Bath's Brilliant Brollies!

Lots of folk also trying to photograph this installment yesterday, and being 6' 2" with mega rucksack, I was obviously getting in their way too. I could not go back, as those so important shadows were vital - and I was about to embark on a long walk and wouldn't get back into the city centre until MUCH later.

Walked through Royal Crescent, spent half an hour snapping the free to enter Botanical Gardens, looking good at this time of year, up through Weston Park, up Primrose Hill and loosely followed the southern most stretch of the Cotswolds Way.

I didn't plan to follow that route far, as it veers off westwards but to slowly make my way up to the Racecourse and Beckford's Tower, a wonderful and elegant folly that's straight out of an Italian painting, - when viewed from the south, that is! The countryside is wonderful, rolling greenery and hills and views for miles afar. Half a dozen dog walkers were the only people I shared this beauty with.

Yes, I could have got a bus up there (and back) but why do that when you can spend half a day walking??! The views from the main road at the top are limited and quite poor, as all the posh houses  (even posher private schools!) that line this route into Bath have big front gardens and high walls! (as the rich always seem to do).

It was a good deal easier walking downhill on pavements for several miles, in places steeper than one in ten and I am very glad that I did this walk, this way round. 

Back into Bath centre by six for food and then thought about my shots for late afternoon sun/sunset and dusk, which, of course, invariably meant much hauling up steep pavements (they're the killer on the feet) both myself AND David's old 400mm zoom lens! 

There were messy wafts of varying types of music drifting up to me as I waited for sundown. More tourists, from more countries and a sense of Festival spirit, but I had no idea what was going on, or where, I just let it happen - I was too tired, too poor and too everything to care much, but Bath on a  bright clear day is a thing to behold, whatever is happening (or isn't)....

Because it doesn't get dark until 9.30 or so, I (was forced lol) caught the last train home, meaning near midnight when I finally rolled back in. Dirty stopout, aren't I??