I visited the UK’s most overcrowded city but something else shocked me

Just two years ago on a hot summer day I visited Bath for the first time. Was it busy? Yes, but that didn’t ruin the experience of visiting this incredible UNESCO World Heritage city and seeing the well-preserved Roman baths before my eyes. As I enjoyed my day trip to this iconic city so much, I decided to make my return but I couldn’t have been more shocked at one thing.

Earlier this year Bath was named as one of the UK's most overcrowded cities due to the sheer volume of tourists from around the world who all want to catch a glimpse of its historic architecture, and cultural attractions. Bath is unique in being the only city in the world that is a whole UNESCO World Heritage site. The large influx of tourists leads to challenges for locals as roads become congested, house prices get pushed up and puts a strain on local services.

I was well aware of all these factors and decided to head to Bath on a rainy Sunday afternoon in hope that the miserable weather would help disperse some of the crowds and I would be able to stroll around the flurry of independent shops in peace. 

Although the crowds had quietened down I couldn’t believe the amount of rubbish that was strung across the city’s ancient streets. 

At nearly every twist and turn I made, bins were overflowing with litter whilst some rubbish had either blown out of the bins or had been carelessly disregarded on the cobbled floors.

Two years ago when I visited there may have been crowds of tourists but there was no near the amount of rubbish. 

It appears that litter isn’t a new problem as litter appears to have blighted this ancient city for sometime now.

In 2019 Bath was named the worst ranked city for littering and fly tipping in the UK.

The data, collated by eco-lighting brand The Solar Centre, analysed 52 cities and Bath ended up bottom of the table in both categories.

Bath's litter problem is not just constrained to the city as Warleigh Weir, an iconic tourist attraction along the River Avon often suffers the same fate, expecially during the summer months.

As the hot weather swells many flock to the area to take a refreshing dip but many forgot to take their rubbish away with piles of waste left by the water's edge.

Shocking pictures from the past couple of years shows moutains of waste left, spoiling the beauty spot for tourists and locals alike.

The amount of homeless people had also grown with tents erected outside of the city’s major department stores such as M&S where I also saw two people having a heated row.

Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed soarking up the old-timey charm of Bath. I walked around the city centre, grabbed a cuppa from a local cafe, mooched round some of the small independent shops and had a goregeous Italian meal.

However, the day trip certainly did not meet my expectations and I left with a rather sad feeling that the city appears to be struggling under the strain of tourism.