Destination: Bath; Age appeal: Children could get bored; When to go: All year round

If you are looking for a romantic weekend break destination, follow the lead of the doyenne of romantic fiction herself Jane Austen.

The author of Pride and Prejudice rated Bath in Somerset as THE place for liaisons and finding your true love.

And with Valentine's Day coming up, the city's Love Bath campaign could be just what you need to help mark that special day.

Low-cost flights from Leeds-Bradford Airport to Bristol with Air Southwest have put the West Country within an hour's travel from the district, making five-hour car or train journeys a thing of the past.

A quick and comfortable bus link can take you into Temple Meads station in the heart of Bristol in 20 minutes and then it is no more than a quarter of an hour by train to Bath on Brunel's railway along the river Avon.

Austen paid two long visits to the city and lived there from 1801 to 1806 when visiting the home of the spa was in its heyday and the social season revolved around the balls and being seen in the right place at the right time with the right people wearing the latest styles.

She based two of her novels in the city, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion - tales of finding love and passion set among the impressive honey-coloured stone architecture and vistas which have been beautifully preserved and are still a delight to walk around today.

But Bath isn't all about Austen and the Georgians.

The site was known to the Ancient Britons because of the hot springs - the only ones in Britain - that poured forth an endless stream of warm water that was revered for its health-giving properties.

That custom was taken up by the Romans when they arrived in Britain and they used the millions of litres pouring out of the spring as the supply to a vast temple and bath-house complex.

You can still walk on the very stones that the sandalled feet of centurions, traders and peasants trod as they went from the sauna rooms to plunge pools conducting business and gossiping or maybe arranging romantic liaisons.

That world is vividly brought to life at the Roman Baths museum which has on display the relics of the site's temples and fascinating votive offerings made by pilgrims.

Above is the Pump Rooms where Regency society came to take the waters - still on sale at the fountain and surprisingly good to drink. You would expect something reputed to be this healthy to taste foul. Its bath-temperature warmth though takes a bit of getting used to!

The Pump Rooms hosted some of Georgian Baths finest balls and as you take in the splendour of your surroundings while you sip a glass of the spa water - or perhaps indulge in a superb lunch or tea to the sound of a string trio or pianist - you can imagine yourself among the 1800s glitterati.

You can soak up more of the Regency atmosphere at Number One Royal Crescent where you can get a glimpse of how life would have been lived above and below stairs while the Museum of Costume traces the evolution of fashion through hundreds of years and you can see how you may have fitted in by trying on a corset.

Outside is another of the World Heritage city's treasures - its shops. Locals can be rightly proud of its pedestrianised centre with every item you can conceive of for sale. From the major chains to small boutiques, everyone is catered for and, if your partner is as big a shopaholic as mine, they will be in heaven.

If you need a break from pounding the pavements then catch one of the frequent open-top buses for a tour or if the weather's not too good, there is a fabulous choice of places in which to refresh yourself like the famous Sally Lunn's bakery which has been serving her version of the Bath bun since 1680.

There are also numerous cafes and bistros, pubs and restaurants to choose from. The Walrus and The Carpenter does great lunches while to relax over a later supper Caf Rouge is to be recommended.

For dinner you cannot do much better than the Hole In The Wall restaurant. It may be the oldest in Bath but its menu is a bang-up-to-date mix of British tradition and foreign influence and my partner and I loved it.

What with the (deep breath) other attractions of the abbey, parks and gardens, museums, surrounding countryside, river and canal, theatre, galleries, markets and rugby, there is enough to keep you occupied for many a visit.

And with all this gadding about, you will need a good base of operations. There are plenty of hotels and bed-and-breakfast establishments to choose from and we stayed at one of the best, The Windsor Hotel in Great Pulteney Street, which is just down the road from one of the most scenic spots in the city, Pulteney Bridge and Weir.

The hotel is a grade I listed building situated slap bang in the middle of one of Bath's - and Europe's - most elegant boulevards. So picturesque, in fact, it featured prominently in the movie Vanity Fair and played host to its starry cast.

As everywhere in Bath, the staff are friendly and very helpful and, as befits a building where hundreds of thousands of pounds has been spent in restoring it to its former glory, no expense has been spared in making a visitor's stay as comfortable as possible.

So if you fancy yourself as a Bridget Jones and Mark Darcy then why not take a mini-break in the UK's most romantic city - it has not lost any of the dazzle or enchantment that has captured hearts over the ages.

FACTFILE. . .

Bath Tourism Plus - www.visitbath.co.uk Air Southwest - www.airsouthwest.com Bristol Airport - www.bristolairport.co.uk The Windsor Hotel - www.bathwindsorhotel.com The Hole In The Wall restaurant - www.theholeinthewall.co.uk/default.htm