Cotswold- A Fairyland Journey

Man, who is tired of London, is tired of life.

A world in itself, it can enchant a visitor like no other place. From its Swanky Shopping Streets to quint English pubs, from its acres of public park to the happening night life, to its Ritual Afternoon tea and the Famous English courtesy, the city is as royal as it can get. The medieval canals merge seamlessly with the towering skyscrapers, while the tube chugs through its belly to showcase yet another English achievement, that was practical beyond the lofty palaces, and endured through the centuries of turmoil to continuously habitat the banks of Thames, in what still stands as one of the greatest cities man has ever build.

Sans its Eiffel Tower or Statue of Liberty, there is no one monument that characterizes the city. London is more than an icon. It’s a living testimony of thousands of years of Human History, epicenter of Arts and literature and of course home only Functional Royal Family in the democratic world. Its multiple theatres, free museums, libraries are a treasure trove.

We started our journey from London. And I shall delve into those 4 eventful days in another blog post. In this article I shall restrict myself to the Cotswold.

With its famous Georgian terraces, thermal spa waters, cream teas and Jane Austen-if it is one place in UK that one must visit apart from London, its Bath. Its quintessentially English charms pull in visitors from around the world and it has so many historic buildings that the entire city has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The city of Bath in South West England was founded in the 1st century AD by the Romans who used the natural hot springs as a thermal spa. It became an important centre for the wool industry in the Middle Ages, but it was during the 18th that Bath became the centre of fashionable life in  century when its Old Orchard Street Theatre and architectural developments such as Lansdown Crescent, The Royal Crescent, The Circus, and Pulteney Bridge were built.

DAY-1

We started from London after an early lunch and drove to Bath. We checked-in to our hotel The Rising Sun Inn, at around 3 p.m and after having a quick cup of tea, we headed out to the city centre.

Evening

Before heading to the Royal Crescent, we passed the Queen’s square and the King’s Circle. Another Grand Georgian architectural marvel designed by John Wood, in his grand Plan for Bath. Our next stop was The Royal Crescent. The most impressive of the Bath buildings, its truly overwhelming, both in proportion and beauty. The expansive lawn sprawling the building makes for a great picnic spot. With the setting sun, the building was bathed in the golden hue that made it look even more magical.

We had luckily carried cold sandwiches, and never had, I had a meal with more dramatic a setting as this. We stayed at the crescent till the last ray of the sun.

DAY-2

Morning

After a hearty breakfast, we headed to The Roman Baths. The hot springs, which are the reason for the City’s original development, are of undoubted authenticity. The key Roman remains are preserved, protected and displayed within a museum environment, and the Roman Baths can still be appreciated for their original use.

Probably the best surviving example of Perpendicular Gothic architecture in the West Country. The Abbey is built of Bath stone, which gives the exterior its yellow color. The Walls are occupied by large windows, with one of the most impressive stained-glass works fitting them. Just across the street is the famous Pultney Bridge, add to it Weir on the river Avon, that makes it a perfect backdrop for clicking pictures.

Afternoon

We strolled for about an hour along the river and in the narrow-cobbled streets of the city center, before checking out of our hotel and driving to our next destination Burton on the water.

But before we reached Burton, we made a small detour towards Castle Combe, and I must say it was totally worth it.

 Castle Combe ,a quintessentially English Village, frozen in time, has often been named as the “prettiest village in England”. A narrow street leads up from the arch bridge, along the stone houses, up to the mediaeval market square. While in the village we walked along the pretty stone houses, up to the 13^th century St Andrews’s Church (pop in to spot the oldest working faceless clock in the country) and marveled at rows of neatly arranged stone house, while climbing up towards the market square. Luckily, we seemed to be the only visitor in the idyllic village that afternoon. Every window with its lace curtains, framed by the blooming wisteria, made for a fairy tale setting, to every picture we clicked. On our way back to the car park across the river, we had tea with freshly baked scones in one of the many quaint tea houses, that line the street.

The Classic view of the village is from across the old stone bridge. Its where the Castle Comb’s combo of weaver’s cottage, the stone arch bridge set across a lazy stream, and the narrow ascending road lined with Cotswold stone cottages, come together is one picture perfect vista.

Having spent about 4 hours in Castle Combe we started our onwards drive towards Burton on the water.

Evening

It was around 5 in the evening, that we reached our B&B. We were broke at The Chestnut Bread and Breakfast, on the Burton High Street overlooking the river. The evening as well spend lazing along the river and walking over the quaint little arched bridges across the river, watching the flocks of ducks swim by, as kids splashed around in the water.

DAY-3

Full Day Tour of Cotswold.

While the Charm of Burton was great and it took a lot of courage to not sit in one of those quaint little river side Tea Houses, sipping tea with buttered scones, watching a sunny day slowly unravel its golden heart, while Windrush quietly flowed on.

We took the first Bus from the town and decided to explore The Cotswold Using the Discoverer One Day Pass , which we purchased on board. and decided to head towards Broadway, via Stow on the Wold, Moreton-in-Marsh and Chipping Campden.

There are multiple routes and depending upon one’s interest, one can choose one’s route. We chose the one that involved least travelling between destinations and offered a mix of Market towns, and countryside English Villages.Explore the quintessentially English villages of honey-coloured stones. Wonder about the magical world that lies on the other side of the enchanting door of St Edwards Church, which looks like a portal to the fairly land. Story Goes that it inspired the Door of Durin in LOTR.

Walk down the Highstreet of Broadway, lined with fashionable shops and quaint little ones selling curio or sit in a Victorian Team room, across the 16^Th Century town hall of Chipping Camden to reflect upon its great industrial past.

With so much to see, a day shall never be enough to capture all the beauty that Cotswold has to Offer.

DAY 4

Till now the Famous English weather was benign on us and except for brief spells of rain in London, we did not encounter the wrath of the rain Gods.

Day 8 was a bright Sunny day. And while we had decided to rest in our hotel in solitude, after a weeklong sojourn, but keeping indoors felt like a sin. Our day started with a heavy breakfast and a slow but enjoyable walk to the lovely Village of Lower Slaughter.

This hidden village was a gemstone. With a working flour Mill and a small broke that flowed straight through the Centre of the village, it was one of the most picture-perfect setting I had ever seen in my life. We had some home-made scones at the Mill café and walked back to Burton. Rest of the evening was spend lazing around the river, having innumerable cups of tea in the riverside tea rooms, Visiting the Costswold Motor Museum and a splash in the river Windrush.

DAY 5

After early check out from the hotel and we proceeded to our final destination in the Cotswold- Stratford upon Avon, Shakespeare’s own country. The entire town, even in its modern format is a living memorial to the Bard.

Stratford is a delightful town which can easily be walked around. We spend our day rummaging through its cobbled streets, lined with shops selling Shakespeare Memorabilia in every imaginable shape, format and size.

We Visited the Shakespeare house, Anne Hathway’s Cottage and Holl’s Croft. These sixteenth-century houses feature rare period furnishings and domestic items. Aspects of Tudor life are on display, all set in attractive gardens and grounds. While walking around the streets of Stratford, one will encounter many artists dressed as Character from Shakespeare plays. We not only met Hamlet- The Prince of Denmark, but also Shylock, the Jew and Ophelia.

No visit to the town is complete without watching cruising down the river Avon and watching a play at RSC. We had booked in advance, cause the shows are sold out weeks prior to the performance. The Classical Antony and Cleopatra was an enthralling performance and a very poetic end to our Journey of the Cotswold.

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