A couple of summers (2018) ago, we took a trip to the Cotswolds in the United Kingdom. As with many holiday photos... I've only just started going through them to see what sorts of things we have taken photos of... and reliving fond memories of our time away!
We drove from the Eastern Coast of England after taking our Dutch car across the English Channel on the ferry. The ferry was a nice and relaxed way to travel, although we were very lucky to have good weather... so no sea-sickness! Plus, having your own car on the other side is incredibly handy! In fact, I would say that in this particular area of England, a car is a necessity!
We hadn't realised it when we had booked our AirBnB, but the village that we were going to stay in during our little Cotswolds getaway was pretty much the "model" English Village! So, whenever you would see a stock photo of an "English Village", chances are that it was going to be a photo of Bibury! In fact, the most picturesque part of the village even features on the British passport!
Anyway, when we were looking to plan our English countryside holiday, we were definitely looking for a place to stay that was outside of the major towns and all of that hustle and bustle. We have had a few holidays to the United Kingdom, and pretty much all of the trips have been to London. Now, London is nice to visit... but it is huge and it is a city... it isn't really that relaxing!
The Costwolds is a lovely area of the English countryside, the larger area is known as Gloustershire. It has many old Roman ruins, lots of old and quaint villages and incredible countryside walks on the rolling hills. A car is definitely handy in this area, the public transportation is pretty much non-existent. That said, having a European car on the wrong side of the narrow countryside lanes with the blind corners due to hedges was a bit hairy at times!
Much of the architecture and buildings hail from the 17th century... and it has been described as the "most beautiful village in all of England". Needless to say, the description is quite apt...
However, it does mean that the tiny village of under 1000 people is overrun daily by huge tourist buses and nosy tourists wandering into private property (or even just looking into private residence windows!). I can imagine that it must be a double edged sword for the residents... a livelihood and income flow, but a constant annoyance!
There are many little bed and breakfasts as well as little inns with accomodations in the area... the price for our AirBnB was much more affordable than we would have expected. I think this was mostly due to the fact that you are really located in the middle of the countryside... the nearest town is quite a drive from here. However, if a real get away is what you are after, this is definitely not a disadvantage... and the cheaper prices in comparison to the town and city accommodation are a huge bonus!
Apart from the tourism... there is a single trout farm in the centre of the village. They have a nice little cafe and shop that showcases some of the best of the local Cotswolds produce.... and after trying out a nice variety of both meats and drinks (and ice cream...), I can definitely vouch for the quality!
So, if you are looking for a nice English getaway... give London a miss! Sure, there are lots of great places to eat, plays to see, museums to learn from and all of that... but you get black snot in your nose from all the pollution!
I can definitely recommend the Cotswolds, staying in one of the little villages. You will need a car, but you will find all manner of little gems around the countryside.... as a little teaser of coming posts, we had Roman ruins, Victorian Castles, countryside walks and an awesome Circus!