Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel
Sydney Road
Bath, BA2 6JF
U.K.
Tel.:   +44  1225 444424
Fax:   +44  1225 444206
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The Conference Excursion

The conference excursion will take place on the afternoon of Thursday 5th May. Packed lunches will be provided to eat under way. We will first visit the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge on Salisbury plain. This will be followed by a short stop in Lacock, a beautiful historic village that was used as one of the locations for filming the Harry Potter movies (Lacock Abbey was used for some of the shots of Hogwarts school and his parents' home was also set here) as well as BBC's Pride & Prejudice.

More information about the excursion can be found on the Mad Max Tours website here.

Bath is a beautiful historic city situated on the River Avon in the South West of England. Its striking architecture of sweeping Georgian terraces and Roman baths combines to produce one of the most elegant sights in Europe. The ancient Celts who first inhabited the area believed that natural hot springs were sacred. Later, in AD 43, the Romans established a spa resort in Bath with the Latin name, Aquae Sulis ("the waters of Sulis") and built a temple and the famous baths - now restored to their original grandeur. Bath Abbey stands on the site of an 8th century Saxon Abbey where King Edgar, the first effective ruler of all England, was crowned in 973AD. The current Abbey dates back to 1499AD when building work began on it. The 18th century Georgian era brought an influx of new visitors to the City seeking fun, love and cures. Bath became popular with the elite of society and was rebuilt in the classic style from 'Bath stone', the name given to the golden oolithic limestone quarried nearby.

The City of Bath was designated a World Heritage Site in 1987. It has a variety of theatres, museums, and other cultural and sporting venues, which have helped to make it a major centre for tourism, with over 3.8 million visitors each year. The city also has two universities and several schools and colleges. London is approximately one hour and a quarter from Bath by intercity train, and Bristol is about fifteen minutes away. Bath is surrounded by beautiful countryside, with the Cotswold hills to the north, the Mendip hills to the south-west and, just across the Severn Bridge, the Wye Valley and the Forest of Dean. Sandy beaches at Weston-super-Mare and in South Wales are also within easy reach.