Thursday. We’re headed south, for the Cotswolds, a rural area of scenic villages and narrow lanes. But first we made a loop through Beatrix Potter country, still in the Lake District, not far from where we stayed in Ambleside.
Susie remembers Peter Rabbit books as a child and as a teacher and this was a special stop for her. We didn't stop at the Potter's Hilltop Farm, too crowded, but here's what the countryside looks like:
Susie remembers Peter Rabbit books as a child and as a teacher and this was a special stop for her. We didn't stop at the Potter's Hilltop Farm, too crowded, but here's what the countryside looks like:
We then made our way to the motorways that would take us south, through or around the cities of Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham. Our hostess in Ambleside had recommended the Cotswold village of Broadway for its charm and amenities. The B and B she recommended there, we found out by email, turned out to be booked (and it turned out to be on a list of top 10 B and Bs in England!), but we still decided, in concert with granddaughter Kaci, to take a shot at Broadway. After a long day of driving having to search for lodging can be a bit nerve-wracking (I'm told I can become "testy"), but we found a place just a five-minute walk from the Broadway town centre. We then found dinner at the Broadway Hotel - mostly behind that tree.
Marianne, the B and B owner, had a vacancy, due to a no-show, so we got it – for two nights. Marianne's daughter (a medical doctor) and granddaughter (a teenager) helped Mum serve the breakfasts, so that was a nice family touch.
Friday morning we were treated to an aerial show by swallows who nest on Marianne's house. Large numbers of them frantically swooped in toward their nests under the eaves of the house, but never seemed to land. In this picture you can see they have made a deposit on a room - our window, to be exact.
Next morning there was no such show and Marianne told me that the swallows generally depart in mid-September. Maybe they were getting a little testy planning their departure.
Broadway got its name because it has an unusually wide main street, typically named High Street in this region. There are some outstanding cottages, estates, and shops along its way.
Friday we meandered through the lanes and roads of the Cotswolds in a general SE direction. Saw many elegant estates of this sort:
Our Rick Steves guidebook highlights several villages in the Cotswolds, but says the real joy comes from discovering hidden-gem villages on your own. I had seen Guiting Power on the map and thought it an interesting name, so when we came to a crossroads with a sign pointing in that direction, that’s where we went. Here's a website picture.
This is a pretty typical Cotswolds, and beyond, village. I couldn't find the source of the name. A couple of close-ups.
Our Rick Steves guidebook highlights several villages in the Cotswolds, but says the real joy comes from discovering hidden-gem villages on your own. I had seen Guiting Power on the map and thought it an interesting name, so when we came to a crossroads with a sign pointing in that direction, that’s where we went. Here's a website picture.
This is a pretty typical Cotswolds, and beyond, village. I couldn't find the source of the name. A couple of close-ups.
We also took a quick look at Upper Slaughter and Lower Slaughter. The name is derived from an old English word for muddy place, not some gruesome event back in the day.
The aforementioned villages are not very commercial, which means, not very promising for finding lunch. Bourton-on-the-Water, from its write-up, looked like it might be a good place for lunch, but that town turned out to be full of tour buses, so we pressed on. Saw a sign for the Lamb Inn and went in that direction. As we pulled up, Susie said, If they serve only lamb, you’re in big trouble. They had plenty of other stuff and we had a pleasant lunch in what we subsequently found out was the village of Greater Rissington. That roof is made of stone shingles.
The afternoon’s agenda was Stratford on Avon, about 30 miles away, north of the Cotswolds region. That town was really jammed with holidayers. Our guidebook proved very valuable: it directed us to a parking garage located right after we crossed a bridge over the Avon and entered down town: Turn right three times and enter the garage. Got it on the second time around the block.
Emerging from the garage, we saw a hop-off/hop-on tour bus, so we hopped on. Actually, we queued up for a long wait. There was a student field trip group in front of us of about 30 and it took forever for their sponsors to pay the fare and get their charges loaded. Then, that bus took off and left us standing because it was late. So, we got the next bus.
Rode the bus, got a couple of fly-by pictures, and went back to Broadway. We decided it was enough just to see where Shakespeare was born and buried, we didn't need to go in. Typical Tourists!
Here's the house Shakespeare was born in.
And here's an interesting light-post fixture, seen up close from the upper deck of the bus:
Rode the bus, got a couple of fly-by pictures, and went back to Broadway. We decided it was enough just to see where Shakespeare was born and buried, we didn't need to go in. Typical Tourists!
Here's the house Shakespeare was born in.
And here's an interesting light-post fixture, seen up close from the upper deck of the bus:
Tomorrow's agenda is to drive down toward Oxford and see the Blenheim Palace and maybe some of Oxford. See you then.
Susie and Rob
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