Long before wellness was a word, the British went to spa towns to take the waters. From the eighteenth century, doctors recommended drinking and bathing in mineral springs for all sorts of illnesses, and fashionable society flocked to the towns that grew up around them. They built elegant crescents, pump rooms, assembly rooms and gardens.
The towns that grew up around the springs are still some of the loveliest in the country, and several still let you soak. These seven are perfect for a restful weekend, with good hotels, tea rooms and gentle walks. For each, we have included what to see and how to relax.
1. Bath, Somerset
Bath has the only natural hot springs in Britain, and it has been a spa for two thousand years. The Romans built a great bathing complex around the springs, and in the eighteenth century the city became the most fashionable spa in England. The whole city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Roman Baths are among the best preserved Roman remains in northern Europe, but you cannot bathe in them. Instead, Thermae Bath Spa, nearby, lets you swim in the naturally warm spa water. Its rooftop pool, with views of Bath Abbey and the hills, is one of the most memorable places to swim in Britain.
The Pump Room, above the Roman Baths, is where Georgian visitors came to drink the waters, and you can still taste them there, or have afternoon tea to the sound of music. The Royal Crescent and the Circus are the great Georgian set pieces. The city is small and easy to walk around.
Bath is busy, especially at weekends and in summer, so book spa sessions and hotels ahead. It is about an hour and a half from London by train. See our Bath guide.
2. Harrogate, North Yorkshire
Harrogate, in North Yorkshire, grew into one of the most fashionable spa towns in Britain in the Victorian age. It has around ninety mineral springs, and its sulphur water is said to be among the strongest in Europe. Visitors came to drink the smelly water for their health.
The Turkish Baths, built in the 1890s, are one of the finest surviving Victorian Turkish baths in Britain. Their Moorish style rooms, with glazed tiles, arches and painted ceilings, are beautiful. You can still enjoy the steam rooms, hot rooms and plunge pool.
The Royal Pump Room, where visitors once drank the sulphur water, is now a museum telling the story of the spa. Bettys, the famous tea room, was founded in Harrogate in 1919, and it is still a Harrogate institution. The Valley Gardens and the Stray, a huge area of green in the heart of the town, are lovely for walks.
The crime writer Agatha Christie famously disappeared for eleven days in 1926, and she was found staying at a hotel in Harrogate. RHS Garden Harlow Carr, on the edge of the town, is a beautiful garden. The Yorkshire Dales are close by.
3. Buxton, Derbyshire
Buxton, on the edge of the Peak District, is one of the highest towns in England, and it has been a spa since Roman times. Its warm spring water still rises from the ground and is bottled and sold around the country. It is a handsome town of Georgian and Victorian buildings.
The Crescent, built in the 1780s by the Duke of Devonshire, was designed to rival Bath, and it has been restored as a spa hotel. Opposite, St Ann’s Well has a tap where anyone can fill a bottle with the spring water for free. Local people and visitors queue to fill up.
Buxton Opera House, designed by the famous theatre architect Frank Matcham and opened in 1903, is one of the most beautiful theatres in Britain. The Pavilion Gardens, beside it, have a glass conservatory, a lake and a bandstand. The Buxton Festival, held every summer, brings opera, music and literature to the town.
Poole’s Cavern, on the edge of the town, is a spectacular limestone cave. The Peak District is on the doorstep, with walks for all abilities. Buxton is about an hour from Manchester.
4. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
Cheltenham, on the edge of the Cotswolds, became a fashionable spa town after mineral springs were discovered there in the eighteenth century. King George III visited in 1788, and the town boomed. It is one of the most complete Regency towns in England.
Its elegant streets, squares and terraces are full of Regency buildings with fine ironwork balconies. The Promenade, a wide tree lined avenue, is one of the most beautiful shopping streets in England. The Montpellier area has independent shops, bars and restaurants.
The Pittville Pump Room, a grand building in a park, is where visitors once drank the spa water, and it is now used for concerts and events. The composer Gustav Holst was born in Cheltenham, and his birthplace is a museum. The town hosts famous festivals of literature, music, jazz and science through the year.
Cheltenham Racecourse is famous for the Cheltenham Festival, held each March, one of the biggest events in horse racing. During the festival, the town is extremely busy and hotels book up months ahead. The Cotswolds, with their villages, are just beyond the town.
5. Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
Royal Leamington Spa, in Warwickshire, grew rapidly as a spa town in the early nineteenth century. Queen Victoria gave it the right to call itself Royal in 1838. It is an elegant town of Regency terraces, squares and parks.
The Royal Pump Rooms, where visitors once bathed and drank the waters, are now home to a museum, an art gallery and a library. The museum tells the story of the spa. The building is a fine example of Regency architecture.
The Jephson Gardens, beside the River Leam, are among the finest ornamental gardens in the Midlands, with a glasshouse full of exotic plants, a lake and colourful flower beds. The Parade, the main street, is lined with grand buildings. The town has many independent shops and restaurants.
Warwick Castle is only a couple of miles away, and Stratford-upon-Avon is about twenty minutes by road. The Warwickshire countryside is lovely. Leamington is easy to reach by train from London and Birmingham.
6. Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire
Droitwich Spa, in Worcestershire, is a spa town with a difference. Its springs are not fresh water but brine, said to be many times saltier than the sea, rising from deep underground. Salt has been made here since Roman times and probably earlier.
In the nineteenth century, the salt manufacturer John Corbett turned Droitwich into a spa, where visitors floated in the brine baths, which were said to ease aches and pains. The dense salt water makes you float effortlessly. The town grew into a fashionable resort.
The old brine baths have closed, but the town’s history is told at its heritage centre. Chateau Impney, a grand house built by Corbett in the style of a French chateau, is now a hotel. The town has pleasant streets and a canal.
Hanbury Hall, a grand house looked after by the National Trust, is nearby. Worcester, with its cathedral, is about fifteen minutes away. The Worcestershire countryside is peaceful and green.
7. Llandrindod Wells, Powys
Llandrindod Wells, in the green hills of mid Wales, was one of the most popular spa towns in Wales in the Victorian age. Visitors came by train to drink the waters from its springs. Its wide streets and grand Victorian hotels date from that time.
Rock Park, a wooded park by a stream, was the centre of the spa, and its old pump room still stands. You can still taste the spring water, which is rich in iron. It has a relaxed, old fashioned charm.
The town has a lake, where you can hire boats, and it hosts a Victorian Festival every summer, when many people dress in Victorian costume. The National Cycle Museum tells the story of the bicycle. The town is a peaceful place to relax.
The Elan Valley, about half an hour away, has a series of Victorian dams and reservoirs set among the hills, and it is one of the best places in Britain to see red kites. The mid Wales countryside is quiet and beautiful. A car makes it easy to explore.
A spa weekend should start the moment you leave home. Being driven, rather than driving, is where the rest begins.
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