It’s part 2 of our summer UK road trip which takes us to the Cotswolds. The picture postcard that represents stereotypical English countryside that requires the use of words like quintessential and whimsical.
Our 24 hours in the Cotswolds started at Stow-on-the-Wold which Wikipedia tells me is the highest of all the towns or villages in the Cotswolds. Stow-on-the-Wold is a traditional market town with a medieval layout and lots of narrow little lanes.
All lanes, roads, and paths lead to the market square. Apparently they love sheep and one of the reasons for the narrow lanes is it being an easy way to herd sheep towards the market so they could get sold and presumably live happily ever after in the quintessential countryside with no consequences from their sale.
A place to definitely check out is St Edward’s Church, but particularly the north entrance framed by yew trees, looking like something taken straight out of a fairy-tale. Rumour has it the entrance inspired Tolkien in creating the Door of Durin in the Lord of the Rings. But walking through these doors expecting middle-earth or a fantasy world will leave you disappointed. Mainly because the door was locked. But as far as churches go, it’s pretty nice. No hobbits, only pensioners.
Next stop was Bourton-on-the-Water where life moves slowly. Bourton has been dubbed the Venice of the Cotswolds. I assume with a sarcastic wit or a bold comparison made by someone who has never even seen a picture of Venice. Linked by the location centering around water, although from what I could see there was only one river – which would be the case for most towns. But there are a lot of little bridges. Be careful near the river though, during a particularly wet day the river could go as high as your knees!
A key highlight is playing giant, pretending to terrorise the model village, a miniaturized version of Bourton. This was pretty cool actually with a lot of detail. And there is a model village within the model village. And a model village of the model village in the model village.
It was then on to Bibury, which could still pass for the 15th century. Often described as the most beautiful village in the UK clearly by someone who has never been to Scotland. Although I’ll admit that it is very nice and worthy of an Instagram shot. The main attraction is Arlington Row, a row of weaver’s cottages so photogenic it wouldn’t look out of place on a British passport.
We waited until late in the evening to visit the crown jewel of the Cotswolds and my favourite of the lot. Castle Combe. Which, by the way, doesn’t feature a Castle. My complaint of false advertising is awaiting a response from the local council. But castle or not, it’s a stunning little village which is pretty much a street. Good things come in small packages though. It was probably my favourite because for times we were the only people there.
The last few of our 24 hours in the Cotswolds were spent in Lacock which must be carefully pronounced. I assume it means “the chicken” in French but I’m not sure what the link is. Nowadays this place is known as a filming location for Harry Potter, Downton Abbey and Pride and Prejudice.
Lacock Abbey is the main attraction and also one of the main filming locations but there’s more to it than its cinematic charm.
Sun dials in the UK always have a sense of unrealistic optimism. It assumes that there will be sun. 360 days of the year must have been spent just guessing what time it could be.
Here’s something I did find quite interesting which I wasn’t expecting when walking through some rich guys house. This was the location of the first ever photograph. William Henry Fox Talbot captured an image of this window in 1835. And as I was standing there looking at it some hobbyist photographer was pointing out that it was not totally level. Still the best photo taken at the time.
A clock on the door designed by the lady of the house for when her husband comes home from the pub and she asks “what time do you call this?” he has no excuses not to know.
I think this is a harry potter location. No idea who or what stayed here but you’d think a wizard could make an easy job of cutting the grass. Pretty sure this is where Harry Potter’s parents were killed. They’ve still got the scaffolding up from the damage caused by Voldermort.
And so we’d end exactly as you’d expect a video of the Cotswolds to end, with a penguin having a posh lunch. See you in the next video in Cornwall.