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It is a strange paradox that the finest fish restaurant I have ever encountered is nowhere near the sea. Indeed, I think that the city of Lille is about 70 miles inland from the English Channel. And yet it was in this proud city in Northern France that I ate like a king on the bounty of the ocean. To follow my example you will need to search out ‘the oyster shop’ in Lille. Then you will eat some of the best fish known to man. Not at home, after you have slaved over a hot stove with your purchases, but in the back of the shop. For the rooms behind the emporium house one of the finest fish restaurants, not just in Northern France, but in the whole of Europe.
If you love fine architecture, you will need no prompting to visit Bath, which is without doubt Britain’s most complete and most beautiful Georgian city. But you might perhaps need a nod and a wink to point you towards the wonderful Bath Priory Hotel. For it is slightly out of the centre. Indeed, if you dislike long walks with the vehemence with which I dislike them, you will need taxis to take you to the Abbey, the Pump Rooms and even the (much closer) Royal Crescent. So why should you choose the Priory? Well, its position enables it to offer two significant benefits. First, it has a substantial car park. This sounds a little prosaic, but, believe me, in a city where the authorities seem to take a perverse delight in making life extremely difficult for the motorist, it is not. I have not yet driven the Royce to Bath – but, when I do, I will be happy to park it safely at the Bath Priory. The other significant advantage is to be found at the back of the property. It is the garden.
Everyone who cares about the values of Western civilization should visit the city of Bath. For in its stones are the values of The Enlightenment. And of all the city’s manifold architectural achievements in the 18th century, the acknowledged masterpiece is The Royal Crescent – a 500-foot curve of tall stone houses, designed by John Wood the Younger in 1767. It is so lovely that to look upon it for the first time gives anyone with an aesthetic sensibility a momentary shortness of breath. And right in the middle of this monumental wonder is one of the most famous hostelries in England – The Royal Crescent Hotel.
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See also Dining in France & American Farm to Table