A day in the Cotswolds

On a cool day with rain threatening we set out in the coach to view the Cotswolds. On previous cricket tours to England we had made two visits to this area.

On this occasion we started the tour at the village of Stow-on-the-Wold, a small market town in Gloucestershire. The town has a long history once being on the Roman road, Fosse Way. It is near another small town, Moreton in Marsh. Stow-on-the-Wold was the scene of the last battle in the First Civil War at the end of 1665 referred to as the Battle of Stow-on-the-Wold.

Market Square with Market Cross

As you explore the town you will find many interesting buildings in Stow-on-the-Wold.

The Stag at Stow

Porch House

There has been a building on the site of the Porch House since c947. Part of the history of the building is available on the Porch House Pub website.

Porch House

Street-scape

Another view of Market Square

In the above photo the tower of St Edward's Church can be seen. The church possibly dates back to the the eleventh century.

Stone wall

View of surrounding countryside

Close-up of a stone wall

After exploring the town for an hour we boarded the bus for our next stop - Bourton-on-the-Water.

Bourton-on-the-Water

This was our third visit to the village of Bourton-on-the-Water so we only took a few photos on this occasion.

We began this visit with a walk by the stream that flows through the village. As usual there were many ducks and other birds enjoying the clear quick flowing water.

Bourton-on-the-Water is a very pretty village.

Fairy Tree

Outside one of the buildings we passed this fairy tree in a garden.

Smiths of Bourton Tea Rooms Restaurant

Set in an old building the Smiths of Bourton Tea Rooms provide a pleasant place for morning or afternoon tea or, in our case, lunch. We ordered and enjoyed the English Cream Tea - scones with jam an clotted cream plus a coffee for Robin and hot chocolate for me.

After lunch we wandered around the shops before returning to the coach.

On the way we walked along a path between stone walls which are a feature of this area.

Burford

Our third stop when exploring the Cotswolds was Burford. There has been recorded settlement in the area of this town since Saxon times.

The streetscape consists of many old buildings reflecting the history of this market town.

Most of our exploration was confined to the main street of Burford.

Burford is on the River Windrush, a river that flows through many towns and villages in the Cotswolds including Bourton on the Water.

We then walked along a side street to St John the Baptist Church.

On the way we passed the Burford School which was founded in 1571.

The present church building dates back to 1175 though it was probably built on the site of an earlier church.

We then continued our walk along the main street back to the coach. By this time it was raining.

Burford is a town with much character, even in the rain.

Bibury

Tuesday 14 August and we were on the road again, this time to Newport in Wales. On the way we stopped at Bibury. Bibury was one of the villages in the Cotswolds that we had visited previously in 2015.

Bibury is famous for the row of cottages known as Arlington Way. These buildings date back to 1380 when they were used for storing wool. They were converted into weavers' cottages in the 17th century.

The cottages are now managed by the National Trust.

The Coln River flows through Bibury.

The former Arlington Mill is another feature of the village.

Alan and Tim outside the former Mill building.

Cotswolds

During the the Australian over 60s cricket tour in June we had spent a day in the Cotswolds. On the way from Leicester back to Sunbury on Thames we visited the area again.

Our first stop was the picturesque tourist village of Bourton on the Water which has a stream running through the middle of the village.

Like our first visit to the area the weather was overcast with rain threatening. It would be interesting to see the area when the sun was shining.

Most of the buildings are made from local stone and have plenty of character.

In this area dry stone walls or fences are the norm in the towns as well as in the countryside.

Our next stop was the village of Bibury.

The building opposite where the coach was parked was Arlington Mill, a building dating back to the seventeenth century.

We then wandered past the Bibury Trout Farm and Fishery.

The gardens make this a most attractive area.

If you look carefully you might see a trout in the water.

Once again there were impressive dry stone fences.

Unfortunately we only had a short time in this village. There was much more to explore. It was back on the coach and on to the Travelodge at Sunbury on Thames, our final hotel on the tour.

Exploring the Cotswolds

We travelled from Yeoville to Cheltenham on the Friday and on our rest day on Saturday 13 June we set out to explore the Cotswolds. It rained most of the day so we decided to begin the excursion by visiting Sudeley Castle, near Winchcombe,which is not far from Cheltenham.

 

There had been a manor house on the property from Saxon times however the present castle was built in the 1440s. During the Wars of the Roses it became the property of Edward IV who granted the property to his brother Richard of Gloucester. 

Remains of the Banquet Hall built when Richard III owned the castle

The castle was used as the base for the Battle of Tewkesbury in May 1471 In 1478 Richard exchanged the castle for Richmond Castle in Yorkshire but Sudeley Castle remained a royal property. 

In 1483 when Richard became King Richard III the castle returned to his possession again. After the death of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field the castle had a number of owners including Sir Thomas Seymour who married Katherine Parr after the death of King Henry VIII. They made the castle their home in 1548. Later that year Katherine died and is buried at the Chapel of St Mary on the property.

Chapel of St Mary

 King Henry VIII had visited the castle in 1535 with Anne Boleyn so it has a history of royal connections.  The house belonged to the Brydges family for the next 100 years. During the Civil War 1642 to 1649 part of the castle was destroyed by the Parliamentarians and remained in a ruined state for the next two hundred years. In 1837 members of the Dent family purchased the property and began restoring the castle.

The castle gardens are magnificent.

Remains of the tithe barn still remain on the property.

There is also a display of stones of Winchcombe Abbey which was built in 798.

This was a magnificent building and grounds to visit, even in the rain.

The next stop was at the Cheese and Trumpet in Broadway where we had lunch before continuing our exploration of the Cotsworlds.

On the way to two villages called The Slaughters we stopped at a field near Stanway which housed the cricket ground used by J M Barrie for many of the matches played by his team of friends - the Allahakbarries.

Barrie stayed at Stanway House across the road from the field. While there he paid for a pavilion to be built.

The rain eased as we visited two more villages on the way back to Cheltenham. The first stop was at two villages known collectively as The Slaughters. We stopped to explore Lower Slaughter, another picturesque Cotswold village.

The old mill and water-wheel is a feature of this village.

Continuing the drive we passed through Upper Slaughter which is considered to be a 'sainted village' meaning that nobody from the village serving during the First World War died.

Bourton-on-the-Water was our final destination.

Feature outside  car and toy museum

While we were in the village we watched the start of a half marathon which is run in the hills.