Prior Park Landscape Garden
Ralph Allen Drive, Bath BA2 5AH
Adults £9.50, children £4.75 (National Trust). NT members free.
One of only four Palladian bridges in the world sits in this National Trust landscape garden on the hill above Widcombe. The bridge is reflected in the lakes below; the view from the upper terrace looks across the whole of Bath. Commissioned in the 18th century by Ralph Allen, who built much of Georgian Bath using the stone quarried on this hillside. Twenty minutes on foot uphill from Widcombe — the walk is steep but the light at the top is worth it.
Kennet & Avon Canal at Widcombe
Widcombe Wharf, Bath BA2 4JP
Free
The canal enters Bath at Widcombe through a flight of six locks — the Widcombe flight, which drops boats 20 metres into the city. Worth watching if a narrowboat is working through. The towpath west into Bath is flat and direct; east leads to Bathampton and beyond. The lock-keeper's cottage beside Lock 8 is the oldest remaining canal structure in Bath.
Widcombe Hill Walk
From Widcombe Hill Road, Bath BA2 6AA
Free
A short but steep walk up Widcombe Hill rewards with views across the city and south towards the Limpley Stoke Valley. The hill path passes through the old village of Widcombe, which pre-dates the Georgian expansion by several centuries. The church of St Thomas à Becket at the top has a Norman core and a quiet churchyard. About 45 minutes for the round trip from Widcombe wharf.
Limpley Stoke Valley
Accessible from Widcombe via Claverton Road, Bath BA2
Free
A wooded river valley running south from Bath, accessible on foot or by bicycle from Widcombe. The valley floor follows the River Avon and the old Somerset Coal Canal towpath. The Dundas Aqueduct — a Grade I listed structure carrying the Kennet & Avon Canal over the River Avon — is two miles south and worth the walk. Quieter than the city trails and genuinely undisturbed countryside.
Widcombe Village
Widcombe Hill, Bath BA2 6AA
Free
The old village above the canal has survived Bath's Georgian expansion intact: a church, a few independent shops, and a residential character that is distinct from the Georgian grid below. The village pre-dates the Roman Baths. Jane Austen's father died in a house on Widcombe Hill. The Ram pub at the bottom of the hill has been serving the neighbourhood since the 18th century.