to the city I insist we take an open top bus tour of the city. And it never ever gets old. I always see something new and remarkable and beautiful. It’s not just the obvious effortlessly elegant Georgian homes made of that glowing, luminous Bath stone, or the sweeping lines of tall Victorian terraces, or even the miles of patchwork green surrounding the whole city, it’s the buzz and the energy of a city that somehow retains its sense of grandeur and history, but also evolves and grows.

There’s so much to see and do, but can you share any hidden gems with us?

One of my favourite ‘secret’ places is the Linear Way, with its Two Tunnels cycle route, which was originally part of the Somerset and Dorset Railway Line and ran from Bath Green Park Station (now the site of Sainsbury’s) to Bournemouth. The second Combe Down tunnel is one mile long and includes an incredible solar powered audio-visual installation called Passage by United Visual Artists. The first time I went through it I thought I was hallucinating.

There’s an abundance of places to indulge in, but what’s your guilty pleasure when it comes to dining out?

A quick and easy and always thoroughly delightful quick bite is two samosas with sweet mango chutney dip from the vegan Indian street food vendor Chai Wallahs in Monmouth Street. Big fat hot, oily and battered triangles bursting with soft potato, peas, spices, and carrots. Best eaten on a bench in nearby Queen Square, which was designed and built by John Wood the Elder between 1728 and 1736, and has the focal point of an obelisk erected in 1738 by the celebrated dandy and gambler Beau Nash. It’s a kind of new and funky, meets old and splendid, way to enjoy fab fast food.

To find out more on making Bath and Sulis Down your home, register your interest here or email [email protected].