The city centre may have the bubbling thermal waters, but the lush green countryside surrounding Bath is an equally apt setting for a wellbeing break. Especially for seasoned visitors to the city wanting to explore the area from a different angle.

There are luxurious spa hotels, peaceful gardens, mindful activities and more to help you relax and reset, with all the city has to offer in easy reach too. We set the scene with this three-day itinerary for a wellbeing break in the country…

Where to Stay

Sleep soundly in between nourishing treatments at the outstanding countryside spa hotels close to Bath. Escape to Lucknam Park, a listed Palladian mansion surrounded by swathes of parkland or Georgian country house hotels Homewood and Bishopstrow House Hotel.

If you’re happy day-tripping to the spas instead, try THE PIG-near Bath for bucket loads of homely charm, or Limpley Stoke Hotel for idyllic valley views. Beechfield House not only boasts an outdoor pool but also various AA accolades for its restaurant.

Aerial view of Beechfield House
Image - Beechfield House

The Newt in Somerset is an award-winning country house hotel with relaxing gardens and a spa. Book their Great Garden Escape which includes First Class return travel from London Paddington to The Newt; guided tours, talks and tastings; all meals and 12-month membership to The Newt's gardens and facilities.

Pool and country house
Image - The Newt in Somerset 

Relish the peace of a self-catered bolthole? Book a stay in Iford Manor's Grade II listed cottage, which has its own private south-facing garden and special access to the main gardens until 4pm every day (regardless of whether they're open to the general public that day or not).

Insider tip: Browse our special offers and book your stay midweek for the best deals on accommodation.

Bedroom at Iford Manor's Rowley CottageImage - Rowley Cottage at Iford Manor

Day One

Morning: Saddle Up

Alongside state-of-the-art spa facilities, Lucknam Park is home to its own Equestrian Centre where you can feel the benefits of a fun form of exercise and being around the horses. You’ll be matched with a horse that suits your ability before being led on an invigorating country hack, or a longer ride through scenic Cotswold countryside for more experienced riders.

The hotel offers packages that combine getting in the saddle with dining in their brasserie and/or relaxing in the spa.

People horseriding at Lucknam ParkImage - Lucknam Park

If you’re more comfortable with both feet on the ground, how about hitting the green for a round of golf at Bowood Hotel? Set against the backdrop of a beautiful country estate, this is the PGA Official Golf Course in the South West.

Afternoon: Wind Down

After a morning of activity, make time for rest and rejuvenation with spa treatments. However you fancy being pampered, you’ll find a package that takes you to a blissed out state – from an aromatherapy facial at Bowood Hotel's spa, to rasul mud experiences at Bishopstrow House Hotel.

Spa treatment room at HomewoodImage - Homewood

Evening: Dine In Style

Make a special foodie memory by treating yourself to a meal in Homewood’s Instagrammable Dining Domes. A three-course menu is served inside these ‘little pockets of luxury’, following a glass on Taittinger champagne on the terrace. At Lucknam Park you have the choice of Michelin-starred Restaurant Hywel Jones, or their more relaxed brasserie.

Beechfield House's restaurant has been awarded two Rosette accolades, and is dog friendly should you wish to bring your four-legged friend along for your relaxing getaway.

Dining domes at Homewood
Image - Dining domes at Homewood

Day Two

Morning: Countryside Cooking

Book a course at Vale House Kitchen and leave with a host of new skills in your arsenal. As well as lessons in cooking, baking, and preserves with leading South West culinary professionals, they cover countryside pursuits like fishing, foraging, and shooting. Everything is in keeping with their field-to-fork philosophy.

Jar of wild garlic pesto at Vale House Kitchen

Image - Vale House Kitchen

Afternoon: Country Strolls

Stretch your legs, embrace the fresh air, and take in awe-inspiring views on a feel-good stomp in the country. You’re spoilt for choice when it comes to scenic routes in the green areas surrounding Bath, with many passing noteworthy sights or fabulous flora and fauna along the way. You can always turn it into a pub walk, refuelling with a pint and bite to eat partway through.

View from Solsbury HillImage - Solsbury Hill, credit Bill Boaden

Day Three

Morning: Gorgeous Greenery

Follow up yesterday’s countryside caper by soaking up the peace and tranquillity of the region’s fine gardens and parks. Admire herbaceous borders, a lily pond, box hedging, a rose garden, and a stone bath house in the gardens of stately house Corsham Court. For a woody wander, head for the expansive Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, which is home to around 3,000 different species of trees.

Couple surrounded by bluebells at Westonbirt ArboretumImage - Westonbirt, credit Johnny Hathaway

IEnter the magical Woodland Gardens at Bowood House and discover an oasis of bluebells, azaleas, magnolias, and rhododendrons, with tours available throughout spring and summer. The romantic Grade I listed Iford Manor Gardens also reopens on 1st April.

Afternoon: Culture Hit

Immerse yourself in art and culture from across the pond at the American Museum and Gardens – the only museum of Americana outside of the United States. Their collection houses over 12,000 objects and represent the wide range of American cultures, diving into stories from over 2,000 years of history.

Garden surrounding the American MuseumImage - American Museum & Gardens

Alternatively, the Somerset Rural Life Museum tells a more local story, looking at the county’s heritage including its landscape, food and farming, working life and rural crafts.

Evening: Taste a 25-Mile Menu

Finish your stay with a dinner made entirely of locally sourced food. THE PIG-Near Bath is obsessive in their commitment to homegrown grub. If the ingredients aren’t from their kitchen garden, they’re foraged or from local suppliers within 25 miles of the hotel.

Dining tables and plants in The Garden Restaurant at The Pig-Near BathImage - THE PIG-Near Bath

Read more:

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Lucknam Park Hotel and Spa
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Lucknam Park exterior

Lucknam Park is a magnificent listed Palladian mansion set in 500 acres of extensive parkland.

Homewood
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Exterior of the Homewood Hotel in Somerset at sunset

Eclectic, luxurious and slightly eccentric; think grand Georgian country house and grounds filled with creative artworks and ultra-modern indulgences including a spa and heated outdoor swimming pool.

Bishopstrow Hotel & Spa
Spa Hotel
Bishopstrow Hotel & Spa exterior

This stunning luxury hotel and spa is the finest ‘back-to-nature’ hideaway in the countryside. Complete with an award-winning restaurant, sprawling spa facilities and 30 acres of pasture and woodland.

THE PIG-near Bath
Country House Hotel
Hotel Exterior

THE PIG–near Bath is a buzzing restaurant with rooms – with the Kitchen Garden at its heart - nestled between Bath and Bristol on the edge of the village of Hunstrete.

Best Western Limpley Stoke Hotel
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Best Western Limpley Stoke Hotel

A delightfully situated hotel, overlooking the Avon Valley.

Rowley Cottage at Iford Manor
Self-Catering
Rowley Cottage at Iford Manor

Charming, luxury three bed (all en suite) Grade II listed cottage at Iford.

Bowood Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort
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Bowood Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort - Aerial View

Among the finest luxury 4-star hotels in Wiltshire, a stay at Bowood Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort is one you will never forget.

Vale House Kitchen
Cookery School
Vale House Kitchen

A bespoke country skills and cookery school eight miles from Bath.

Corsham Court
Historic House/Palace
Corsham Court

A stately home and art gallery with stunning gardens.

Westonbirt, The National Arboretum
Garden
Westonbirt, The National Arboretum

Arboretum with over 15,000 rare and beautiful trees, all set in 600 glorious, easy-to-stroll Cotswold acres.

American Museum & Gardens
Museum
Exterior of the American Museum & Gardens in Bath

Located on the outskirts of town, find the best day out in Bath with breathtaking views, fascinating museum collections, stunning gardens, gallery shop, children’s play area and the American Garden Deli, with its scenic garden terrace.

Somerset Rural Life Museum
Museum
Somerset Rural Life Museum - Horse Sculpture and Barn

Visitors to Somerset Rural Life Museum can explore Somerset’s rural and social history from the 1800s onwards, discovering more about the county’s landscape, farming, working life and rural crafts.

THE PIG-near Bath
Country House Hotel
Hotel Exterior

THE PIG–near Bath is a buzzing restaurant with rooms – with the Kitchen Garden at its heart - nestled between Bath and Bristol on the edge of the village of Hunstrete.

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