The Cotswolds

[RamjetFDO 10577]

The Cotswolds are a designated "Area of Natural Beauty" in central-southwest England ranging up through The Midlands area.  Located northwest of London, it's just under 800 square miles running essentially from Bath to almost Stratford-upon-Avon.

It's an absolutely beautiful and hilly area, spotted with perfect little English villages and towns - castles and ruins - sheep and highland cattle - pubs and ancient churches.  

More info here:

• Wikipedia (Cotswolds)
• The Official Cotswolds Tourist Information Site
• VisitBritain.com - Cotswolds

 

[RamjetFDO 10577]

I have friends-who-are-family that live in the northern part of the Cotswolds, and I've visited them a half-dozen times, with trip #7 coming up in July.  I'll post a few favorite details of things we've done over the years and then update with this year's fun. 

There are differences between English towns and villages - especially out in the country.  A *town* is more densely-populated with fixed boundaries and local governance, where a *village* is usually much smaller and contains at least a church and meeting place (pub or other common area).

Let's start off with one of the quintessential Cotswold towns - Bourton-on-the-Water.  

In the summer, the riverside greens are PACKED with tourists, but it's still a must stop.

They have a "model village" made of the same honey-colored "Cotswold Stone" as the rest of the village.  It's EXTREMELY detailed and accurate:

They even have a model village *in* the model village (and two more levels deep inside that):

[RamjetFDO 10577]

My other favorite Cotswold town is Broadway.  The town with its excellent "High Street" (seems almost every town has one!), Broadway is set below a large hill where Broadway Tower becomes the highest vantage point in the region offering views of 16 counties if the visibility is right!  High Street in Broadway offers great shops for both tourists and locals alike.  Several pubs, cafes, and historic hotels line the wide "broad way" offering great people-watching, eating/drinking, and a well-spent couple of hours if that's all you have - Broadway is a must-stop on a Cotswold tour.

 

[Brisketexan 105184]

I don't get it.  Where's Bert?

[Armybrat 40858]

Gorgeous photos, thanks for posting.

My best friend just moved from London (his lifelong home) westward to a beautiful town called Cirencester, which I think is not a part of the Cotswolds. But when we visit him we will also travel northward to stay with another good friend who lives in Perton, a suburb of Wolverhampton. That journey might take us through the area you are talking about.

 We are looking forward to a monthlong  tour of England. Our much-planned and anticipated 2018 trip there was cut short on our first full day in London when Mrs. Brat fell down a staircase in the crypt of St. Paul’s and broke her arm & nose and sustained other debilitating injuries. After ER treatment and a day of rest, we did manage a couple more days of seeing a few sights (her in a wheelchair) before taking an early flight back to Austin for her surgery. She doesn’t remember much about being wheeled around Westminster and Hampton Court.

 

 

[RamjetFDO 10577]

Cirencester is actually the largest town in the Cotswolds... and an ancient Roman city (second largest during that time to Londinium). I've never made it that far south, but it looks amazing. You'll enjoy it.

Depending on the route you take, you'll go through the heart of the region, passing right by Bourton-on-the-Water and numerous other fantastic towns and villages.

I have lots more photos/ locations coming...

[Post Oak 20254]

33 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

Gorgeous photos, thanks for posting.

My best friend just moved from London (his lifelong home) westward to a beautiful town called Cirencester, which I think is not a part of the Cotswolds. But when we visit him we will also travel northward to stay with another good friend who lives in Perton, a suburb of Wolverhampton. That journey might take us through the area you are talking about.

 We are looking forward to a monthlong  tour of England. Our much-planned and anticipated 2018 trip there was cut short on our first full day in London when Mrs. Brat fell down a staircase in the crypt of St. Paul’s and broke her arm & nose and sustained other debilitating injuries. After ER treatment and a day of rest, we did manage a couple more days of seeing a few sights (her in a wheelchair) before taking an early flight back to Austin for her surgery. She doesn’t remember much about being wheeled around Westminster and Hampton Court.

 

 

 

[kilroydos 267]

We had a corporate retreat/summit in the Cotswolds twice while I was with a Dutch company.  One was at a more generic hotel and conference center, but the other was outside of Witney at the Old Swan & Minster Mill.  Highly recommend it if you have a chance.  It felt so olde English that they offered hot water bottles and turndown service at the inn to keep warm at night.

Semi-related, I miss having an English manager I'd see 3-4 times a year who would invariably spend one night per trip getting so drunk that I got in trouble by association.

[RollLeft 5045]

[thunderlounge 7894]

5 hours ago, RamjetFDO said:

I have friends-who-are-family that live in the northern part of the Cotswolds, and I've visited them a half-dozen times, with trip #7 coming up in July.  I'll post a few favorite details of things we've done over the years and then update with this year's fun. 

There are differences between English towns and villages - especially out in the country.  A *town* is more densely-populated with fixed boundaries and local governance, where a *village* is usually much smaller and contains at least a church and meeting place (pub or other common area).

Let's start off with one of the quintessential Cotswold towns - Bourton-on-the-Water.  

In the summer, the riverside greens are PACKED with tourists, but it's still a must stop.

They have a "model village" made of the same honey-colored "Cotswold Stone" as the rest of the village.  It's EXTREMELY detailed and accurate:

They even have a model village *in* the model village (and two more levels deep inside that):

 

This is some cool shit RJ. The town looks tranquil. Maybe a bit fussy during tourist season, but certainly looks like their driving in a lower gear. Love that. Added to my list for sure. 
 

Then that model village is something too. Those done up and detailed like that are something of wonder. I’m thankful I was able to see the big Bethlehem model at Notre Dame the Christmas right before the fire. First thought was I hope the artifacts and that big model are ok. The details are what get me. Nothing overlooked, and a story to tell. 

[gsoda3 3275]

truly one of the most beautiful areas in the world.  haven't been back in a while though, going on 6 years now.  looking forward to more of your pics.

[Carl Spackler 3488]

6 hours ago, RamjetFDO said:

 

 

 

These shots give me serious Monty Python and the Holy Grail vibes.  Maybe that's a French knight looking out from the top in the first pic, checking out the wildlife below him.  Gotta love the shaggy bevos as well.

[RamjetFDO 10577]

7 hours ago, Carl Spackler said:

These shots give me serious Monty Python and the Holy Grail vibes.  Maybe that's a French knight looking out from the top in the first pic, checking out the wildlife below him.  Gotta love the shaggy bevos as well.

 

There was plenty of taunting from the top to our friends who stayed below ... and yeah, that's definitely why I posted the shaggy bevo portrait. 

[RamjetFDO 10577]

There are still other *towns* to post - including another of my favorites, Stow-on-the-Wold.  But I'm going to save that one for later this summer, as there are some specific photos I want to take there and will do a post on that town then.

For this morning - here's a cool little out-of-the-way village just outside of Chipping Campden. 

Ebrington is a charming little village with plenty of Cotswolds honey-colored stone houses with either slate or thatched roofs and immaculate gardens:

 

 

Each little village used to have a common "phone box" (the traditional English red telephone booth), since phone lines in houses weren't common - but with the advent of both landlines to houses and then more universal mobile service, these weren't needed as payphones anymore, so this one was "repurposed":

 

We had walked from our accommodations (more on that another time), about a mile or so away, so we hit the village pub - The Ebrington Arms - just in time for lunch.  And what better to enjoy with lunch than a pint of the local ale?  Rhetorical question - the answer is "Nothing.  Nothing is better."

 

And, as is almost mandatory in these villages, there's a church that dates back the the 13th Century.  I absolutely love seeing these old pubs and churches in the small villages - still in use and resisting many modern upgrades.  St Eadburga's is a prime example.  The churchyard, which as most do, also serves as the local cemetery, is filled with history and HUGE leaning tombstones.  During the day - very cool ... I can imagine on a cold dark foggy night would be a different vibe altogether!

 

The inside of the church was very cool - lit only by natural light during our visit.  The stone floors and walls with the old wooden pews and red cushions were very appropriate for a country church.

 

 

After leaving a pound in the donation box, we looked at the information flyer.  Out in the cemetery area, there's a marker that is believed to be of a Crusader-era knight - because of the marking at the end of the stone.  Since it was a limestone marker, the inscriptions have long-since worn away, but the Crusader-style cross is still visible:

 

I wrote a journal entry about this particular village visit here: Ebrington and St. Eadburgha's

 

[RamjetFDO 10577]

8 hours ago, gsoda3 said:

truly one of the most beautiful areas in the world.  haven't been back in a while though, going on 6 years now.  looking forward to more of your pics.

Where did you visit?  Would love to hear other's experiences/see photos.

 

[Ag with kids 581]

Ah...this reminds me of my childhood.  I lived about an hour or so from the Cotswolds growing up.  We went there often - nice little day trip.  We had one of those old churches in our town, too.  Really cool attending service in a 700 year old church.

And that little model village was really cool to a kid between 5 and 10...

Thanks for bringing back the memories - should make the day brighter now.

[kevwun 15812]

Awesome pics.  It's definitely on our list when we go back to the UK.  We drove through just a little bit of it when we went to Bath and it was ridiculously picturesque.

[TxTower 652]

They make one of my favorite cheeses. That’s all I got.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[gsoda3 3275]

4 hours ago, RamjetFDO said:

Where did you visit?  Would love to hear other's experiences/see photos.

 

all over.  my dad was born and raised in bristol, i was born in oxford but we moved to the states when i was little.  growing up we'd go back every few years for a month to see friends and family and we'd rent a van with my grandparents and aunts and uncles and take these road trips- bath, weston super mare, the cotswalds, wales.  then in high school my dad and i took a couple trips just us two without anyone else and we wrangled around warwickshire, oxfordshire, gloucestershire, and somerset for a week.  got to see stuff he'd already shown us (where he went to school etc) but really got to stop and absorb it without a dozen other folks around.  after college my now wife started joining me on these trips (but we were mainly in london and manchester) and we went back every couple years up til our last kid.  he's never been.  our last trip in 2016 was probably the best.  i emulated our road trips we had as kids driving from portsmouth to wales, spending about a week going through the eastern area of old wessex.  for me, bath is my favorite city in the cotswolds.  every village and town in the cotswolds is beautiful and bath isn't any moreso, but the combination of history and culture can't be beat and i could see us living there.  

[RamjetFDO 10577]

Cool - got to spend an afternoon in Oxford... LOVED IT.  Here are some photos to give you some nostalgia:

For those who haven't been or don't know, Oxford is actually made up of a number of semi-independent colleges.  Each one an almost walled/enclosed area with beautiful architecture, church structures, courtyards, etc.  Very "Harry Potter".

 

...and a requisite pint

[RamjetFDO 10577]

The *MUSEUMS* in Oxford are amazing, too - could've spent a week just there and still had things to see ... unfortunately, we had to limit ourselves (time) to the Museum of the History of Science (shocking, I know) and the Bates Collection of ancient musical instruments (since I was with my son, who is a music educator).

 

The Bates Collection was very cool - and had historical instruments from centuries past.  Since my son is also a saxophone player, he gravitated to that display.

 

The museum docent came up and started explaining things ... and it wasn't long before he realized how much my son knew, and they became "best friends" discussing intricate details and history of many of the items.  As a (proud) father, it was gratifying to watch:

 

These "herald horns" were borrowed from the collection and used at William and Kate's wedding.

Before we left, the docent insisted on Andrew trying his skills at the "serpent horn" - a precursor to modern low brass instruments:

 

...and a requisite 20-year-old scotch to finish the evening.

 

[DougO 5253]

The name sounds more like a discount wholesale chain for dyslexics.

[C-Man 27239]

The mini-village reminds me of one of the final scenes from Sandford in HOT FUZZ

[RamjetFDO 10577]

15 minutes ago, C-Man said:

The mini-village reminds me of one of the final scenes from Sandford in HOT FUZZ

EXACTLY ... I kept looking for Aaron A. Aaronson to be wandering around.

[RamjetFDO 10577]

Let's have fun storming a castle, shall we?  Warwick Castle is just north of the Cotswolds, proper ... but it's too cool to *not* post something about.

Located in Warwick (duh), the castle is described as the best-preserved medieval castle in all of England... the original castle mound (seen below) dates back to the invasion of William the Conqueror in 1068.

The view from "The Mound" is pretty cool looking into the actual castle courtyard:

The buildings on the right are housing for the estate that, over the years, hosted many famous people including Winston Churchill and various English royalty.  The "Great Hall" included an armory display that would've made any Game of Thrones fan

 

We had a private tour guide who actually let us hold a 16th century mace and try on a (real) helmet ... OF COURSE I DID THAT!

 

We got to go atop the Great Hall roof, where they actually had a wall that was painted solid white.  It turns out that one of the Earls of Warwick in the 1920s/1930s was a HUGE fan of Hollywood movies and would pay to get copies sent over to project for his party-goers against that wall under the stars.  That would've been an awesome party to attend...  While I was up on the roof, though, I looked over the edge at the crowds below and yelled out (much to my wife's chagrin) "HELLLLLOOOOOOOOO PEASANTS!"

Several peasants looked up and waved.  I was well-chuffed.

We climbed the stairs to the top of Guy's Tower (the big one in the photos above) and had some spectacular countryside views.

After wandering the ramparts to both towers and across the front gates, we made our way down again to the courtyard.  There, our tour guide was ready and took us into the (legitimately scary) dungeon below the castle walls.

In addition to the freakishly claustrophobic cell, they had a oubliette in the floor, which was a smaller pit below the main dungeon where they'd throw people they didn't want to kill, but didn't care if they died... literally shoved through this little hole into a god-forsaken stone pit and then the grate was closed on top.  Here you go - you're welcome for the nightmares:

 

They did have one tiny little window where they had a perfectly-backlit mannequin suspended from a torture cage ... made for a cool photo, if nothing else (yeesh):

 

The castle has a new, but built-from-14th-century-plans trebuchet on site.  You can get close to it for viewing, but then they wave you back across from the little area it's located on to put on an actual launch demonstration.  They flung a flaming bag-of-poo (disclaimer - not sure if it was really poo) downrange for quite some distance.  It was really impressive.

 

I took a video of the flaming-bag-of-poo shot ... enjoy:

They also had an excellent falconry presentation with all kinds of really impressive raptors ... including an absolutely majestic bald eagle.  I'll leave you with my favorite shot of him screaming:

 

[RamjetFDO 10577]

Pubs.  Let's talk pubs.  Country pubs.  Village pubs.

Pints and food ranging from basic "pub grub" to really outstanding fare.

Up until just a decade or two ago, English food got a (semi-deserved) bad rap for being bland and unimaginative.  There's been a HUGE trend lately towards the "gastropub" model, even in the small village pubs, with some really tasty offerings and even upgrades on the standard items, too!

 

But let's be honest - we're gonna talk pints.  Local.  Hand-pulled or at least freshly carbonated ... YES PLEASE.

... and again, contrary to (un)popular opinion, they are *NOT* served warm.  It's not covered in ice, mind you, but they are pleasantly cold pints of amazing loveliness.

Damn.  I want a pint right now.

[Txzen 498]

Warwick is great, if maybe a little on the commercialized side. We stayed on the grounds overnight in an area where they have cabins by the river. Food was forgettable but the experience was great - they had some extra activities for the guests there and you get early admission. 

Edited June 18, 2022 by Txzen

[RamjetFDO 10577]

23 hours ago, Txzen said:

Warwick is great, if maybe a little on the commercialized side. We stayed on the grounds overnight in an area where they have cabins by the river. Food was forgettable but the experience was great - they had some extra activities for the guests there and you get early admission. 

Agreed - we called it "Warwick Disney".  I'll get to some more historic castle *ruins* next post.

[RamjetFDO 10577]

When is a castle not a castle?  When it's slighted.

Throughout history, and notably during the English Civil War, many sieges were laid against castles or other fortifications used by rebelling forces.  When they were captured, the castle walls/buildings were purposely damaged, but not completely destroyed.  This served two purposes - (1) it made sure that castle would never be used against the king again and (2) sent a permanently visible message that rebellion would be met with destruction - and that the rebellious owner could no longer be trusted to even defend his own keep.

Kenilworth Castle (again, just slightly north of the Cotswold AONB) is a great example of this.  As with many other English castles, it was built over many centuries - beginning in the 12th century, reaching the height of royal popularity in the early 17th century.  Many English kings and queens were regular visitors to this well-fortified (classic walls and huge moat) and elaborately decorated castle.  After supporting the losing side in the English Civil War, Parliament ordered the slighting of Kenilworth.

To start - here's an artist's depiction of what Kenilworth looked like in its prime:

The moat was drained and those walls in the lower right courtyard were completely removed.  Walking up to the ruins have you pass through one of the old gatehouses, but from the bottom of the rise up to the main keep, you can really get a good idea of the how massive the structure used to be.

 

The building to the left, known as Leicester's building, housed the main estate living quarters and the royal accommodations.  The National Trust has stabilized the building with interior structure work so that you can actually walk up and into the ruins.

 

The slots on the right were actually the wooden floor support beams (you can see open doorways on multiple levels in the middle of the photo:

 

The "Great Hall" looks like it was absolutely spectacular in its day, with huge arched window frames left intact (without the glass, obviously): 

 

The "Great Tower" looked completely unbroken from a front view, but two of the sides were completely destroyed - leaving a very clear message to the surrounding countryside:

 

 

They did have a VERY impressive garden at the base of the Great Tower that was a recreation of the gardens that were here during the times of Elizabeth I.

 

The views from the back walls across the (long-since) drained moat/lake and the rolling green hills was really lovely:

 

The "slighting" didn't end with castles - many Catholic churches and abbeys were slighted by Henry VIII during the English Reformation.  I'll be visiting at least one of these in a few weeks and will have more photos then.

 

 

Edited June 21, 2022 by RamjetFDO

[RamjetFDO 10577]

T-1 week until I trade in 100 degree temps for highs in the upper 70s for a couple of weeks.

I'll have a pint (or many more) in your memories.  Photos to come.  

[Doug E. Fresh 452]

28 minutes ago, RamjetFDO said:

T-1 week until I trade in 100 degree temps for highs in the upper 70s for a couple of weeks.

I'll have a pint (or many more) in your memories.  Photos to come.  

Or high 80s/low 90s……warming up next week and going to be a hot July here

[RamjetFDO 10577]

1 minute ago, Doug E. Fresh said:

Or high 80s/low 90s……warming up next week and going to be a hot July here

London will be in that range ... the Cotswolds won't.   

[Mitch Cumsteen 18550]

[RamjetFDO 10577]

Ye Olde Crabbe!

[Doug E. Fresh 452]

On 7/6/2022 at 9:48 PM, RamjetFDO said:

London will be in that range ... the Cotswolds won't.   

Still sure about that?

[RamjetFDO 10577]

9 hours ago, Doug E. Fresh said:

Still sure about that?

76 and a cool breeze says "yeah"

 

[RamjetFDO 10577]

"Home" for the next couple of days - Charingworth Manor.  14th century manor house turned luxury hotel overlooking the Cotswolds.

[kevwun 15812]

How much is it a night if you don't mind me asking?

[RamjetFDO 10577]

9 hours ago, kevwun said:

How much is it a night if you don't mind me asking?

Way too expensive - about $250/night ... but for an experience, totally worth it for the view, accommodations, and the food ... good lord the food!

@PenelopeWitherspoon would have appreciated the dinner last night:

Potato and watercress soup.  Very earthy, but with a lightness that surprised me.

 

The main was an excellent minted lamb croquette.  

 

...and wrapped up with a yummy lemongrass creme brulee

 

[kevwun 15812]

That's less than I was expecting.  Always wanted to stay somewhere like that.

[RamjetFDO 10577]

Walked down to the nearby village. Awesome church.



Better village pub. Enjoying a pint outside in the 65F weather waiting for lunch.

[Da Fino 2783]

Wife is bugging me to go to the Soho Farmhouse in the Cotswolds. Anybody every been or have better ideas?

[SydneyCarton 48137]

$250 a night is too much? 

Also, any pics of the Cotswalds views from the hotel grounds?

[thunderlounge 7894]

$250/nt for that?

Fuck yeah. Beats the rates in town.

[RamjetFDO 10577]

1 hour ago, SydneyCarton said:

$250 a night is too much? 

Also, any pics of the Cotswalds views from the hotel grounds?

I keep forgetting I'm dealing with the Shaggy Surly 1%.  (grin) 

But yeah - tons of great views from here, as it's on a bit of a hill (as most everything seems to be!):

There's just something about this massive tree that I really liked:

 

...and yes, the hotel has a helipad.  Or is that "H for Hobbiton", which is what I think of when I see those hills in the background:

 

...and on the grounds of the hotel ... sheep.  

 

As with everything else, though ... it's all about perspective:

[RamjetFDO 10577]

1 hour ago, Da Fino said:

Wife is bugging me to go to the Soho Farmhouse in the Cotswolds. Anybody every been or have better ideas?

Never been, but it's only 20 miles from where I'm at right now.  It looks pretty cool. 

[RamjetFDO 10577]

Doooooooooom!

[RamjetFDO 10577]

Bibury and Arlington Row were amazing this morning.











The trout were gorgeous in that crystal clear stream.

[Ag with kids 581]

On 7/6/2022 at 3:46 PM, Doug E. Fresh said:

Or high 80s/low 90s……warming up next week and going to be a hot July here

I remember one time watching the weather on TV back when I lived there as a kid.  The weatherman made a comment about the temps getting into the "sizzling seventies".

Having vacationed several summers in San Antonio prior to that, it was quite amusing...

[RamjetFDO 10577]

Yeah. It's actually forecast for upper 90s on both Monday and Tuesday... but back down into the 70s for the rest of my stay.

So yeah.