It’s springtime in Royal Victoria Park and there is a strange puffing sound overhead. For those unfamiliar with Bath, the historic park spreads like a picnic blanket beneath the city’s famous Royal Crescent. When daffodils raise their heads and the magnolias are studded with fresh buds, the park lawns are used to launch the year’s first hot-air balloons. The magnificent balloons fire up – weather permitting – with an emphatic puffing noise and rise majestically above the trees for an aerial view of the Crescent’s sweep of perfectly aligned townhouses.
A hot-air balloon flight is a great way to fully appreciate this graceful street and the Georgian architecture within this UNESCO World Heritage city. From April 2023 onwards, the Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, which sits at the very centre of the Crescent, will launch exclusive flights for two in its own balloon. Guests who take to the skies can enjoy an afternoon tea afterwards, picking over an assortment of delicate sandwiches, buns and pastries while sipping Champagne in the hotel gardens.
The arrival of sunshine
