We left Bourton-on-the-Water this morning and arrived in Bath this afternoon. Just now getting settled into a most modern light-filled apartment located in a renovated chapel. But first let me catch up on yesterday.
We spent the day toodling through Stow-on-the-Wold, Chipping Campden (lunch at 8 Bells) Hidcote and Broadway. They are a short drive apart and have much in common, with slight variations in personality and vibe. The houses in Chipping Campden have undulating roofs of thatched straw covered with a tight wire mesh to hold it in place. So amorphic and almost velvety in appearance. When I looked closer, I could see that the straw had been trimmed to different lengths creating an ornate border along the top. It’s easy to see where writers like JK Rawlings and Tolkien get their inspiration. They just need to step outside and write about what they see. Ha. They do a much better job of describing it than I can. It’s really beautiful here. Someone wrote this:
“The Cotswolds: The quintessential picture of English charm - think stone cottages, rolling hills and village greens so perfect they could be a movie set. A place where the tea is always hot, the pub is always cozy, and the sheep are everywhere. It’s idyllic, it’s peaceful and the only thing more charming than the scenery is the local accent.”
If I could, I would add: the tea is scalding hot and about that local accent, think Keeley Jones on Ted Lasso with a generous sprinkling of “my lovely” and “my dahling“ and “my love,” pronounced “m’love” It’s all so…charming. I’m loving every minute.
Hidcote Manor is a grand estate with gardens and sheep out yonder, lots of history, lots of flowers, lots of trees, bushes, garden rooms, the works. It’s very much worth a visit. Here’s more info as I really can’t do it justice in this space. Even my photos don’t capture the pure grandeur of it.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/gloucestershire-cotswolds/hidcote
Broadway was the last stop of the day, there was a Gordon Russell Design Museum that caught my eye but it was closed. I googled him, he was a self taught furniture designer, influenced by the Arts & Crafts Movement. as well as a wood carver, calligrapher, sculptor and potter.
Today, first stop: Upper Slaughter, I walked around in a very sedate neighborhood, not a leaf out of place. Just me, the rain and crows overhead, very peaceful and quiet. Then, visited St Mary’s Church in Lower Slaughter, stopped for coffee and a biscuit in the very opulent Manor House. I asked the receptionist about the ladies room, she directed me up the stairs to the door nearest the baby grand piano.
Castle Combe, was probably the sweetest of them all, sigh. The houses were charming in their imperfectness, some were leaning, some were sagging, some melted into the next, none were straight, none were plumb. Not a straight line in sight, just heavenly.
Lunch at the Castle Inn, the best burger I have ever tasted. If I could find burgers like this at home, I would eat them more often.
That’s it for now, my dahling. Walked 13,000 steps and I am oh so tired. Happy tired. Ready to do it all again tomorrow. I’ll leave you with a handpainted sign at the entrance to Castle Combe: “Slow, free range children.”