Honey-coloured Georgian streets, green hills all around, and a coffee scene worth crossing town for. Here is how we would spend a day in Bath with your dog.
Bath is one of the most beautiful cities in Britain and, it turns out, one of the easiest to enjoy with a dog. The whole place is built of the same golden stone, wrapped in green hills, and threaded with a canal and a river, so a day here is really a walk with a lot of very handsome scenery and an unusually good cup of coffee at the end of it. The famous Roman Baths keep dogs out, but almost everything else opens its doors.
The move is to get up onto the hills for the views, then come down into the city for the culture, the coffee and the pub. Here is how we would spend it, with the real, well-reviewed places we would actually take our own dog.
1
Morning: up onto the skyline
Get above the rooftops. The National Trust's Bath Skyline is a six-mile loop through woods and meadows that rings the city, with the honey-stone terraces laid out below you and plenty of room for a dog to work off breakfast. Keep them on leads near the grazing cattle. For a shorter fix of the same view, Alexandra Park sits high on Beechen Cliff with an off-lead green and the whole city spread out beneath it, the best free view in Bath.
Both give you the postcard of Bath from above, which is a lovely way to start before you drop down into the crowds.
Bath rewards a slow wander. Prior Park, a landscape garden tumbling down a valley with a rare Palladian bridge and a grandstand view back over the city, welcomes dogs on short leads and is one of the loveliest spots in Bath. The Kennet and Avon Canal towpath gives you flat, easy, paved miles out of the city with barges to sniff at, and Sydney Gardens is a pretty central green with canal access.
You do not have to leave the dog outside to have a cultured afternoon here. The Holburne Museum welcomes dogs on the ground floor, the American Museum and Gardens on the edge of the city lets leashed dogs into the gardens and cafe, and the wonderful old Little Theatre Cinema even runs the occasional dog-friendly screening.
Bath takes its coffee seriously, and Colonna and Smalls is a place people genuinely travel for, dogs welcome and treats from the staff. Landrace is a superb bakery that welcomes dogs inside, Cafe Lucca is a relaxed lunch stop, and Topping and Company, one of the best bookshops in the country, always welcomes a dog among the ladder-height shelves.
The Star Inn is the one, a listed, gas-lit, gloriously old-fashioned ale house that has changed very little in a century and welcomes dogs into its little wood-panelled rooms. The King William is the choice for a smarter meal with a dog at your feet, and the Salamander is a proper traditional bar in the centre of town, dogs welcome, for a pint after all that walking.
Bath is worth a night, and it does dog-friendly luxury well. The Royal Crescent Hotel, on the most famous curve of Georgian terrace in Britain, lays on dog beds, water and treats and has garden rooms; the Roseate Villa keeps a whole clutch of dog-friendly rooms; and Homewood, just out of town, greets your dog with a woof box on arrival.
Bath is a city best seen from the hills above it with a dog beside you, then enjoyed from the bottom of a very good coffee.
What to pack for a day out
The short list that turns a good day into an easy one. Throw it in the boot before you set off.
Water bottle and collapsible bowl
Towel for the boot
Poo bags, always
Spare lead and a long line
Treats for the pub
ID tag and vaccinations up to date
Questions dog owners ask
Can I take my dog to the Roman Baths in Bath?
No, dogs are not allowed inside the Roman Baths, but almost everything else in the city is dog-friendly, from the skyline walks and gardens to the museums, cafes and pubs listed here.
What is the best dog walk in Bath?
The National Trust's six-mile Bath Skyline loop is the standout, ringing the city through woods and meadows with wonderful views. For a shorter, free version of the view, head up to Alexandra Park on Beechen Cliff.
Are there dog-friendly things to do in Bath when it rains?
Yes. The Holburne Museum welcomes dogs on the ground floor, the Little Theatre Cinema runs occasional dog-friendly screenings, and Topping and Company bookshop always welcomes a dog.
Which Bath pubs are dog friendly?
The historic Star Inn welcomes dogs into its panelled rooms, the King William is a good choice for a dog-friendly meal, and the Salamander is a traditional central bar that welcomes them.
Where can I stay in Bath with a dog?
The Royal Crescent Hotel offers dog-friendly garden rooms with beds and treats, the Roseate Villa has a range of dog-friendly rooms, and Homewood greets dogs with a woof box on arrival.
Bath through the seasons
Spring
The skyline meadows green up and Prior Park fills with blossom. A clear-morning loop of the Bath Skyline with the city sharp below is spring at its best. Keep dogs leashed near the spring lambs.
Summer
The canal towpath and the parks come into their own, though the centre gets busy. Start on the hills early, carry water, and find a shaded pavement table for coffee in the heat of the day.
Autumn
The wooded skyline turns gold and the crowds thin out. Prior Park is glorious, the light on the stone is warm, and the old pubs start feeling especially inviting.
Winter
Crisp and handsome. A bracing skyline walk, a warm-up in Topping's bookshop, then the gas lamps and panelled snug of the Star Inn with a muddy dog at your feet.