United Kingdom
Blockley

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    • Day 11

      Christmas Eve

      December 24, 2019 in England ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

      NOTE: I’ve been quite slack on the old the blog of late. I guess I’ve just been enjoying this place too much. The next several days will just be a brief summary and more photos. If you haven’t been following along with our daily videos on Instagram we’ll also pop them up on here. They pretty much sum up each day within a minute.

      We pick up the story on a chilly morning at our cosy little BnB in Chipping Campden. We can’t get enough of this beautiful country side. THr cotswolds have been a real treat. We explored the little town for a bit before heading slightly south back to Stow-on-the-Wold, one of the main Cotswold villages, to meet up with James, Jess, & Hudson for brunch. We were about to part ways for the remainder of the trip so needed to get our Hudson fix before we wouldn’t see them for 5 weeks.
      We ate an explored the great village shops on offer. It wasn’t long before they had to hit the road again so we sadly said our goodbyes and waved them off.

      It didn’t take long before I heard the first “I miss Hudson… and James & Jess”

      We didn’t have time to mope about though, it was Christmas Eve and we had presents to buy. We set ourselves a budget, and a time limit to cruise the stores in this awesome little town separately and buy each other as many little presents as possible. We met back up in an hour with bags full of the goods. Great fun!

      From Stow-on-the-Wold we aimed north. We had to cover a bit of ground if we were going to make it to our next destination. We aimed for Sheffield, a fairly large and grungy city just north of Birmingham. We mad it to our quaint BnB in the city, wrapped our haul of presents, ordered uber eats, and hit the hay.

      Asher ☺️
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    • Day 10

      Rolling through those hills

      December 23, 2019 in England ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

      This morning was a very slow morning, We slept in and checked out what was around us on our phones. Turns out we were staying on the grounds of Dyrham Estate. Dyrham Estate was a beautiful country home/castle belonging to someone important. But more important to us, it was used in one of the opening scenes of the movie ‘Australia’. Just a simple fly over shot but still...This led to us watching the first half of ‘Australia’ as we spent the morning hours relaxing. We checked out of our little cottage and wandered down to check to the Dyrham Estate. It was extremely picturesque. Quite cool to be able to stay right next to it. Jo felt like she was in a scene straight out of a Jane Austen film/novel.

      From there we jumped back in the car and headed to Bath. Bath was extremely busy with so much traffic. We drove to the top of the hill for a spectacular view, and then back down to ‘The Circus’, a famous circle of buildings situated in Bath. Soon the chaoticness and business just became to much. We decided to give those Roman baths Bath is famous for a miss because it was just too busy and we had to hit the road.

      We drove north, our route, through the Cotswolds. We cruised though the rolling hills of west England, amazed after every corner we took. We travelled through many beautiful old stone walled farms and stone housed towns. It was just so refreshing being in the country. We stopped for a late lunch in Tetbury, a spectacular old stone town full of amazing old pubs, cafes and gift shops. We found an awesome cafe, ate, and played some cards before hitting the road again. We were trying to get to our AirBnB before dark and we had to make tracks to get there in time. We were heading to a little town called Chipping Campden at the northern end of the Cotswolds.
      We managed to make it, just, after getting a little bit lost before finding our little farmstead studio. The owners met us as we drove in and were so lovely. They showed us the ropes and left us be. This beautiful farm was situated onto of Dovers Hill which overlooks the township of Chipping Campden. We relaxed for a bit. Then headed doesn’t he hill into the cute little town covered in fairy lights for some dinner. We found an amazing Italian restaurant… the amount of Italian we eat you would have thought we were in Italy! We’re both obsessed with it! We dined on spinach and ricotta ravioli and wild boar tagliatelle before heading back up the hill to finish our movie ‘Australia’ and had to bed. Very excited to explore this little place in the morning with a bit more light and also meet up with J,J, & H again for brunch at Stow-on-the-Wold, another beautiful Cotswold town.

      Asher ☺️
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    • Day 6

      Chipping Campden (and nearby)

      April 2, 2023 in England ⋅ ☀️ 52 °F

      It was a long hike in from Moreton-in-Marsh (nearest train station, and the buses don't run here on Sundays), and it was at least 2/3 uphill 🙃 But the countryside is absolutely gorgeous and the villages are so quaint that it's painful 😂 Others featured besides Chipping are Blockley and Broad Campden.Read more

    • Day 11

      More of the Coltswolds

      August 27, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

      Found some smaller villages today. Stanton, Leavton, Dumbleton, which sounds like it's a place the Wombles would have lived. All very pretty especially Stanton, it had a lovely old pub at the top of the town. We stopped in Broadway for a bit of a walk and bought some fresh strawberries and cream from the local church stall, then went up to Broadway tower for some great views over the countryside.

      Driving around the Cotswolds is like turning circles, you keep seeing the same things again and again. We set off then to find Hidcote Gardens, another gorgeous garden, which was set out in different rooms. 10 acres of them!

      Got back to our room just in time to watch a wedding at the church across the road. Nice view we had from the window in our room. I was nearly going to ask the photographer if they wanted to come use our perch. After putting our feet up for a while we set of to find Dover's Hill and then The Fleece Inn! Dover's Hill is a natural amphitheatre and great lookout point, and The Fleece Inn is a six hundred year old pub, probably another contestant in the oldest pub contest, it certainly did look the part!

      It's Saturday today the middle of the bank holiday weekend and it's pretty busy, but we've managed to avoid most of the crowds so far, except in our village where today it's a bit of a challenge getting a park. Came home through Evesham, which is a much bigger town and then on to Ebrington where we're having dinner at the Ebrington Arms!
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    • Day 9

      Over to The Coltswolds

      August 25, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

      Picking up a hire car in central London, umm not really sure what I was thinking! Turned out alright though, it was only a few blocks from our hotel and pretty easy to get out of town thank goodness. The hire place was very interested in us, they had never had anyone hire a car for 40 days before so we were a bit of a novelty. They did their best to try and convince us to upgrade to a merc but for an extra 60 pounds a day, that's a lot of wine and beer so we managed to stay strong, although Graham did look longingly at it when we left. They did give us a new car though with only 400miles on the clock.

      Gps told me it was an hour's drive to the Coldswold. Sure if every other car on the road wasn't there maybe, it was pretty good once we got on to the freeway but still took us a couple of hours. We stopped in Stow-on-the-Wold on the way and had a bit of a wander around and some lunch. Pretty little village with supposedly England's oldest pub, although I think there are a few places vying for that claim.

      We found Chipping Campden where we are staying for 3 nights without much problem, finding a park near the hotel was a different story, but we managed it in the end. It's s pretty little village too. All the building are original or the facades are at least and it looks much as it would have three hundred years ago!

      There were a few tour bus people wandering around but they all disappeared at about 4 o'clock. Then it was just the locals and the people staying in the village.

      After a wander round town and a chat to a few people about where is the best place to have dinner, turns out its where were staying! So back we go had a couple of drinks in the bar with a few oldies and their dogs, and then Indian in the restaurant! Is it weird to have Indian at an old English pub? Was pretty good though!
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    • Day 10

      Quintessential villiages

      August 26, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

      We took a little driving tour of a few of the villages in the Cotswolds today.Moreton in the Marsh, Bourton on the Water, and the Slaughters. Gorgeous places where it looks like time stood still. Well it would if it wasn't for cars and buses but they are lovely towns and beautiful old buildings. My favourite was the Slaughters, there are two little villages very close together and it was very quite and laid back.Although they are having their annual fete on Monday and expecting 10000 people. So guess it won't be too quite that day!

      We check out a little brewery near Bourton on the Water. Had to go around the slaughters a few times to find I with a bit of help from a couple walking their dog.t. It just had a small front shop but the girl in there happily got us some beer to taste. It was pretty good and we came home with a couple of bottles.
      Tried our first cream tea. Which is Devonshire tea as we know it in Moreton on the Marsh. Clotted cream too, another first.

      On the way home we came across an open garden and pulled in to have a look. Burton House Garden, beautiful, and so peaceful. It's only open for 3 days of the week, the owners are there the rest of the time, so we were lucky we came across it on the right day. Acres of flowers, topiaries, gardens and gorgeous trees, and a beautiful tithe barn.

      The lady on the counter gave us a little lesson on the tithe barn. Tithe means tenth and the farmers had to pay the lords a tenth of what they grew. Most of which they didn't eat and threw back into the streets when it was rotten. The poor peasants who were starving would eat it and a lot of them died from the bacteria in the rotten corn. They then blamed the young girls of the villages and accused them of being witches. The girls then had to draw a perfect circle with some sort of leaves in the middle to prove they weren't witches and you can still see some faint ones there still!
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    • Day 9

      Chipping Campdem to Moreton-in-Marsh

      June 25 in England ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

      It’s hot! 🥵

    • Day 15

      Chipping Campten

      May 29 in England ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

      Schwierig zu entscheiden welcher Ort der schönste ist in den Cotswolds.

    • Day 3

      Chipping Campden, June 1

      June 1, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

      Great to get a full night's sleep. Breakfast was a full English and very filling. Enjoyed conversation with a gentleman from the Bath area who was also walking The Cotswold Way so he shared a few tips and places to see in Bath. He was walking it in seven days which includes a couple of 20 mile days...more power to him.

      After breakfast we strolled to the tourist information center, purchasing a Campden walking tour guide, and headed out to see the sights which included the Church of Saint James, the "official " beginning of The Cotswold Way and other local sights. We initially walked to the Cotswold Olimpick Games location, on Dover's Hill. We decided to check out the sights this am and not get caught up in the crowds that are beginning to build in Campden.

      Ran into a gentleman who was finishing The Cotswold Way and he said the trail was tough from Broadway. Our task tomorrow, I guess, and we are just beginning. He walked in the reverse direction thus the trail markers point both ways so the trick is not to get confused about the direction of travel. Arlene has the guide book so if we get lost, well then...

      After walking around, we decided to relax and get ready for the first of our walks tomorrow. Arlene packed, and repacked, until she got it right while I just made sure I was not going to leave something behind. Brought back memories of the Camino days when all went into the pack, post haste.

      Dinner was at Eight Bells and they had Scrumpy Cider.

      Sure packs a wallop, it does. I recall seeing an episode of Rick Steves' travels where he met the man who made Scrumpy Cider and they had a laugh while enjoying a mug. "Came from me grandfather's recipe" he said, and not bad at all. Anyway, we had fish and chips, and finished the entree with, guess what, another sticky toffee pudding. It really is not a puddimg, but a light cake with toffee sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. What a meal!

      The pictures: the altar in St. James, the arched pass-through in a coffee shop on High Street, an old car and a kids slide at the Olimpicks site, and two pics of High Street.

      Thought we could stay awake until after the fireworks and parade, but no. Still very light at 9:35, but we are going dark. Tomorrow, our first ten miler.
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    • Day 4

      Chipping Campden to Stanton, June 2

      June 2, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

      Let's start with last night. Wow! After turning out the lights, the fireworks began and lasted for 15 minutes. We had a ringside seat from our room and captured a few pictures of the display. Then the bands started to play and walked, or did they march, the 3/4 mile with about two to three thousand party animals behind them. They came in two waves and marched right by our room to the town square where the stage was set, the barbecue was hot and the beer was cold. Quite a sight!

      Some time later (we were getting no, and I do mean no, sleep), the party, or celebration, was over and the happy folks started to go home with loud talk and laughter, the cars racing along the narrow street, and horns telling all that no sleep is possible until later.

      Then at four, daybreak. Quite a night and with a 10 miler today.

      Well, we finally got some rest, but I woke up at 0400 due to the morning light and the chirping birds. Had to close the windows.

      Breakfast was delicious and very filling...similar to yesterday, a full English. We left about 0900 and enjoyed the coolness of the morning, albeit a bit muggy (but no rain). Climbed a hill leaving Campden, then it leveled out with outstanding views and we motored along seeing Broadway Tower ahead, then the long downhill to the village of Broadway where we had coffee and scones. It was similar to Campden and the yellowish sandstone buildings made for a very pretty main street. After leaving Broadway, we had to enter a field through a kissing gate (yes, you read it correctly and you are supposed to kiss the person you are walking with so we have fun with that). At the gate, there was a sheep blocking the gate and I was determined not to kiss that thing, but to move him along. Stubborn sheep, would not move so I climbed the fence, then Arlene did the same, versus dealing with a smelly sheep. Anyway, we finally entered the trail and ran into a gentleman who told us the story of the Lancaster bomber crash near the Broadway Tower during WWII. He said that the last remaining bomber that was flight ready was to make a fly-by as this was a day of celebration of the valor of those killed in the crash. We were hoping to see the fly-by, but perhaps it did not take off. Anyway, we continued uphill (long uphill too) until it started down again and we found the B & B for tonight, The Shenberrow Hill. In years past, it was the site of an Iron Age hill fort. Digs uncovered relics of the past...pieces of pottery, bronze bracelets, and bone needles (bet they came from walkers picking their teeth after feasting on wooly mammoth meat at a local pub).

      We arrived around 1530, assigned to a second floor room, and I lugged 200 pounds of luggage up the turning staircase. Nice to sit for a spell (tough day), and get cleaned up before dinner at the Mount Inn Pub. They have toothpicks made of bone :).

      The meal was outstanding. We started with a salmon cake that was out of this world, then fish and chips. We both had huge pieces of fish leaving no room for sticky toffee. Oh well, we will eat less tomorrow and save room for dessert.

      Lights out now...more tomorrow from the trail.
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