The Cotswolds, seriously charming!
The drive into The Cotswolds, through little tiny villages such as Birdlip, the Slough, and Stow were stunning! Perfect forests, old rustic stone buildings, handmade fences, and beautiful gardens were everywhere!
We navigated into the village of Painswick where we had rented a cottage and threaded our way down a horse lane with our rental car and then ultimately to our low charming door that unlocked with a skeleton key. The village, its buildings, church, and gardens were wonderful. Song birds chirped loudly from all the trees, and behind each cottage was a private garden where generations of lavender, wisteria, clematis and rosemary thrived in charming companionship.
We drank strong cider and ate bangers and mash at the local pub where we watched the towns people come and go after work, and finally walked home to get our internal clocks set into local time.
Tips for visiting the Cotswolds:
The Cotswolds is a rural region west of London, England that is made up many little villages and towns. It’s an area that is peppered with a lot of history and charm. Getting there can be as simple as driving, or you can stage your journey by train, and then pick up a rental car in one of the larger cities on the outskirts of the Cotswolds.
It is natural when planning a trip, especially when you have limited time, to want to pick ‘the best’ location in which you will spend your time. After spending several days visiting the little towns and villages of the Cotswolds I came to understand that no matter what location you pick it will be the perfect location!
Every little Cotswold town has a pub, lovely hikes and walks, rolling beautiful landscapes, historic buildings, and charming lodgings. You really can’t go wrong.
It does require a car to get around in the Cotswolds. If you are a hiker, there are many village to village trails that give you a whole different and more intimate perspective on the area.
Fill your fuel tank - don’t expect brinksmanshipinig regarding fuel to pay off. Gas stations are in every village, but their hours, and your ability to find them, may be limited.
Take your time and don’t be too scheduled driven. The pace of life in the Cotswolds is slower. You never know when you will come upon a charming church garden, a cheese shop or coffee shop that calls for exploration and discovery. Be open as you walk the cobbled streets and admire the local’s way of life.
The Cotswolds isn’t well set up for those who are mobility challenged. There are lots of narrow doorways and stairwells, cobbled roads, uneven surfaces, and very few elevators. This isn’t to say that travel to the Cotswolds for those with mobility challenges isn't possible, but it does mean that you need to be planful, do your research, and choose more modern lodgings that can offer some mobility accommodations.
Stow-on-the-Wold welcomed us for a tea and shopping interlude.
It also happened to host the entrance to the Mines of Moria – a daring yew planting by a long ago parish gardener near the backdoor of the town’s church paid off big time!
