It is hard to believe that it is nearly ten years since I first introduced the idea of walking and drawing in Bath as a really great way of enjoying the city at your own pace. WalkAndDrawBath is a sociable and relaxing experience and is a unique way to absorb some of the spirit of Bath's spa culture. 

Reviews from TripAdvisor 

 

"We had a great day walking through Bath & stopping to enjoy various beautiful buildings.

Neither of us had any drawing experience , this worried me at first but it didn't make any difference as it was a really unique experience and we ended up with some unusual paintings.everything was provided for us !

We even had a pint at the end of the session .

Thank you so much.

We will return & would love to do it all again." Kate Campbell

 

An artists perspective of Bath

“This is a memorable way to explore and record Bath's charm in Andrew's knowledgable and delightful company.” Sue M

 

Great morning!!

“Strongly recommend spending a morning with Andrew walking and drawing in Bath, it was fantastically enjoyable and challenging. good walk and great locations and excellent teacher.” Ilovevenice

 

Walk draw bath

“Ok!, so we’re not artists ,and thought we would like to do something different. I surprised my partner Bill with a morning with Andrew on the " walk draw bath ".i have to say we had the most amazing time we wandered about the city with Andrew drawing & sketching and getting the most amazing guided tour with restaurants, bars & interesting things to see being pointed out to us.

We left bath with a truly memorable morning with Andrew. We will definitely go back and I recommend this activity to anybody. Don't think about it just do it you will love it.

Thank you Andrew.”’ Kitty Tralee

 

Sketching at its best.

“Hi everyone...WalkAndDrawBath is really brilliant! The perfect way to sketch and see Bath especially in the company of renown artist Andrew Lansley. It's a fun, entertaining and informative experience. To be out and about in such a stunningly beautiful city, seeing in depth the infinite detail of classical architecture, the aesthetic history of each view, the light and shade.... is simply magical. The opportunity to be able to absolutely focus and submerge into looking and drawing, completely lifts the spirits... It's a joy.

Easily the best way to walk and draw Bath... And... you also get a very attractive A3 sketch book to take home, how good is that? ” Colin Hawkins, illustrator.

 

 

A new meaning to drawbridge

“Andrew had really gone to town by arranging the Tour of Britain cycle race to pass right by the cafe where we were planning our morning's walk and objectives. The technique of drawing in pen and subsequently adding watercolour was new to me. All materials were supplied, even a souvenir pad of drawing paper. The two makes of watercolour paint also provided the opportunity to try out a variety of tonal colours.

 

Andrew's approach was not to teach but rather by encouragment and by means of example. I quickly got into the enthusiasm of working in this medium.

 

Starting at a wonderful spot overlooking Poultney Bridge we both set to work and immediately I saw that Andrew was expert at extracting the essence of the scene rather than my amateurish attempt which was more of a postcard representation.

Two further locations, at the old Corn Market building and the splendid Abbey served to reinforce the learning and to provide further opportunities to experiment with colour and expression.

Too soon the experience was over, but the effect lives on, not just in the drawings, but also in the awaking of a way of working which will for sure be used in future holiday logbooks

 

If you have half a day to spare in Bath, then this certainly beats the conventional sightseeing tours.

 

Well done Andrew” Kevin D

 

A delightful way to see Bath

“I spent the morning walking, drawing, chatting to Andrew and learning about Bath. It was so nice to spend some times away from the crowds and enjoy the scenery and beauty of Bath. Andrew took me to some gorgeous locations, where we could sketch. During the morning it started to lightly rain. Andrew knew of excellent wet weather locations... interestingly, the rain added a beautiful touch to the drawings. 

 

A thoroughly enjoyable day ... one which I will not forget” Jess P

 

A wonderful way of getting to know Bath better

“I recently spent a really lovely morning drawing and painting in Bath with Andrew. He provided all the materials including some beautiful Russian watercolours, and took us to some places where we could sit quietly and draw. It was good to be shown some interesting views and aspects of Bath that I had not seen before. There were 6 of us and Andrew, who was very encouraging and informative, altogether a fun and inspiring experience. If you like drawing and you like Bath this is a great morning out.” Rosemary 

 

Brilliant!

“My Mum and I spent a wonderful few hours drawing in Bath with Andrew. It was lovely to see bits of Bath I was unfamiliar with. Andrew provided everything, sketch books, paints, pencils and even a seat! I would definitely recommend this to anyone, even if you are a bit of a non painter like me as its about the enjoyment of painting rather than the skill required.” Emma D

 

Painting in local Bath countryside

“Really good two afternoons out in the beautiful rural areas on the outskirts of Bath.

It was bliss to be painting outdoors and a brilliant way of stepping out of a frantic & busy life to take time out and enjoy drawing. Andrew is the perfect host; fun, friendly & full of experience!

Definitely a day to remember.” Finola

 

An event for the whole family

“I did a Mini Tour with my 2 daughters (6 & 8) over Half Term and we all really enjoyed it. The girls loved their professional-looking sketch books and really got into drawing objects in the Parade Gardens (a statue of a person and, as a contrast, some colourful flowers). Andrew gently offered advice in a positive way when it was appropriate. The time flew by. It was so relaxing. We learnt a few valuable tips and enjoyed quality time together "in the moment". I'd recommend the activity for a children's birthday event too.” Jane H

 

Just great!

“Just returned from a few days in Bath - one afternoon was spent on WalkAndDrawBath's mini tours. we were three adults and 4 kids, all with varying artistic abilities and we all had a really great time - First class equipment to draw/paint/colour with and gentle and encouraging support from Andrew for whatever each of us decided to tackle and our drawn results. A lovely relaxing couple of hours and a great way to look at this stunning city in more detail - would highly recommend it.” Me Tyne and Wear

 

Best thing to do in Bath

“I live in Bath. I often have guests and am regularly on the lookout for good things to do with them. This time it was half term, and we were a party of three adults and four children ranging in age from 7 to 15. I booked this a bit nervously, not being sure how it would go down with such a wide age range and artistic ability. In the end, everyone declared it was the absolute best thing they had done in a long time. "Fabadabadosa!" was the 11 year old's verdict, and I agree wholeheartedly.

 

Andrew met us outside the Tourist Info office, and handed out large A3 bags containing everything we needed -- sketch books, boards to lean on, every sort of pen, pencil, water colours, sketching stools, and off we went. Most importantly, Andrew brought oodles of enthusiasm and encouragement for even the most nervous sketchers of our party. He said his background was in teaching art, and he had a knack of tailoring his encouragement to suit each person in the party. 

 

After checking out with my guests what they would like to see, we meandered through Bath seeing parts I'd not before noticed (I've lived here nearly eight years) and stopped in two different places to sit and sketch. The whole event was almost two hours, but whilst it was perfect timing for the children, it didn't seem near enough for the adults. We all agreed that we wanted to do a half day, or even a full day with a lunch somewhere nice, which Andrew promised to arrange should we wish!

 

We came away from the afternoon with our sketch books, a spring in our step and a smile on everyone's faces, and went for ice cream and blood orange sorbet at Bertinet's -- a perfect day.

 

Whether you are an experienced artist, or you have not picked up a pencil since you were in primary school, this is the way to chill out, relax, have fun, and see Bath. You even get to take your sketch books away with you. Go on -- give it a go, it's brilliant, especially with friends. 

 

Quite simply the best thing to do in Bath.” Charlotte, Bath