The Cotswolds (England)
The Cotswolds (England)
We are big fans of England and we go there regularly, usually for a short holiday. There are many beautiful regions to visit and this time we visited The beuatiful Cotswolds. If you take into account that the weather is comparable to the Netherlands, then you know that you must bring an umbrella and / or raincoat. We don’t have bad experiences with the weather. England has beautiful nature, many hiking trails, picturesque villages, beautiful cities, good food (also gluten-free) https://captureplaces.com/glutenvrij-engeland/ and friendly people with humor.
How do you get there from the Netherlands?
For a trip to the Cotswolds you can book a ferry at DFDS from Hoek van Holland to Harwich. Your holiday already starts when you get on the boat. You can book a stay in The Cotswolds yourself, but we booked our hotel with Buro Scanbritt (touring the Cotswolds) in Banbury. That is in the north of the Cotswolds.
It is about a 2.5 hour drive to Banbury from Harwich. You arrive early in the morning in Harwich, so you have plenty of time to look at things along the way, sometimes with a detour.
Tip 1: The Roald Dahl museum in Great Missenden. https://www.roalddahl.com
In this museum you can take a look at the life and the books of Roald Dahl. You can view the chair in which he has written his famous books, take a photo with the Wonka chocolate bar and visit the nice museum shop.
There are also several walks. You can walk through and along landscapes that have played a role in his books. For example, you can walk past the gas pump, which appeared in “Danny the champion of the world “.
Tip 2: There are a number of shoefactory shops around Northhampton. Here you can buy discounted handmade English shoes such as from Cheany, Loake or Dr Martens.
https://www.northamptonshoes.com/factory-shops
Tip 3: You can visit the beautiful university cities of Oxford or Cambridge.
The Cotswolds is a region some 100 km west of London, known for its quaint picturesque English villages with sandstone houses, hilly meadows and scenic walking paths. The area spreads across the counties of Glouchestshire, Worcestershire and Oxfordshire. From Banbury you can discover the northern part of the Cotswolds with villages such as Moreton-in-March, Stow-on-the-wold, the Slaughters, Bourton-on-the-water and Bibury. Many of these villages are located on the A429.
Stratford upon Avon
North of The Cotswolds is Stratford upon Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. At the tourist information you can take a map with places that you can visit. This will take you to the locations that were important in Shakespeare’s life, such as the birth house, the house where he lived, his school and the church where he is buried.
Rollright Stones
In the Cotswolds on the road between Banbury and Moreton-in-March you will pass the Rollright Stones. It is a 4000 year historical site with 3 different sights: The Kings men, Stone circle and Whispering knights.
Moreton-in-march
Moreton-in-March is known for the lively market and the local food shops.
Broadway
Broadway is also a nice town to discover and don’t forget to visit the tower from the 18th century. From this site you have a beautiful view over the region.
Bourton-on-the water
Bourton-on-the-water is a village with small bridges over the water. You can wander around here and view the shops.
The Slaughters
The slaugthers are the two picturesque villages of Upper and Lower Slaughter. At the Mill in Lower Slaughter they sell nice souvenirs and in that same village you can enjoy a delicious afternoon tea from 15:00.
Via a walking path you can walk to Upper Slaugther with its picturesque church. The names of these places have nothing to do with slaughter, but the name Slaugther comes from sloughtre which means muddy place.
Bibury
Bibury is one of the most beautiful villages in the Cotswolds. It is a touristy small village, in which the most famous street of the Cotswolds is located; Arlington Row. This waterfront street with its old buildings can get busy, so visit in the morning or late afternoon.
Burford
Burford is a cute hilltop village with a long street lined with shops, restaurants and pubs.
You can take an express train from Banbury to London.
This train takes about an hour. We wanted to take some pictures of the protests surrounding Brexit. From Banbury the train goes to London Marylbone station. From there you can take the metro or bus to the center.
Since we had been to London before, we chose to look first at the protests before Parliament.
Then we walked along the south side of the Thames in the direction of the Westminster bridge, past London Eye, Tate modern, Millenium bridge, Tower bridge and Tower of London. A very nice walk, with much to see.
On the way back from Banbury to the ferry from Harwich you can first visit a number of villages or the tips that have already been described. The ferry leaves late in the evening and so you have some time to bridge.