“I’m going to tell you a lot of stories today. None of them are true.”
If your guide told you that before a walking tour, how would you react? Nine times out of ten, you’d run in the opposite reaction. I mean, how can you trust a guide who is blatantly, unrepentantly lying to you? Lying, however, is exactly the point of the Bizarre Bath comedy walk, about as close to entering a Monty Python routine as you’re ever going to experience.
Our guide, Trevor (could be his real name, but who knows?), meets us outside the Huntsman Inn and after a brief greeting, sets out down the nearest path at full speed, forcing us to run to catch up with him. What follow is a mix of history, stories, jokes and magic, all delivered in a John Cleese-ian, tongue-in-cheek manner. One of the highlights is when Trevor asks one of the guests to lend him their ring (big mistake). Trevor promptly ties the ring to a helium balloon and off it sails, to the horror of the guest. But not to worry – that ring will return later, like a McGuffin in a mystery play. I have to say, I have never laughed harder than I did during the Bizarre Bath comedy walk. may even have learned some history, although again, who knows if any of it was true? Or cares.
As a side note, Bath is a lovely town, known chiefly for its Roman-built bath circa 60AD. The town attracts over 6 million visitors a year, which makes for a pretty touristy experience. Still, the spas, canal boat tours, Royal Cresent, Bath Skyline, Parade Gardens and Royal Victoria park are all attractive and worth a visit. Come for the parks and architecture, I say, stay for the comedy walking tour!