March 4, 2025 • 19 mins
In this episode of the UK Travel Planning Podcast, Tracy chats with Daniel Hancock from Bath Insider Tours about the enchanting city of Bath and its surrounding areas. Daniel shares his journey from a market research career to becoming a tour guide, driven by his passion for travel.
The discussion covers a variety of tour options in and around Bath, including Bridgerton and Jane Austen themed tours, as well as day trips to iconic sites like Wells, Glastonbury, The Cotswolds, and Stonehenge. Daniel emphasizes the unique experiences offered on his tours and provides practical tips for visitors.
⭐️ Guest - Daniel Hancock from Bath Insider Tours
📝 Show Notes - Episode 139
🎧 Listen to next
- Episode 109 – Day Tours with The English Bus: From London to Stonehenge, Bath & more
- Episode 108 – Navigating the UK: Multi-Generational Travel Tips and Hidden Gems with Lauren Minns
- Episode 113 – Family Adventure in the UK: Highlights and Tips with Hannah Blaloch
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Do you dream of visiting the beautiful English
city of Bath?
In this episode, I chat withDaniel Hancock of Bath Insider
Tours.
From tips for first-timevisitors to unique experiences
with Daniel in and around Bath,including Bridgerton and Jane
Austen themed tours, as well asday trips to Wells, glastonbury,
the Cotswolds and Stonehengethis episode is packed with
inspiration for your nextadventure.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Welcome to the UK Travel Planning Podcast.
Your host is the founder of theUK Travel Planning website,
Tracy Collins.
In this podcast, Tracy sharesdestination guides, travel tips
and itinerary ideas, as well asinterviews with a variety of
guests who share their knowledgeand experience of UK travel to
help you plan your perfect UKvacation.
(00:44):
Uk travel to help you plan yourperfect UK vacation.
Join us as we explore the UKfrom cosmopolitan cities to
quaint villages, from historiccastles to beautiful islands,
and from the picturesquecountryside to seaside towns.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Welcome to episode 139 of the UK Travel Planner
Podcast.
This week, I'm joined by DanielHancock of Bath Insider Tours
for a fascinating chat about theenchanting city of Bath and its
surrounding areas.
Daniel is passionate aboutcreating unforgettable
experiences for his guests andin this episode he shares
everything from his top tip forfirst-time visitors to the
(01:21):
unique highlights of his tours.
We dive into his half-daywalk-in tours of Bath, including
themed experiences perfect forfans of Bridgerton and Jane
Austen, as well as his full-dayand multi-day trips to iconic
destinations such as Wells,glastonbury, the Cotswolds and
Stonehenge.
Daniel also shares someincredible unique experiences
available on his tours, but staytuned to hear all about them.
(01:43):
Whether you're planning a visitto Bath or looking to explore
the West Country, this episodeis packed with insights and
inspiration to help you make themost of your trip.
So let's dive in by askingDaniel to tell us a little bit
about himself and his background.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
So I'm basically a local.
So I was born here in the cityof Bath and went to all the
schools here and then left to goto university is what you
typically did back in those daysand then I've moved around for
my jobs, but Bath has alwaysbeen home.
So my family has always beenhere and I've come back and
(02:18):
forth to Bath.
But now I've settled back hereagain and are doing tours of the
area.
And a bit about me.
I'm sort of in my late 40s.
I'm probably like many of thepeople listening to this podcast
.
I love to travel.
I've traveled extensivelyaround the world.
I mean there's still places Iwant to go and see.
(02:39):
I haven't counted how manycountries, but there's a lot.
As you know, we were speakingearlier.
I started off this year byclimbing to the top of Africa,
kilimanjaro, which was justincredible, and then fulfilled
my lifetime dream of going on asafari, because I love wildlife
(03:03):
and boy does.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Tanzania have amazing wildlife.
It's a fantastic place for that.
You know what I think you needto come on to the global travel
planning podcast, my otherpodcast.
I talk all about that.
I really really do so.
You're born in bath, soobviously you love bath.
You're from bath, you knowyou're steeped in the history of
bath.
I know, I know you're not.
You're only late 40s, not, notnot centuries old, but obviously
the city itself is.
(03:24):
So what is it that makes Bathsuch a special destination?
What is such a wonderful placeto visit?
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Yeah, I mean it's a beautiful city.
I mean we have this amazing,lovely Georgian architecture of
when Bath back in the day wasthe place in the country to go
and visit.
So people from around Englandcame to Bath to use the hot
springs and to socialise, andthat led to the city expanding
and creating all this wonderfularchitecture that we have today.
(03:53):
It has the country's only hotsprings, so we have warm springs
elsewhere, but not hot, andtoday you can actually utilise
those.
We have a modern spa which hasa pretty awesome small outdoor
rooftop pool where you canactually utilise those.
We have a modern spa which hasa pretty awesome small outdoor
rooftop pool where you can enjoythe springs, and also we
obviously have the remains of aRoman bath well, roman spa,
(04:15):
basically which people like tocome and see.
But it's not just that.
I mean the whole surroundingarea is fantastic.
We're surrounded by beautifulcountryside.
I think we're a bigger citythan people are expecting, but
nothing compared to london's, Ilike to say it's a small city
surrounded by lovely countrysideand there's lots of things you
can see and do in the area.
(04:35):
So you've got bath, but thenyou also have the cotswolds
stonehenge, many other thingsthat you can do so.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
it's a great place to come and stay it certainly is,
and so you have your own tourcompany.
You're a tour guide, and tellus a little bit about what
inspired you to actually startyour own tour company, and was
there a particular moment whereyou went no, this is exactly
what I want to do yeah, I meanreally.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
It stems probably from my passion of you know
traveling.
I used to work for bigcorporations, usually doing
market research.
When I get bored, you know,after about four years I'd quit
my job.
I'd travel for one year, comeback to Bath, stay at my parents
, you know, try and find anotherjob and then repeat.
And after it's probably my lastbig big trip, which was nine
(05:23):
months going around SoutheastAsia, I went up to Everest Base
Camp and all around the valleysup there, which was just
incredible.
When I came back from thatparticular travel, I said to
myself okay, dan, this is silly,you know, let's align your
passion of traveling with yourcareer.
(05:43):
And I, literally I just Googledtravel jobs and a tour operator
came up near Oxford, so I got ajob with them.
I took a pay cut because beforeI was actually working for a
high street bank and traveldoesn't pay as well, but I was
following my passion and so Iworked for this tour operator
for four years and the last twoyears they actually had me based
(06:06):
overseas.
So I was based in thailand andindonesia where I was designing,
uh, unique and authenticexperiences for their guests,
and when I came back I goteverything I created, settled on
their systems.
I trained their sales teams andthat role then came to an end
and I thought, you know, itdoesn't get better than and I've
given that company all my bloodand sweat for not much money
(06:30):
and I thought let's do somethingfor myself.
And basically, a friend there,he quit and set himself as a
tour guide and he was saying Dan, you'll be really good at this.
And I have a friend in Londonwho's a Blue Badge tour guide
and he was encouraging me to dothis.
So did all the research anddesigned the tools.
(06:51):
And here we are, almost, youknow, seven years later on, and
I mean I've been very fortunate.
I've traveled around the world,I've had guides create
wonderful experiences for me onmy travels and now I'm getting
to do the same for people comingto my city, which is quite nice
it's amazing.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
It's the best way, isn't it?
You've experienced the best andyou then want to create the
best in your own city andsurround, so what could be
better than that, honestly?
So let's talk about some ofthese tours that you offer,
daniel, yeah, sure so Ibasically do tours of bath and
and the surrounding area.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
So I do have a a three hour um bath tour.
Uh, for example, I show peopleall the famous bills and streets
and tell them stories aboutthat and past residents.
So some of your viewers may beaware of Jane Austin she's
probably one of my most famousprevious residents but I also
talk about modern things as well.
So baths get used for lots offilming.
(07:47):
So, again, if you've got anyfans of Bridgerton, a lot of
that have been filmed in Bath.
So I show people where that wasfilmed.
So, yeah, I have tours of Bathand then I go further afield.
So a place like Stonehenge,which is probably the biggest
attraction near Bath it's about50 minutes roughly from Bath, so
I do tours out there.
We're on the southern tip ofthe Cotswolds, which is a very
(08:10):
famous region in the UK,renowned for its lovely
countryside and picturesquevillages.
So I do a tour out to some ofthose villages.
I also have a place that's likethe City of Wells, which has my
favourite cathedral in theregion, absolutely beautiful,
and near there we also have avillage called Cheddar, which is
where cheddar cheese wasinvented.
(08:32):
So I do a tour out there andthere's also a gorge there which
is England cheddar cheese wasinvented, um.
So I do a tour out there andthere's also a gorge there which
is england's largest gorge,which, um, nothing compared to
possibly gorgeous elsewhere inthe world, but it's very unusual
scenery and it's actually oneof my favorite sceneries in the
region.
So you know I take people outthere out there as well.
So, yeah, I have half day tours,I do whole day tours, multi-day
(08:53):
tours.
I can customize tours if it'son areas that I know.
So I mean today, this morning,for example, I was just
customizing a tour for someonewho's going to be visiting the
area and actually I do also havean audio tour of Bath.
So if you have anyone coming toBath and sadly I'm not
available, I've done an audiotour which uses your mobile
(09:14):
phone which takes you to myfavourite walk-around bath.
So we have a beautiful canal inthe city which actually not
many tourists know.
They know about the river butthey don't know about this
lovely canal.
So this audio tour that I'vecreated takes people along that
and basically the GPS onpeople's phones basically tells
them where they are and then itbrings them my commentary at the
right moment, so that's anotherpossibility for people coming
(09:37):
to the city.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Excellent, so you've got a huge variety of different
tours.
As you say from listening toyour audio tour, if you're not
available half day, full day,multi-days, you can do baths
surrounding areas.
You didn't mention Glastonbury.
I'm just going to ask aboutGlastonbury.
Oh, yes, yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
Yeah, yeah, I do do Glastonbury as well, which is a
very quirky town.
There's really I don't thinkthere's anywhere else like it in
the UK.
It's steeped in legends, soabout King Arthur and Christian
legends as well, but obviouslytoday as well, it's a hotbed for
(10:15):
people who are interested inNew Age spiritualism, ley lines,
energy lines.
So we have all the shops withselling crystals.
You can buy wands and thesearen't toy wands, these are real
wands.
So, yeah, it's a veryinteresting place.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
All right, so that sounds like a pretty unique
experience.
What other sort of uniqueexperiences do you offer?
Speaker 3 (10:39):
Yes, I've got that one I also.
I mean, not many people know atStonehenge you can actually go
inside the stone circle.
So normally when you go toStonehenge you're walking around
the circle.
At one point you do get veryclose, just a few meters.
But Stonehenge permits theseinner circle tours when the
(11:00):
site's closed to the public, soit's usually just after sunrise
and just before sunset.
It's not every day.
So that is a pretty awesomeexperience where you can
actually go inside and you get areally fantastic appreciation
of how big those stones are andalso you can see things which
you can't see when you'reoutside.
So, yeah, that's definitely oneof the unique tours.
(11:22):
I also do a tour which is mybath tour and then we go for.
Well, we go to a non-for-profitfalconry in the countryside
around Bath and guests can thenfly a hawk or they can fly owls,
which is a really awesomeexperience.
So, yeah, that's another one.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
Now that sounds absolutely fantastic, definitely
something I'd love to try thatI have to say Both actually.
I don't know falcons or owls,both would appeal.
So let's talk aboutpracticalities now.
So how many people can youaccommodate on your tours,
daniel?
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Sure.
So when I'm using my vehiclethen I can take up to six people
in my vehicle If I am doing asightseeing transfer, so
sometimes I collect people fromHeathrow, for example, or I
collect them from the cruiseships and they're bringing
luggage with them.
In those instances I can onlytake a maximum of four because
(12:16):
of the space for the luggage.
So normally six, but withluggage it would be four people
If I was just doing a walk-intour in Bath and we didn't need
to use the car.
To be honest, on my Bath tour Iactually use my car for a short
session because I like to takethem to a viewpoint to start the
tour.
But I can exclude that ifthere's more than six people and
(12:38):
then do a walk-in tour, whichprobably up to about 14 people.
I don't like to do more thanthat because I think it becomes
too much of a handful.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Yeah, definitely, and I've got to ask you about
Bridgerton as well, because Iget so many you about Bridgerton
as well, because I get so many,so many questions about
Bridgerton.
So so you know where all theBridgerton places are in Bath
then, so you can take it fromthe Bridgerton fans.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
Yeah, I saw them film , I mean Bath.
They do lots of filming here.
So we're often looking out forthe parking suspension signs and
they normally have to state thereason for why they're shutting
down the parking and it wassafe film crew or something like
that.
So we know there's filminggoing on.
So, yeah, I was there,especially on the.
I mean they filmed a lot forthe first series in Bath So've
(13:24):
got photos I took at the time,you know, when they were filming
that.
Um, the second series theyreally only used one location.
The third series they're backin more locations and actually a
new location for the thirdseries and again I was able to
see some of that and take somepictures.
So, yes, I do do like.
I mean, on my bath tour I docover a little bit of Bridgerton
.
But for people really intoBridgerton, like all the other
(13:47):
guides in Bath, I now have aBridgerton tour where I show you
the locations where theyactually film the series.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
So that's exciting.
Now, what about Jane Austen?
I always have to throw justJane Austen in there as well.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
Yeah, I mean she's probably.
So she's one of our biggest,you know, most famous residents
really.
So she lived in Bath for anumber of years and if you've
got any big Jane Austen fans,then know that two of her books
are based in Bath.
So yeah, northanger Abbey andPersuasion.
So in Bath, actually, if you'rea Jane Austen fan, we do have a
Jane Austen Centre where youcan learn more about her life.
(14:25):
And if you're a big, big fan,every year in September we have
a 10-day Jane Austen Festivalwhere people from around the
world come and they all comedressed up in the period costume
.
It's lovely to see, and they goto talks and they go to dances
and have a promenade throughtown.
So that's really big.
And actually this year will bethe 250th anniversary of jane
(14:49):
austen, so the festival thisyear will be bigger than normal.
It's going to be, yeah, bath, Iimagine, will be very, very
busy.
So even if you're not a janeausten fan and you're coming to
bath in september, book youraccommodation early, book your
dinner reservations, because Iimagine the city is going to be
very, very busy.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
Oh, I can imagine.
I'm going to put that in mydiary, actually, because I'll be
back over in the UK in August,September, so that'd be
something I'd love to experience.
Now, guests who book with youwhat do they need to know before
going on one of your tours?
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Nothing really to be honest with you, just come with
a smile and open mind.
So that's all you really needto know.
I mean, obviously, if you'replanning the trip, then the
sooner you can book the better,because it is just myself, I
don't have any other guysworking for me, so I do get
booked out.
And, uh, for meals in bath, forif you're coming to Bath,
(15:46):
especially on a weekend, it'sgood to make dinner reservations
in advance because the popularones do book out.
Lots of the restaurants arequite small and charming and
lovely, but the really popularones will book out, especially
on the weekend.
So that's really tips for Bathrather than for me.
Yeah, I mean, when you'recoming on tour with me, just
come on tour with me.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
That's great.
Well, I just know that there'sgoing to be loads of our
listeners right now who aregoing to be yes, we want to go
out on a tour with Daniel, and Idon't blame you guys.
Honestly, he's amazing.
Now, how can our listeners findout more about booking a Bath
Insider tour with you and get intouch with you?
Where can they find you?
I will put links in the shownotes.
I'm going to say that, but youcan share it.
(16:28):
Feel free to share.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
No problem.
So I have a website wherepeople can read more about my
tours and also book my tours, sothat's wwwbathinsidercouk butuk
, but you'll have the link thereso you can read all about my
tours there.
There's a way to contact me andto book the tours.
(16:51):
If you have listeners who areinto Instagram, I'm also on
Instagram so you can follow methere and that's at Bath Insider
.
In fact, later on today I willbe publishing just a couple of
photos from my Kilimanjaroventure, so that will be going
on there.
And I'm also on Facebook,although I don't tend to use
(17:12):
Facebook too much, but I do haveBath Insider Tools on Facebook
as well.
But I'll probably say thewebsite is the best way If you
like photos.
I'm posting every now and againon Instagram, so that's a good
place to go perfect, and you'rea member of our facebook group
as well, so I know that I amindeed there we go yeah, so
perfect now.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
It's been brilliant to talk with you, daniel, but I
always end the podcast with theone and only question, so what
would be the one tip that youwould share with someone
visiting Bath for the first time?
Speaker 3 (17:44):
Stay more than one day.
Okay, that is the biggest tip.
So most people say I wish I hadlonger in Bath, and you do get
a lot of people who do day tripsfrom London.
I think a lot of agenciesaround the world tend to believe
that people have to be based inLondon and then try and do
(18:05):
trips for and from there, butthen they spend most of their
time traveling.
Bath is a beautiful place tostay.
It's not as crowded as London.
We have lots of greataccommodation options.
So from Airbnbs all the way upto your five-star luxury hotels,
lots of fantastic restaurantsand, as I said, there's lots of
(18:26):
things you can see and do in thearea.
So Bath, more or less, youcould probably spend a day
exploring.
Bath depends upon yourinterests, with all the museums.
But then we have all theseamazing places nearby with the
Cotswolds, glastonbury,stonehenge, avebury that's
another stone circle, so you canspend several days.
So, yeah, my number one tipstay more than one day perfect
(18:51):
and I 100% agree with you,daniel.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
So thank you so much for coming on the podcast this
week.
As I say, it's always great tochat with you no, my pleasure
lovely chatting to you thank youfor tuning in to this week's
episode of the UK TravelPlanning Podcast.
As always, show notes can befound at uktravelplanningcom.
If you've enjoyed the show, whynot leave us feedback via text
(19:14):
or a review on your favouritepodcast app?
We love to hear from you andyou never know.
You may receive a shout out ina future episode.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
But, as always, that just leaves me to say until next
week, happy UK travel planning.
Do you dream of visiting the beautiful English
city of Bath?
In this episode, I chat withDaniel Hancock of Bath Insider
Tours.
From tips for first-timevisitors to unique experiences
with Daniel in and around Bath,including Bridgerton and Jane
Austen themed tours, as well asday trips to Wells, glastonbury,
the Cotswolds and Stonehengethis episode is packed with
inspiration for your nextadventure.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Welcome to the UK Travel Planning Podcast.
Your host is the founder of theUK Travel Planning website,
Tracy Collins.
In this podcast, Tracy sharesdestination guides, travel tips
and itinerary ideas, as well asinterviews with a variety of
guests who share their knowledgeand experience of UK travel to
help you plan your perfect UKvacation.
(00:44):
Uk travel to help you plan yourperfect UK vacation.
Join us as we explore the UKfrom cosmopolitan cities to
quaint villages, from historiccastles to beautiful islands,
and from the picturesquecountryside to seaside towns.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Welcome to episode 139 of the UK Travel Planner
Podcast.
This week, I'm joined by DanielHancock of Bath Insider Tours
for a fascinating chat about theenchanting city of Bath and its
surrounding areas.
Daniel is passionate aboutcreating unforgettable
experiences for his guests andin this episode he shares
everything from his top tip forfirst-time visitors to the
(01:21):
unique highlights of his tours.
We dive into his half-daywalk-in tours of Bath, including
themed experiences perfect forfans of Bridgerton and Jane
Austen, as well as his full-dayand multi-day trips to iconic
destinations such as Wells,glastonbury, the Cotswolds and
Stonehenge.
Daniel also shares someincredible unique experiences
available on his tours, but staytuned to hear all about them.
(01:43):
Whether you're planning a visitto Bath or looking to explore
the West Country, this episodeis packed with insights and
inspiration to help you make themost of your trip.
So let's dive in by askingDaniel to tell us a little bit
about himself and his background.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
So I'm basically a local.
So I was born here in the cityof Bath and went to all the
schools here and then left to goto university is what you
typically did back in those daysand then I've moved around for
my jobs, but Bath has alwaysbeen home.
So my family has always beenhere and I've come back and
(02:18):
forth to Bath.
But now I've settled back hereagain and are doing tours of the
area.
And a bit about me.
I'm sort of in my late 40s.
I'm probably like many of thepeople listening to this podcast
.
I love to travel.
I've traveled extensivelyaround the world.
I mean there's still places Iwant to go and see.
(02:39):
I haven't counted how manycountries, but there's a lot.
As you know, we were speakingearlier.
I started off this year byclimbing to the top of Africa,
kilimanjaro, which was justincredible, and then fulfilled
my lifetime dream of going on asafari, because I love wildlife
(03:03):
and boy does.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Tanzania have amazing wildlife.
It's a fantastic place for that.
You know what I think you needto come on to the global travel
planning podcast, my otherpodcast.
I talk all about that.
I really really do so.
You're born in bath, soobviously you love bath.
You're from bath, you knowyou're steeped in the history of
bath.
I know, I know you're not.
You're only late 40s, not, notnot centuries old, but obviously
the city itself is.
(03:24):
So what is it that makes Bathsuch a special destination?
What is such a wonderful placeto visit?
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Yeah, I mean it's a beautiful city.
I mean we have this amazing,lovely Georgian architecture of
when Bath back in the day wasthe place in the country to go
and visit.
So people from around Englandcame to Bath to use the hot
springs and to socialise, andthat led to the city expanding
and creating all this wonderfularchitecture that we have today.
(03:53):
It has the country's only hotsprings, so we have warm springs
elsewhere, but not hot, andtoday you can actually utilise
those.
We have a modern spa which hasa pretty awesome small outdoor
rooftop pool where you canactually utilise those.
We have a modern spa which hasa pretty awesome small outdoor
rooftop pool where you can enjoythe springs, and also we
obviously have the remains of aRoman bath well, roman spa,
(04:15):
basically which people like tocome and see.
But it's not just that.
I mean the whole surroundingarea is fantastic.
We're surrounded by beautifulcountryside.
I think we're a bigger citythan people are expecting, but
nothing compared to london's, Ilike to say it's a small city
surrounded by lovely countrysideand there's lots of things you
can see and do in the area.
(04:35):
So you've got bath, but thenyou also have the cotswolds
stonehenge, many other thingsthat you can do so.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
it's a great place to come and stay it certainly is,
and so you have your own tourcompany.
You're a tour guide, and tellus a little bit about what
inspired you to actually startyour own tour company, and was
there a particular moment whereyou went no, this is exactly
what I want to do yeah, I meanreally.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
It stems probably from my passion of you know
traveling.
I used to work for bigcorporations, usually doing
market research.
When I get bored, you know,after about four years I'd quit
my job.
I'd travel for one year, comeback to Bath, stay at my parents
, you know, try and find anotherjob and then repeat.
And after it's probably my lastbig big trip, which was nine
(05:23):
months going around SoutheastAsia, I went up to Everest Base
Camp and all around the valleysup there, which was just
incredible.
When I came back from thatparticular travel, I said to
myself okay, dan, this is silly,you know, let's align your
passion of traveling with yourcareer.
(05:43):
And I, literally I just Googledtravel jobs and a tour operator
came up near Oxford, so I got ajob with them.
I took a pay cut because beforeI was actually working for a
high street bank and traveldoesn't pay as well, but I was
following my passion and so Iworked for this tour operator
for four years and the last twoyears they actually had me based
(06:06):
overseas.
So I was based in thailand andindonesia where I was designing,
uh, unique and authenticexperiences for their guests,
and when I came back I goteverything I created, settled on
their systems.
I trained their sales teams andthat role then came to an end
and I thought, you know, itdoesn't get better than and I've
given that company all my bloodand sweat for not much money
(06:30):
and I thought let's do somethingfor myself.
And basically, a friend there,he quit and set himself as a
tour guide and he was saying Dan, you'll be really good at this.
And I have a friend in Londonwho's a Blue Badge tour guide
and he was encouraging me to dothis.
So did all the research anddesigned the tools.
(06:51):
And here we are, almost, youknow, seven years later on, and
I mean I've been very fortunate.
I've traveled around the world,I've had guides create
wonderful experiences for me onmy travels and now I'm getting
to do the same for people comingto my city, which is quite nice
it's amazing.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
It's the best way, isn't it?
You've experienced the best andyou then want to create the
best in your own city andsurround, so what could be
better than that, honestly?
So let's talk about some ofthese tours that you offer,
daniel, yeah, sure so Ibasically do tours of bath and
and the surrounding area.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
So I do have a a three hour um bath tour.
Uh, for example, I show peopleall the famous bills and streets
and tell them stories aboutthat and past residents.
So some of your viewers may beaware of Jane Austin she's
probably one of my most famousprevious residents but I also
talk about modern things as well.
So baths get used for lots offilming.
(07:47):
So, again, if you've got anyfans of Bridgerton, a lot of
that have been filmed in Bath.
So I show people where that wasfilmed.
So, yeah, I have tours of Bathand then I go further afield.
So a place like Stonehenge,which is probably the biggest
attraction near Bath it's about50 minutes roughly from Bath, so
I do tours out there.
We're on the southern tip ofthe Cotswolds, which is a very
(08:10):
famous region in the UK,renowned for its lovely
countryside and picturesquevillages.
So I do a tour out to some ofthose villages.
I also have a place that's likethe City of Wells, which has my
favourite cathedral in theregion, absolutely beautiful,
and near there we also have avillage called Cheddar, which is
where cheddar cheese wasinvented.
(08:32):
So I do a tour out there andthere's also a gorge there which
is England cheddar cheese wasinvented, um.
So I do a tour out there andthere's also a gorge there which
is england's largest gorge,which, um, nothing compared to
possibly gorgeous elsewhere inthe world, but it's very unusual
scenery and it's actually oneof my favorite sceneries in the
region.
So you know I take people outthere out there as well.
So, yeah, I have half day tours,I do whole day tours, multi-day
(08:53):
tours.
I can customize tours if it'son areas that I know.
So I mean today, this morning,for example, I was just
customizing a tour for someonewho's going to be visiting the
area and actually I do also havean audio tour of Bath.
So if you have anyone coming toBath and sadly I'm not
available, I've done an audiotour which uses your mobile
(09:14):
phone which takes you to myfavourite walk-around bath.
So we have a beautiful canal inthe city which actually not
many tourists know.
They know about the river butthey don't know about this
lovely canal.
So this audio tour that I'vecreated takes people along that
and basically the GPS onpeople's phones basically tells
them where they are and then itbrings them my commentary at the
right moment, so that's anotherpossibility for people coming
(09:37):
to the city.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Excellent, so you've got a huge variety of different
tours.
As you say from listening toyour audio tour, if you're not
available half day, full day,multi-days, you can do baths
surrounding areas.
You didn't mention Glastonbury.
I'm just going to ask aboutGlastonbury.
Oh, yes, yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
Yeah, yeah, I do do Glastonbury as well, which is a
very quirky town.
There's really I don't thinkthere's anywhere else like it in
the UK.
It's steeped in legends, soabout King Arthur and Christian
legends as well, but obviouslytoday as well, it's a hotbed for
(10:15):
people who are interested inNew Age spiritualism, ley lines,
energy lines.
So we have all the shops withselling crystals.
You can buy wands and thesearen't toy wands, these are real
wands.
So, yeah, it's a veryinteresting place.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
All right, so that sounds like a pretty unique
experience.
What other sort of uniqueexperiences do you offer?
Speaker 3 (10:39):
Yes, I've got that one I also.
I mean, not many people know atStonehenge you can actually go
inside the stone circle.
So normally when you go toStonehenge you're walking around
the circle.
At one point you do get veryclose, just a few meters.
But Stonehenge permits theseinner circle tours when the
(11:00):
site's closed to the public, soit's usually just after sunrise
and just before sunset.
It's not every day.
So that is a pretty awesomeexperience where you can
actually go inside and you get areally fantastic appreciation
of how big those stones are andalso you can see things which
you can't see when you'reoutside.
So, yeah, that's definitely oneof the unique tours.
(11:22):
I also do a tour which is mybath tour and then we go for.
Well, we go to a non-for-profitfalconry in the countryside
around Bath and guests can thenfly a hawk or they can fly owls,
which is a really awesomeexperience.
So, yeah, that's another one.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
Now that sounds absolutely fantastic, definitely
something I'd love to try thatI have to say Both actually.
I don't know falcons or owls,both would appeal.
So let's talk aboutpracticalities now.
So how many people can youaccommodate on your tours,
daniel?
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Sure.
So when I'm using my vehiclethen I can take up to six people
in my vehicle If I am doing asightseeing transfer, so
sometimes I collect people fromHeathrow, for example, or I
collect them from the cruiseships and they're bringing
luggage with them.
In those instances I can onlytake a maximum of four because
(12:16):
of the space for the luggage.
So normally six, but withluggage it would be four people
If I was just doing a walk-intour in Bath and we didn't need
to use the car.
To be honest, on my Bath tour Iactually use my car for a short
session because I like to takethem to a viewpoint to start the
tour.
But I can exclude that ifthere's more than six people and
(12:38):
then do a walk-in tour, whichprobably up to about 14 people.
I don't like to do more thanthat because I think it becomes
too much of a handful.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Yeah, definitely, and I've got to ask you about
Bridgerton as well, because Iget so many you about Bridgerton
as well, because I get so many,so many questions about
Bridgerton.
So so you know where all theBridgerton places are in Bath
then, so you can take it fromthe Bridgerton fans.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
Yeah, I saw them film , I mean Bath.
They do lots of filming here.
So we're often looking out forthe parking suspension signs and
they normally have to state thereason for why they're shutting
down the parking and it wassafe film crew or something like
that.
So we know there's filminggoing on.
So, yeah, I was there,especially on the.
I mean they filmed a lot forthe first series in Bath So've
(13:24):
got photos I took at the time,you know, when they were filming
that.
Um, the second series theyreally only used one location.
The third series they're backin more locations and actually a
new location for the thirdseries and again I was able to
see some of that and take somepictures.
So, yes, I do do like.
I mean, on my bath tour I docover a little bit of Bridgerton
.
But for people really intoBridgerton, like all the other
(13:47):
guides in Bath, I now have aBridgerton tour where I show you
the locations where theyactually film the series.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
So that's exciting.
Now, what about Jane Austen?
I always have to throw justJane Austen in there as well.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
Yeah, I mean she's probably.
So she's one of our biggest,you know, most famous residents
really.
So she lived in Bath for anumber of years and if you've
got any big Jane Austen fans,then know that two of her books
are based in Bath.
So yeah, northanger Abbey andPersuasion.
So in Bath, actually, if you'rea Jane Austen fan, we do have a
Jane Austen Centre where youcan learn more about her life.
(14:25):
And if you're a big, big fan,every year in September we have
a 10-day Jane Austen Festivalwhere people from around the
world come and they all comedressed up in the period costume
.
It's lovely to see, and they goto talks and they go to dances
and have a promenade throughtown.
So that's really big.
And actually this year will bethe 250th anniversary of jane
(14:49):
austen, so the festival thisyear will be bigger than normal.
It's going to be, yeah, bath, Iimagine, will be very, very
busy.
So even if you're not a janeausten fan and you're coming to
bath in september, book youraccommodation early, book your
dinner reservations, because Iimagine the city is going to be
very, very busy.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
Oh, I can imagine.
I'm going to put that in mydiary, actually, because I'll be
back over in the UK in August,September, so that'd be
something I'd love to experience.
Now, guests who book with youwhat do they need to know before
going on one of your tours?
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Nothing really to be honest with you, just come with
a smile and open mind.
So that's all you really needto know.
I mean, obviously, if you'replanning the trip, then the
sooner you can book the better,because it is just myself, I
don't have any other guysworking for me, so I do get
booked out.
And, uh, for meals in bath, forif you're coming to Bath,
(15:46):
especially on a weekend, it'sgood to make dinner reservations
in advance because the popularones do book out.
Lots of the restaurants arequite small and charming and
lovely, but the really popularones will book out, especially
on the weekend.
So that's really tips for Bathrather than for me.
Yeah, I mean, when you'recoming on tour with me, just
come on tour with me.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
That's great.
Well, I just know that there'sgoing to be loads of our
listeners right now who aregoing to be yes, we want to go
out on a tour with Daniel, and Idon't blame you guys.
Honestly, he's amazing.
Now, how can our listeners findout more about booking a Bath
Insider tour with you and get intouch with you?
Where can they find you?
I will put links in the shownotes.
I'm going to say that, but youcan share it.
(16:28):
Feel free to share.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
No problem.
So I have a website wherepeople can read more about my
tours and also book my tours, sothat's wwwbathinsidercouk butuk
, but you'll have the link thereso you can read all about my
tours there.
There's a way to contact me andto book the tours.
(16:51):
If you have listeners who areinto Instagram, I'm also on
Instagram so you can follow methere and that's at Bath Insider
.
In fact, later on today I willbe publishing just a couple of
photos from my Kilimanjaroventure, so that will be going
on there.
And I'm also on Facebook,although I don't tend to use
(17:12):
Facebook too much, but I do haveBath Insider Tools on Facebook
as well.
But I'll probably say thewebsite is the best way If you
like photos.
I'm posting every now and againon Instagram, so that's a good
place to go perfect, and you'rea member of our facebook group
as well, so I know that I amindeed there we go yeah, so
perfect now.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
It's been brilliant to talk with you, daniel, but I
always end the podcast with theone and only question, so what
would be the one tip that youwould share with someone
visiting Bath for the first time?
Speaker 3 (17:44):
Stay more than one day.
Okay, that is the biggest tip.
So most people say I wish I hadlonger in Bath, and you do get
a lot of people who do day tripsfrom London.
I think a lot of agenciesaround the world tend to believe
that people have to be based inLondon and then try and do
(18:05):
trips for and from there, butthen they spend most of their
time traveling.
Bath is a beautiful place tostay.
It's not as crowded as London.
We have lots of greataccommodation options.
So from Airbnbs all the way upto your five-star luxury hotels,
lots of fantastic restaurantsand, as I said, there's lots of
(18:26):
things you can see and do in thearea.
So Bath, more or less, youcould probably spend a day
exploring.
Bath depends upon yourinterests, with all the museums.
But then we have all theseamazing places nearby with the
Cotswolds, glastonbury,stonehenge, avebury that's
another stone circle, so you canspend several days.
So, yeah, my number one tipstay more than one day perfect
(18:51):
and I 100% agree with you,daniel.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
So thank you so much for coming on the podcast this
week.
As I say, it's always great tochat with you no, my pleasure
lovely chatting to you thank youfor tuning in to this week's
episode of the UK TravelPlanning Podcast.
As always, show notes can befound at uktravelplanningcom.
If you've enjoyed the show, whynot leave us feedback via text
(19:14):
or a review on your favouritepodcast app?
We love to hear from you andyou never know.
You may receive a shout out ina future episode.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
But, as always, that just leaves me to say until next
week, happy UK travel planning.
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