We’ve been to Britain many times. And we’ve been hearing great things about the Cotswolds for years but until last week we had never been there. Which is kind of ridiculous since they begin not even an hour away from Oxford. But there it is. So even though we were going to be here only a few more days, we took a three-day vacation from our real life (which is already a lot like vacation). We rented a car and went first to Wiltshire to visit friends who had recently moved into a new house. (And when we say recently, we mean the day before we got there!) They live in a beautiful cottage in a lovely hamlet, so tiny we missed the turnoff for their house three times.
Cotswolds Day 1
We spent a lovely day and night with them, and then we were Cotswolds-bound. Our first stop was Cheltenham (officially Cheltenham Spa). It used to be famous for its spas but today it’s famous for its horse-jumping competition. We walked down a splendid central boulevard with a fountain of Neptune (a reminder of the town’s historical association with water). It led to a shady pedestrian walk lined with shops. We also saw the world’s smallest coffee van. At least the sign said so. We didn’t measure, but we find it hard to believe there’s a smaller one. We really loved that this town and nearly every other one is set in by beautiful rolling hills. Often as you are walking down the street, there is a break in the buildings and you see a glorious countryside beyond.
After Gloucester we went to Moreton-in-Marsh and by this time it was raining so we cut short our sightseeing and headed straight for the pub and lunch. Delicious! Then we had a leisurely stroll down the main street, and began to make our way towards Amberley, where we had booked a room for the night. On the way we stopped at Cirencester, which in Roman times was the second largest city after London. (The town’s Roman name was Corinium.) There’s an amphitheatre there (which we did not see – busman’s holiday and all that) but we did see the amazing church in the centre of town, St John Baptist. It is built on the site of an abbey and church that was founded in the early twelfth century, and the current building dates to about 1520
After our short detour we made our way to Amberley. The Amberley Inn, where we stayed, had a spectacular location, overlooking rolling fields as far as the eye could see. They said the town’s common might have cows walking across it, and sure enough, there they were. We wandered around the village a bit and had a(nother) excellent meal. Stay tuned for day 2!
