Cotswolds
Took a circular, scenic drive through the Cotswolds today, driving to/through Bourton-on-the-Water, Naunton, Painswick, Cirencester and Chedworth before returning home to Banbury.
Truly beautiful scenery driving along narrow, tree-lined country roads, with views of rolling hills with cows, sheep and lambs surrounded by stone walls, through tiny hamlets and villages – just perfect. Made us realise that it would have been a very different (and stressful) experience in a motorhome! Very grateful to be driving a small Vauxhall with fuel consumption of around 35mpg instead of the RV with 9mpg!!! A quick digression – petrol here is an eye-watering A$2.00+ per litre!!
Bourton-on-the-Water – Our first stop and the highlight of the day. The most scenic, quaint and idyllic spot you could ever hope for. I’m in LOVE! Unfortunately, it set the expectations high for the rest of the day.
Known for its low bridges and traditional sandstone houses. Also has a Model Village – a 1930s scale replica of the village (yes, closed at present). A few people walking around but still mainly like a ghost-town.
Ducks and dogs were enjoying the water this morning, despite the chilly weather.
Painswick – below is the Parish Church with it’s unusual yew trees, some of the graves here date back to the 1600s, others so old that all traces of inscription are long gone.
Village is mainly constructed of locally quarried Cotswold stone.
Dinner 🙂
Cirencester – a tad disappointing (partly because we went in search of two rivers on foot, both of which appear not to exist despite being on the map).
5 Comments
Lynda
Beautiful.
Diane Cooper
Absolutely stunning! The weather looks perfect! I was on a call with a colleague from London yesterday and they said it was 20 degrees!
Patricia Forner
What a beautiful scene. Thank you so much for sharing all the lovely photos of such a beautiful jaunt. All those beautiful photos make me feel happy in the time of COVID. Thanks for keeping me inspired and at peace with the world.
Craig
Wow. How beautiful…
Christopher Urtz
I love the yew trees. It makes me think this is the place where McDonald’s produces their Grimace forms. Once grown to the correct size, they are chopped down and sent to a factory to have the arms & legs mounted, and then run through a purple paint machine. 😀
And a question, as I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. That place/those places named the Fleece in Cirencester – is that all one restaurant/pub? Or are the locals literally that out of ideas that when the place that opened up next to the Fleece, they thought, Eh, the Fleece is doing alright. Let’s call it that!
Just curious is all.