Lovers of a relaxing holiday amid rich nature and calm rural life should definitely visit the small town. Due to its location, it is located in Gloucestershire, and the terrain resembles a rolling hill, so this area is often also called the Cotswold Hills, or the Cotswold Conservation Area. To get to this place, you will need to travel just an hour and a half by car from. The Cotswolds are 970 square miles in central-west England.
What you will immediately fall in love with here are the countless gardens and parks, which can rightfully be called works of landscape art. The area is the largest of 36 British areas of natural beauty in England - the so-called AONB, so tourists actively come here to admire the nature. By the way, many people also often stay here, because everything in the Cotswolds is truly gorgeous: rich nature, consistent style of buildings, cozy hotels and many great places to visit.
The pace of life here is good for leisurely walks to be able to enjoy all the beauty of the greenery and flowers. Wandering around the corners of the Cotswolds, you can also find many small hotels and mini shops with original antiques and small souvenirs. Although the ordinary houses of local residents are worth seeing: all as one, the buildings here symbolize the typical house that existed about 300 years ago. Modernity seems to have not touched this corner - the uniform style of limestone buildings combined with dense greenery seems to have remained in the past. By the way, initially all the buildings were honey-colored, but now they are gradually acquiring a grayish color, oxidizing under the influence of fresh air and sunlight.
For tourists, it is especially worth noting the Cotswold Wildlife Park, where you should definitely sign up for an excursion. In terms of the number of plants and animals that can be seen here, the park is considered one of the most leading in the world. There are more than 250 species of animals alone, which is an impressive number. By the way, it is difficult to walk around the entire territory at once, so at the entrance all visitors are usually given a map and they can immediately mark the most interesting areas for themselves. The address of the Wildlife Park is Bradwell Grove, Burford Oxfordshire OX18 4JP.
In this area there is also a popular Cotswold farm for breeding rare breeds of livestock - for example, the red musk ox or the black pig with long ears almost reaching to the ground. Since the 17th century Cotswold became a full-fledged center for the wool trade, as it was famous for its excellent quality. Breeding animals is still a prestigious occupation here. The farm is not open to the public every day, so if you want to visit it, it is better to check the opening hours in advance. It is usually open on weekdays.
The Cotswolds are truly the heart of England. Many ancient traditions have been preserved here; you can truly feel the whole appearance of antiquity and conservatism. At the same time, there are many opportunities for modern tourism here: from pedestrian paths with bicycle and horse trails, to various churches and palaces with castles, which will be interesting to see with your own eyes during excursions or walks. Therefore, it’s definitely worth a look here - only after visiting the cozy Cotswolds can you safely say that you have really seen “typical England” with all its many beauties.
The Cotswolds are one of the most picturesque corners and a vivid symbol of rural England - these landscapes are now so popular among landscape masters all over the world. Small villages with houses that look like something out of a fairy tale, beautiful gardens, endless meadows, buildings three hundred years old - all this attracts those who want to see the real England.
Geographically, the Cotswolds are a hilly, limestone region in Gloucestershire. The word "cotswolds" also refers to a type of local sheep, which apparently gave the area its name. The area is an hour and a half away by car or train from London. The train departs from Paddington Station and travels to Kemble and Strode Station (South Cotswolds) or Moreton-in-Marsh Station (North Cotswolds).
The rural Cotswolds are surrounded by large cities such as Stratford, Oxford, Bath, Cheltenham, and the ancient city of Gloucester. Small towns - Cirencester and Tewkesbury and very small villages, but no less interesting: Bourton-on-the-Water, Burford, Chipping Campden, Stow-on-the-Wold, Arlington and Bibury.
Attractions
The main attraction of these places is rightfully considered to be the gardens and gardens, which have already become a symbol of rural England - in landscape design, this area has long been the progenitor of an entire style. Rural England, and the Cotswolds in particular, is conducive to romantic walks and leisurely relaxation. The relative proximity to London makes it possible to quickly change the environment and pace of life.
In the Cotswold villages there are many antique shops and hotels located right in old mansions with historical architecture, so collectors of vintage items will be very interested here.
Bibury village
William Morris, an English poet and artist living in the Victorian era, called Bibury "the most beautiful village in the Cotswords." This village is located a few miles from the town of Cirensester, the “capital” of the Cotswolds.
Every house in Biburi is a relic. In the Cotswolds, it is not customary to build from brick - all buildings here have long been built from local shell rock “oolite”, with a lumpy, caviar-like surface.
The local stone quarry still cuts stone by hand - oolite is very soft and does not withstand mechanical cutting and blasting. The completely dilapidated Cotswold buildings are literally being dismantled “pebble by stone” and the more or less usable slabs are being put into new use.
Biburi will be familiar to film fans from the landscapes from the film Bridget Jones's Diary, as well as the streets from the films about Miss Marple based on the stories of Agatha Christie.
Why else go to the Cotswolds?
1. Walk and enjoy rural landscapes and river valleys, meadows and beech forests, ancient villages on limestone cliffs and historical small settlements. It is here that you can see typical England frozen in time as it was approximately 300 years ago.
2. Come to the town Tetbury, Gloucestershire, where the heir to the British crown, Prince Charles, opened a store of organic products and goods for home and garden. The store was named Highgrove 2 (10 Long Street, Tetbury, Gloucestershire GL8 8AQ) - the same as the royal family's farmland, where organic vegetables and fruit, herbs, grains and spices have been grown for almost thirty years.
3. Look into the village Bourton-on-the-Water and visit the car museum and bird park. Interesting local attraction: Model Village is an exact copy of Bourton-on-the-Water itself, only nine times smaller.
4. In the market town Stow-on-the-Wold wander through the antique shops and art galleries: in those scattered in the alleys around the market square, you can find real treasures.
5. Visit the city Cheltenham, known as a water resort since the 18th century. In the city's Pittville Park there is a mineral water drinking room with a fountain. There is a local museum nearby where you can learn about the history of this English health resort and local celebrities.
The Cotswolds - a mountain range - the north-western frame of the London Basin. Located in west-central England, mainly in the counties of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. One of the officially recognized areas of “outstanding natural beauty” in the UK. These places are not called the Heart of England for nothing: ancient traditions and traditional architecture have been preserved here. This area, 25 miles wide and 90 miles long, is a Cotswold conservation area. Here picturesque hills, fields and streams are interspersed with ancient villages, where the spirit of England of the 17th and 18th centuries is still alive.
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The Cotswolds are famous for their beautiful plains and hills, outstanding countryside and river valleys, meadows and beech forests, ancient villages on limestone cliffs and historic small settlements. The picturesque Cotswolds are a country of rolling hills, lovely cottages made from local soft stone and secluded manor houses. Honey-colored houses are covered in roses and honeysuckle, curiosities shops will beckon and old country pubs will remind you of a way of life that has changed little over the past centuries in the beautifully preserved villages of the Cotswold Hills. Here you can see typical England frozen in time as it was approximately 300 years ago .
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Particularly picturesque are Stow-on-the-Wold, Broadway, Birford, Chipping Camden, and the quaintly named villages of Upper and Lower Slaughter, but wander along the lush green paths and you're sure to encounter other unexpected beauties.
Visitors come from all over the world to see the Cotswolds and its quaint villages
Nowadays it is mainly a tourist destination, but it was once a thriving place with a wool trade and then a weaving industry. It was she who made the Cotswolds famous. The stone houses were built hundreds of years ago and provide a unique insight into what England was like in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Most of the stone buildings were built from limestone quarried from the nearby hills. This limestone is still quarried here. Cotswold is the name of one of the types of English sheep, “cote” is a sheep pen, “wold” is the name of local pastures, which gave the name to the area.
A resident of the Cotswolds - a "cotsoler" - even today does not recognize such a novelty in construction as baked brick. The uselessness of this building material in the Cotswolds has been proven by centuries of practice: everything from churches to farms, from fences to pubs - everything was built here and is still being built from local shell rock - “oolite” - “egg stone” with a lumpy, caviar-like surface
Dilapidated roofing tiles made from the same oolite are replaced with exactly the same ones. Local masons have their own specification of construction parts: for the roof alone they require about thirty types - “Long Bachelor”, “Shorty Wife” and the like.
In a stone quarry, stone is still cut by hand - oolite is very soft and does not withstand mechanical cutting and blasting. Completely dilapidated Cotswold buildings are being dismantled literally “pebble by stone” and slabs that are more or less usable are being put into new use.
They say that a cotsoler can create anything from stone - except perhaps pudding. Nowadays many artificial materials have appeared, and the stone is now mined in a single quarry, it is clear that prices have increased.
"The most beautiful village in the Cotswords" William Morris (1834-1896) called Bibury (Arlington is called on one side of the Colne River, and Bibury on the other...).
Several films were filmed in Bibury, such as Bridget Jones's Diary and the Miss Marple films based on the stories of Agatha Christie.
Chipping Campden is a charming, historic wool trading town also located in the Cotswold region of Gloucestershire. Chipping Campden was once called the most beautiful village in England. It's easy to see why. One of the main attractions is the High Street. Filled with beautiful honey-colored stone buildings (14th to 17th centuries), it is often described as the most perfect High Street in England.
Cotswold ( Cotswolds) is considered one of the some of the most picturesque parts of rural England. “Good old England,” as Kuznetsov said. That's exactly how I remembered him. It is located relatively close to London so that you can get there by train, but to see all the small authentic villages made of a specific yellow stone (shell rock) you will need a car. Cotswold is also the name of a species of local sheep that peacefully enjoy life on endless pastures to the horizon. All mother sheep are painted with blue or pink spots - this is how they mark how many babies the woolly mother will produce.
We spent two days in the Cotswolds and, probably, it was here that I realized that London is not just “the capital of Great Britain”, London is a separate world. And England, the one we read about in books about Robin Hood, is not London at all.
My most vivid impression of the Cotswolds were three gastronomic moments - in the morning " eggs and soldiers», « afternoon tea» afternoon and ale. "E gg and soldiers" is a type of breakfast where the egg is boiled until special " soft” condition (“bag”), and the morning toast is cut into strips - a soldier. The little soldier bathes in the egg and is eaten. They say that with English parents it’s like with us “the plane asks to land” - a way to feed the child. In general, I liked the breakfasts in England - hearty and with bacon, which I adore. The second opening is traditional “ afternoon te a". “Have you tried afternoon tea?” we were asked in the Cotswolds. “Then be sure to try it.” Afternoon tea is tea served with traditional English scones, clotted cream and jam.
The required dishes include a porcelain tea pair, a dessert plate, cutlery, a milk jug with warm milk, a tea strainer and a sugar bowl. Frankly speaking, I wasn’t even tormented by remorse, how delicious and traditional it was - well, just like if you suddenly became a subject of Her Majesty for a second. Ale in the pub - this is another tradition in England - became another whim of mine, because the explanation that “ale is beer” did not suit me.
The pub had both ale and beer (as well as on store shelves). In general, ale is also beer. Mine was less carbonated and very dense. Kuznetsov managed to immediately attack beer and ale from the top of the best in England - Wychwood Hobgoblin. My curiosity was satisfied, and I began to perceive the surrounding landscapes.
Our first stop was a small and very famous village among tourists. Bourton on the Water. In addition to the landscapes characteristic of this region - yellow houses and the special design of fences - the city has an auto museum and a miniature of the city itself.
A walk along the Windrush River with its beautiful bridges will take quite a bit of time, but the souvenir shops will last a long time. Products made from the wool of local sheep are especially popular and of high quality, and therefore expensive. The village is really very small and there is an interesting principle in use there “ neighbor's dozo r”, this is when locals mark all strangers, so much so that it is impossible to go unnoticed. Our hospitable host overtook us in a minute - he was immediately shown where “people who speak Russian” went.
Other villages, no less picturesque, but typical of this region, are Lower Slaughter ( Lower Slaughter) and Aper Slaughter ( Upper Slaught r). Lower Slaughter is definitely the jewel of the Cotswolds, for me for sure. It is so picturesque that every corner of it is a separate postcard for memory.
A river, a bridge, a small mill. Life here slows down, and work, deadlines, and tasks become somehow secondary in life. In Lower Slaughter there is simply Here b. Out of time. In one of Slaughter we saw two typical roof coverings - thatch and slate roofs. Thatched roofs ( thatch roof) are very authentic and give the houses a very fairytale look. In the old days, thatched roofs were most common in England. Nowadays, ecological thatched roofs are a very expensive pleasure, but in ancient times, when stone roofs appeared, it was a sign of poverty. Another type of roof is slate. It is interesting that the new slate roofs are already “replicas”, but Slaughter has preserved real slate roofs.
Our other stop in the Cotswolds was Broadway tower in Worcestershire. The tower became the whim of an English lady who wanted to have her own lighthouse. The tower really stands on a high hill and even without being huge in size (its height is only 20 meters), it provides a height of 312 meters above sea level. In human language, this means that it is almost impossible to see the horizon from the hill - it runs so far away. And in clear weather, you can see 13 counties from the tower.
Another village of Stow-on-the-Wold ( Stow-on-the-Wold) is famous for its fairs for the sale of sheep and sheep's wool. On the day of the fairs twice a year (May and October), all entrances to Stone are blocked for several hours due to the flow of traffic.
This city is one of the oldest cities in England, which was founded as a Norman trading center, in the heart of which there was a trading square and a narrow street through which sheep were driven - which was very convenient to keep the sale of these expensive horned heads under control.
It was here that we finally enjoyed real “afternoon tea” in one of the cozy cafes on the small central street of the city.
In conclusion to the Cotswolds, I’ll note as a reminder that our overnight stay was in Vic-Risington, another picturesque village, for which special thanks go to our guide and hospitable host, without whose participation these traditional English landscapes would have remained behind the scenes...
This time I wanted to come to England and visit not only London, but go somewhere else. We began to choose and look at where we could go, so that there would be something to see and that it would be interesting and not tiring for a small child. And suddenly we came across a description and photographs of the Cotswolds - “the largest of the 36 recognized areas of outstanding natural beauty in England.” But in addition, it turned out that the Cotswolds are a very popular destination for world tourism.
Everyone recommends traveling around the Cotswolds by car. Naturally, bus service is also developed there, but it is not so convenient, especially with a child. And we also need to take into account the English weather, which we experienced in all its glory - 13 degrees in the morning, 24 degrees in the afternoon, either rain or sun. I constantly had to carry a bunch of different clothes with me for myself and the child.
So, we took the car straight to Heathrow, set up the nav and drove off. The navigator said that our journey would take about an hour and a half. But he did not take into account the fact that we were driving on Friday evening, and although there were no such traffic jams as on Friday evening on New Riga or Shchelkovskoye Highway, there were still clearly more cars than at other times. In total, we got there in 2.5 hours in total. The road is very beautiful. While driving we saw a blue balloon flying over the hills.
We chose a hotel in the pretty village of Broadway in the heart of the Cotswolds.
We arrived late in the evening and immediately put the child to bed. In the morning, local time, the child woke up at 5.30, and barely survived until 6.30. Of course, a difference of 3 hours is already a lot for us. 2 hours, as it turned out, is normal, but 3 is already too much.
We had a very tasty breakfast made from products from local farmers: natural yogurt, honey, homemade jams, local berries and other delicious things!
Then we went out for a walk while dad set up the navigator and figured out where we should go, and found a superb children’s playground, which, of course, there was no one there that early.
The area is huge and suitable for all ages. Nearby are stables and fields where horses graze. Silence, beauty, fresh air! But not hot. The jacket was very useful. And the site was located opposite the Horse & Hound pub-hotel. It seems that Hugh Grant's hero in "Notting Hill" allegedly worked in a magazine with that name :).
We got into the car and went to see and maybe ride along the old railway http://www.gwsr.com/.
We arrived at one station, where a very kind man asked how we could help and explained to us that he had an ordinary diesel train that traveled around the area for 45 minutes.
and Winchcombe has steam locomotives. He explained that we had to drive 3 miles. We arrived there, and the next train was only in 1 hour and 15 minutes.
At the ticket office we were offered to wait in the tea room, but, unfortunately, we were so limited in time that we couldn’t afford to sit and drink tea. The child was upset, but nothing could be done. And just next to this town of Winchcombe is one of the most famous and beautiful castles with the park Sudley Castle http://www.sudeleycastle.co.uk/.
We thought of parking in the city and walking to it, but it turned out that we had to walk about 1 km, so our dad returned for the car, while we walked slowly,
looked at centuries-old trees with immense trunks:
They fed the ducks and ducklings they brought with them from Moscow (they are very hungry there)), not like in our park in Moscow).
Near the entrance to the park there is a huge children's playground in the shape of a Castle. We haven't had time to go there yet.
The castle park is something amazing! It is immediately clear that the British succeeded in gardening art. Just admire it for yourself!
And it’s interesting that there is almost no one in the park.
Modern Art
herb garden
Then we arrived in the town of Bourton on the water. We noticed English children walking along the river in 18 degrees
After the deserted park, the crowds of tourists in this small town amazed us.) We walked around the city and went to the car museum.
You can’t touch anything, everything is crowded and hanging on the walls. We saw the same old cars in large quantities just on the streets. This is really unusual and cool! In general, of course, in England there are no problems with locations for film adaptations of Jane Austen novels or filming of TV series like Downton Abbey.
In addition, in Bourton on the water there is also a bird zoo called Birdland, but we didn’t go there anymore.
The black cloud came again, and meanwhile we got into the car and drove towards the hotel. But then the sun had already come out (this is England), and we stopped by to see the lavender fields of Snowhill Lavender.
Our dream of going to the lavender fields of Provence has not yet come true, and, of course, we did not miss the opportunity to see the lavender here. But either it has not yet blossomed, or it has already been collected, but we did not see the blue-lilac fields. But it's still stunningly beautiful, not to mention the aroma!
The next day we arrived at the opening of Wild life parc.
As always, European zoos surprise with their cleanliness and thoughtfulness. Although, of course, this one is not located in the center of a metropolis, but in a real forest park, and all conditions close to natural are provided for the animals. But why is there no unpleasant smell from animal cages!? A train rides around the park, which, of course, is an attraction in itself.
Plus there is a children's playground and a carousel, which for some reason spins without music.
And of course all kinds of animals and birds. Penguins, bats, 5-7 species of beautiful owls, lions, zebras, giraffes, rhinoceroses, kangaroos, etc., etc.
You can also have a snack there either in a cafe, or bring your own and eat at a specially equipped picnic area.
We went to lunch in a typical Cotswolds town - Burford. The towns are similar to each other. Houses in the region are built from local honey-colored limestone.
And after lunch we went to Bibury, as they say in the guidebooks, the most photographed village in the Cotswolds.
Very picturesque, of course. The village has only one street with tiny houses, it’s even surprising that people live there. Or you can go to a trout farm and fish for trout.
We ended the evening at the Broadway Tower and looked at the surrounding area from above.
There were deer and sheep grazing nearby, but then another cloud approached, and we went to Broadway.
The third day was our last in the Cotswolds, and then we need to go to London. And since we were fascinated by Sudley Castle Park, we wanted to take a walk in some park or castle. Not far from us was Arboretum http://www.batsarb.co.uk/, i.e. nursery/botanical garden.
The park is huge and very beautiful. We were given a map and we followed the route indicated on the map. The park is beautiful at any time of the year; in August, not much is in bloom, but there is so much greenery! And apparently in the fall, when the foliage is colored yellow-red, it is even more beautiful there. On the territory of the park there are private properties with a castle like this:
We were lucky with the weather. It was dry, sunny, but cool. Like our warm autumn.
A fun activity called Bug Hunt has been invented for children. Park employees place huge plastic bugs in different places in the park every day. Only 25 pieces. You have to find it and for each beetle found, you get 1 pound. We only found one beetle. True, we didn’t specifically look for them. And this one was just lying on the bench. ☺
We received one pound. I had to sign up. The man at the checkout barely wrote down our usual Russian surname and was generally very surprised that we were from Russia.
Some more Cotswolds photos:
The next day we went to London. It was necessary to return the car in Oxford and take the train to London.
Summary:
Traveling around England with a child is very convenient and great!
All restaurants have a children's menu, a lot of entertainment for children - wonderful playgrounds, parks, zoos, children's shops, museums and towns that are simply unusual for our eyes, all this, of course, contributes to the development of a child's horizons.
Of course, it must be said that pleasure is not cheap. If in London all the museums are free, then here all the museums and parks cost money, and quite a lot - about 10-15 pounds per person. Children are of course free.
You have to take into account the typical English weather. Maybe, of course, we were unlucky, but because of such changeable weather we had to carry a bunch of clothes with us, including rubber boots and jackets, so as not to return to the hotel.
Briefly about London:
We were at the Transport Museum, at the interesting London Science Museum, about which we wrote about in our blog SpaceGiraffe, at Hyde park on two playgrounds, rode on the London Eye (it’s too early for a 3-year-old child, in my opinion), rode a lot on 2nd floor of the bus (this has become a separate and very favorite attraction), we were in Hamleys, had lunch at Jamie Oliver’s delicious Italian restaurant, where our picky eater devoured the entire plate ☺, walked in Kew gardens (also an excellent children’s playground and a train that carries throughout Kew). Well, then the holidays ended and the final touch to a trip to England with a child was pencils and a book with mazes, crosswords and coloring books, which are distributed free of charge to all families with children at Heathrow, so that the child has something to do while waiting for the plane and during the flight. This made an impression on me too☺. Overall the trip was a success!
