words by Williams

Some touring parks are notable for what they are, others for where they are. Nowhere epitomises the ‘location is everything’ mantra more than the Bath Waterside & Marina and Caravan Park, managed by Nottingham-based Aquavista.

We booked a three-night stay as what will probably be our ‘one last adventure’ before the new year. It was a fully-serviced pitch with electricity, fresh water, grey water disposal and a TV aerial point and we got everything we paid for - which wasn’t cheap at £138 to include a supplement for early arrival and a small charity donation.

As the picture shows, the site is pleasantly wooded and spacious enough. There are a couple of toilet / shower blocks, chemical waste disposal etc, so it’s all there and it all works. What lets it down - and I realise this falls into the realm of nitpicking - It’s all just a bit old and tired. Also, the pitch was a concrete slab, which would have made erecting the awning tricky, so knowing this, and expecting some autumnal weather, we opted to leave it at home.

Where the site scores heavily, however, is its location, about two miles out of the city centre on the western edge of Bath.

It’s close to a great pub, the Boathouse on Newbridge Road, where you can get a decent Sunday roast, no matter how much they otherwise friendly staff will try to convince you over the phone that it’s going to be packed at 5pm.

And, sitting right next to the River Avon - the Bristol version - there’s a tow-path walk into the city if you fancy it, or as we did, you can catch the No 21 park and ride bus that delivers you into the the heart of the city in only 15 minutes for around £3.60 return. You can find the fares here.

Bath is stylish city and a shopper’s paradise. We were last there six years ago and we’ll be back soon.

Your debit card is likely to take a thrashing (I’ve found), whether it’s one-off purchase from Olwen Evans in the Guildhall Market or a rediscovery of cherry red 1460s in the Dr Marten’s store.

Would we stay again? Yes, I think so.