The Cotswolds

After being offered a job at Croydon Council we decided to take a trip to the Cotswolds and see some of the English countryside while the weather was still fairly nice.

On Saturday we took the train from London to Oxford where we picked up a hire car and began our drive out to the Cotswolds.
We decided to collect the car from Oxford - about 1.5 hrs on the train - instead of London to avoid having to drive anywhere in or around the city.

We began making our way towards the B&B we had booked on a farm near the little town of Stow-on-the-Wold in the Cotswolds.
But we had plenty of time and Matt could not resist stopping in at 'Crocodiles of the World', a wildlife exhibition just off the highway at Carterton. It was very well set up and had a lot of different and interesting species of crocodiles and other reptiles and mammals from around the world.

(Photos: West African Dwarf Crocodile; python chowing down on a whole chicken; South American iguana; giant tortoise).

We travelled a little further on to the medieval town of Corsham and we enjoyed taking a drive through the town and seeing the beautiful old homes and farms in the village. We had lunch at the Royal Oak pub in town and sat by a fire eating arguably the most delicious homemade pie and mashed potatoes we have ever had!

In the afternoon we checked into the Corsham Field Farmhouse B&B, a 5 minute drive outside of the gorgeous village of Stow-on-the-Wold. We took a drive through the local countryside and picked up some supplies then went back to the B&B where we sat outside with some wine and cheese before heading to a local Indian restaurant for some amazing curry.

(Photos: Corsham village; The Royal Oak).

We spent Sunday thoroughly exploring Stow-on-the-Wold and the surrounding countryside. Stow is a typical small village in the Cotswolds, beautiful and quiet but very touristy particularly on the weekends. We soaked up the rolling green hills and the fantastic dry stone walls. I bought a bottle of the most delicious local gin and we had devonshire tea (locally known as cream tea) in a cute little tea house. We had an early Sunday roast dinner at a local historic pub which was heavenly and then had an early night ready for a big day on Monday.

(Photos: Corsham Field Farmhouse B&B; Stow-on-the-Wold and surrounding countryside).

We left just after breakfast on Monday morning and made our way to just outside of Salisbury (south of the Cotswolds) to visit iconic Stonehenge. We were not really sure what to expect but we found the experience fascinating and we were really glad we took the extra time to visit. I picked up a bottle of locally made honey mead and we drove back north to the village of Fairford on the edges of the Cotswolds, where we checked into the Waiten Hill Farm B&B.

(Photos: stretching our legs in the village of Marlborough; Stonehenge).

We were walking distance to the village so after checking in we took a picturesque stroll into town for dinner at The Railway Inn pub. The food was amazing and the company was warm and friendly.
Fairford was even more beautiful than Stow and so on Tuesday we got another early start and took an hour long walk along a local walking trail which followed a creek bordering some local farms and cutting across some cow paddocks.
The trail brought us back out into the town and we wandered into the cemetary of the local church to admire the tombstones dating back to the 15th century.
A woman inside the church spotted us and invited us inside. She explained that the windows in the church are one of the largest, oldest and most well preserved collection of stained glass windows in the country.
The windows were commissioned by King Henry VII in an effort to impress Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon in the hopes that they would agree to betroth their daughter Catherine of Aragon to the King's son (Henry VIII).
For a gold coin donation we took an audio guided tour of the various windows in the church and learned about the biblical stories depicted and the artists and craftsmen who created the windows.

(Photos: Fairford village, church & surrounds).

In the afternoon we drove about 20 minutes outside of Fairford to the Lechlade and Bushyleade Trout Fishery for Matt's fly fishing lesson.
The teacher was a local pro fly fisherman who helped Matt pick up the basics of fly fishing within the hour lesson and then had a cup of tea with us to talk more about fishing.
We spent some time walking around the lake before heading back into Fairford.
We had italian food for dinner at the Colosseo Ristorante in Fairford and then turned in for the night.

On Wednesday morning we shopped for local meat and produce in the Fairford market before driving back to Oxford then taking the train back to smoggy London.

(Photos: fly fishing).