WALKING TOURS

A special collection of walking tours, running on each day of the festival – including two brand-new themes alongside some festival favourites

Gentle-paced walking, on pavements, with frequent stops. Suitable for wheelchair users.

BATH: A RIGHT ROYAL CITY

What has royalty done for Bath? What has Bath done for royalty? On both counts, a great deal! The coronation of Edgar, the first crowned king of all England, took place in Saxon Bath Abbey in 973 AD. Learn about this and Bath’s many other fascinating royal connections, on this walking tour with Fred Mawer Tours. Hear about kings and queens who came to Bath to bathe in the thermal waters, to witness bomb damage and mark jubilees. Visit a royal-titled theatre, street, square, crescent and park, and take in royal coats of arms and monuments.

Distance: around 1.5 miles

Price: £16*

Event code: WT1

Saturday 13 May 10am – 12pm

Sunday 14 May 5.30pm – 7.30pm

Monday 15 May 5.30pm – 7.30pm

Tuesday 16 May 10am – 12pm

Wednesday 17 May 2pm – 4pm

Thursday 18 May 5.30pm – 7.30pm

Friday 19 May 10am – 12pm

Saturday 20 May 2pm – 4pm

Sunday 21 May 5.30pm – 7.30pm

Start: Abbey Churchyard, in front of the main doors of Bath Abbey (BA1 1LY)

Finish: outside the Guildhall (BA1 5AW)

BATH ON SCREEN: THE OTHER STAR OF THE SHOW

Bath is frequently used as a backdrop for films and TV shows. This entertaining tour by Fred Mawer Tours takes in many of the filming locations and provides behind-thescenes insights. The tour covers filming in Bath for Bridgerton, including for Season 3 and spin-off series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. It also features locations used for Netflix’s recent adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, for Warner Bros’ upcoming Wonka, ITV’s Bath-based McDonald and Dodds series, plus famous older films.

Distance: around 1.5 miles

Price: £16*

Event code: WT3

Saturday 13 May 5.30pm – 7.30pm

Monday 15 May 2pm – 4pm

Wednesday 17 May 10am – 12pm

Friday 19 May 5.30pm – 7.30pm

Sunday 21 May 2pm – 4pm

Start: Outside No1 Royal Crescent (BA1 2LR)

Finish: outside the Holburne Museum (BA2 4DB)

Reading Bath Between The Lines

For centuries Bath has inspired writers. The Georgian spa was the perfect setting and its visitors provided a colourful cast of characters. This entertaining walk around literary Bath with Bath Walking Tours explores the city with authors past and present, from Austen and Dickens to crime writer Peter Lovesey, poet John Betjeman and award-winning novelist Rose Tremain. Discover Bath’s enduring appeal to writers and the places that inspired them.

Distance: around 1.5 miles

Price: £16*

Event code: WT2

Saturday 13 May 2pm – 4pm

Sunday 14 May 10am – 12pm

Monday 15 May 10am – 12pm

Tuesday 16 May 2pm – 4pm

Wednesday 17 May 5.30pm – 7.30pm

Thursday 18 May 2pm – 4pm

Friday 19 May 2pm – 4pm

Saturday 20 May 5.30pm – 7.30pm

Sunday 21 May 10am – 12pm

Start: Outside Bath World Heritage Centre, 10 York Street (BA1 1NH)

Finish: The Royal Crescent (BA1 2LR)

BATH BLITZ: THE STORY OF DESTRUCTION AND REBUILDING

Bath suffered from devastating air raids in the Second World War. On two moonlit nights in April 1942, over 400 people lost their lives and thousands of buildings were damaged or destroyed. Join Bath Walking Tours to discover why the city was identified as a target by the Luftwaffe. See reconstructed and restored buildings, bomb craters and shrapnel damage, and learn about now-vanished churches, air raid shelters, evacuees and the aftermath.

Distance: around two miles

Price: £16*

Event code: WT4

Sunday 14 May 2pm – 4pm

Tuesday 16 May 5.30pm – 7.30pm

Thursday 18 May 10am – 12pm

Saturday 20 May 10am – 12pm

Start: Orange Grove, by the obelisk (BA1 1LP)

Finish: Bath War Memorial, entrance to Royal Victoria Park, Queen’s Parade (BA1 2NJ)

Check out the Beckford and Bath walk with Amy Frost on p24

*Ticket price excludes booking fee

Mind And Body Unprocessed

What is our food doing to our brains?

Psychologist Kimberley Wilson has worked in prisons, schools and hospitals around the country. She reveals the role food and nutrition is playing in Britain’s mental health crisis and how the most vulnerable are being systematically ignored. She talks to podcast presenter Annabel Ross about how we can eat for our body and our mind.

Date: Saturday 13 May

Time: 10.30am – 11.30am

Venue: Walcot House

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: A1

Creative Writing Workshop How To Start Writing A Novel With Harriet Evans

Have you always wanted to write, but never had the confidence? Or have you always meant to try but never quite got round to putting finger to keyboard? Every novel has to start somewhere, so kickstart your storytelling at this two-hour workshop led by bestselling author and former editor Harriet Evans (The Beloved Girls). It’ll be full of encouragement, practical tips and insider information. All ages, stages and confidence levels welcome.

Ticket includes tea/coffee & biscuits.

Date: Saturday 13 May

Time: 11am – 1pm

Venue: Persephone Books

Price: £15 – £40*

Event code: A2