It was an effort to leave the beauty of Amberley on the second day of our lightning-round tour of the Cotswolds. But we managed to do so after fortifying ourselves with excellent and enormous English breakfasts. (See Cotswolds 1 for the previous day.)
Painswick
Our first stop was Painswick, though we don’t remember why we chose it. John has a vague recollection that our guidebook called it the ‘Queen of the Cotswolds’. In any case we are glad we did. We pulled into town in the mid-morning and found the last parking space in town, right at the church whose churchyard we were told had to be seen. As we were getting out of the car, a gentleman was just coming out of a building across from the churchyard. He said to us out of the blue, ‘You’re just in time for coffee and cake!’. (Best. Village. Ever.) He then offered to give us the two-minute history of the town, which we gladly accepted. We assumed he was some sort of municipal or church official, but in retrospect we think he was just a friendly sort. In any case, we took it as an excellent omen for the visit.
The churchyard was indeed spectacular, with yew trees everywhere (legend says there will always be 99 of them). Many are sculpted, and they’re bordered by a pathway lined with beautiful flowers. We took our time there because the views of the church and the surrounding countryside were amazing. The church itself was lovely. We strolled through the town and saw street after street of beautiful stone houses with flowers spilling over the walls. And occasionally, as you cross over a street, you could see beyond to spectacular rolling hills in the distance.
Painswick Rococo Garden
Outside of Painswick, not more than a five-minute ride away, is the Painswick Rococo Garden. Originally built in the 18th century, it had fallen into disrepair by the late 20th. In the 1980s the owners restored it, to splendid effect. Today it is on the Historic England Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. The garden lies in a valley below the house and a number of architectural follies adorn it. Among the gardens we found of particular interest was (surprise!) the kitchen garden. It had a great variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs, many of which we had never heard of before. There was also a maze, specially built to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the gardens, and in fact there is a raised area where you can look down on it and see that it is in the shape of the number ‘250’.
We had wanted to go to another town someway down the road, but as it was getting late (we found it hard to leave the garden) we decided simply to go to Burford, about 20 miles outside of Oxford, have lunch there, and then return home. Burford another of those lovely villages tucked into the hills, and unlike Painswick was crawling with tourists. Still, we loved walking up and down the main street with its many shops and eateries. (Truth to tell, Burford was familiar to us because it had been for many years the site of The Classics Bookshop, where John had spent many happy hours and Laurel fewer.) Alas, the Bookshop is today a B&B (all change is for the worse) and so once John had bowed his head and paid his tribute, we moved on. The trip, though brief, was a great success and whetted our appetite to see more of the Cotswolds the next time we’re in England.
