Swan Hotel

Happy to Find This!

Bradford-on-Avon may be a nice little spot, but we had the hardest time of our trip finding a place in which to spend the night! One of my worries on this winter trip was about how many places would be open in the week leading up to Christmas and, with it getting dark by about 4:30 PM, the travel days were short before the hunt had to start.

As we rolled into town following our amazing day in the 'Avebury', a village located in the midst of a circle of standing stones older than Stonehenge, we stopped at the first B&B we came across. A knock on the door revealed that it was already full, but the kind lady gave us some hints for town as well as a brochure on local accommodations. We descended the hill into the heart of Bradford, with its narrow and confusing streets quickly turning into a rabbit's warren as darkness fully took hold! To make matters worse, one of the main streets was undergoing construction, resulting in one-way traffic that resulted in a huge detour if you needed to go the other way. It was difficult to see the house street numbers in the darkness and we ended up going out of town briefly, then around the detour a couple of times as well as getting out on foot. The next B&B we tried was completely dark, after that another B&B said they were not open over the Season. Finally, leaving our car on the hillside above the detour, we walked to a nearby hotel, but the bartender said they were full. However, he did mention giving the Swan Hotel in the centre of town a try, but they might be full too. With nothing else to do, we walked down the steep hillside with the roadworks blockage (so we would not have to go around again in the car) and fronted up at the Swan Hotel. We finally hit the jackpot, the manager had a nice double room for us at 70 GBP (US$123) including breakfast! All this had taken us about 90 minutes from the time we arrived on the edge of town.

Unique Quality: The Avon Hotel dates from the 1500s but has recently been renovated, now having 12 nicely furnished rooms with ensuite bathrooms. The hotel also has a very nice restaurant and wine cellar, as well as a cosy bar area with a roaring fireplace. Located in the centre of town beside the picturesque Norman-built bridge, the Swan Hotel makes a nice place to start a walking tour of Bradford.

Our room was on the second floor, overlooking the rear and had a King-size bed and one of the biggest bathrooms I have ever seen. Quite comfortable really, although the room temperature was a bit too hot for our sleeping tastes. No complaints though, the staff were friendly and we had an excellent breakfast here as well.

• Opinion of Price: about average
• Related to: Family Travel, Historical Travel, Road Trip

Swan Hotel Photo: The Swan Hotel Main Entrance

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