Day 1 Travel to Moreton-in-Marsh

Becky and I arrived in Moreton-in-Marsh about 4:00 after a full day of travel from Penrith. We had to change hotel and train reservations to avoid the September 30 train strike so we lost our seat reservations: I stood from Birmingham to Oxford.

Upon arrival, we had instructions about getting into the apartment, but no directions about where it was located. We walked out of the rail station onto High Street and looked for number 16A. High Street is the main road through town and as such stretches for about two miles. None of the houses or businesses had numbers so we did not know whether right or left. Seeking information from a stranger, we stopped in an antique store to inquire; the proprietor had no idea where 16A was. He had been in that building for 45 years. Finally, I realized we had a photo of the front door and he knew immediately where it was, just a block away, and above the Victoria Coffee Shop. Hurrah!

After Becky opened the key box, we walked upstairs into the most beautifully decorated and fully equipped apartment. The color scheme was deep restful colors with rich fabrics and wonderful art. The equipment included dish washer, clothes washer/dryer, refrigerator and freezer, Nespresso, hot and cold air conditioner, and the best WI-FI we have had on the trip. This was really a luxurious place to stay for 4 days and explore the Cotswolds. Thank you James, our host.

After suitable recovery time, we ventured forth for a short walk seeking dinner. The Mermaid Fish ‘N Chips is just seven doors to the left but has only counter service in the traditional manner: fish and chips in a folded newspaper. With 40 people queued up, waiting on line was not in our plan. Next door, the Bell Inn was offering pizza which hit the spot: fast, hot, spicy served with cask ale and cider. Becky smooshed the bar manager and he gave her a customer card to encourage her return.

Day 2 Stow-in-the-Wold and Bourton-on-the-Water

After a trip to Tesco for provisions and to Otis and Belle for croissants, we had a great breakfast. Directly across High Street was the Tourist Info office for advice and brochures. Just as we walked up, the Tourist lady was locking up. Although the TI is not open on Saturdays, but she took time to give us directions via bus to two of the closest villages, Bus 801 to Stow and Bourton-on-Water. Bus travel is just as important in the Cotswolds as it was in the Lake District.

If you ask us “what did you do in Stow or Moreton or Bourton?,” we looked in stores and at buildings, drank coffee and had lunch, wandered off High Street to see what was up or down this side street or that one, took many photographs, and had random interactions with friendly folk. If this sounds like nothing, it was glorious nothing.

We enjoyed aimless strolls immensely and returned to apartment thoroughly exhausted from doing “nothing” all day. A quick stop at Tesco for salad, bananas, wine, and crackers completed dinner with our only purchase: three Cotswold Cheese samples.

The villages are variations on a theme: High Street, market days, honey colored stone buildings, glorious plantings, and a kind of genteel atmosphere glowing like the buildings. In that way, the villages are similar. But each seems to have a special feature, historical event, or just extra charm.

This area was visited often by J.R.R. Tolkien. Every village has something they claim was adapted into Middle Earth: the Yew Tree door, the Four Shire Stone, etc. The Bell Inn five doors down has a huge map of Middle Earth to recognize where Tolkien and his brother met for a pint or two. Revesdale Hall in the middle of High Street was used by Elton John to launch a new album.

Bourton has a beautiful stream that meanders through town with picturesque bridges of the channel. The Cotswolds have also been at the center of various battles and reports of where King Charles II was hiding during the Civil Wars are frequent, or was captured, or was executed. Whether these reports are historical accurate, we do not know but they are in the folklore that goes back 1500 to 2000 years.

Day 3. Batsford Arboretum

On Sunday, buses are scarce. The TI lady suggested a walk to Batsford Arboretum by footpath that began behind our apartment. She asked if we were “walkers;” we said yes and she said “You will enjoy the walk.” We did not fully comprehend what she meant by a “walker,” a term hardy souls like the real walker from Georgia. He was on a monthlong organized course of hikes requiring him to cover certain number of miles each day.

We are not that kind of walker! The footpath to the Arboretum went through 10 fields with gates and one field with sheep. We walked one mile looking at trees in the Arboretum. The idea that we would find a taxi waiting was an illlusion requiring a two-mile return walk. When we finally got back—sweaty, muddy, and exhausted; we could only go to bed.

The Arboretum was full of specimen trees from across the globe.. It has an award-winning collection of cherry trees, 122 species and cultivars.

The family home is a manor house of golden stone built in 1800 to look older than it was. A very pleasant afternoon in a beautiful setting.

Around 4:30, we got a message that Jim and Betsy had just arrived in Moreton and were checking in at the Bell Inn where we ate pizza. They caught an 8:15 bus to Llandudno Junction so they could jump on an earlier train than originally planned. The entire trip to Moreton-in-Marsh involved three trains and a final bus. After they rested from their long day travel from North Wales, we all gathered to catch up on travel stories with wine and cheese, followed by excellent Thai dinner across the street.

The Bell Inn on High Street in Moreton-in-Marsh is a very old coaching house dating back to the early 1800’s with just 5 rooms above the bar. You get to them by a very narrow staircase from the outside garden area.

The pub is believed to be the inspiration for Prancing Pony pub in The Lord of the Rings. The beer garden is filled with lots of boisterous beer drinkers every night. Fortunately the pub closes during the week nights at 10:00 pm but it is open later on the weekends. We would never get to sleep then!

Day 3 Chipping Campden

Visiting Circencester, site if a major Roman settlement, was the plan. However, Jim discovered that the plan required two buses and 2 hours. Since rain was forecast for 1:00, wise heads decided that nearby Chipping Campden was a better destination. Traveling by bus is just as exhilarating as bus travel in Lake District. The skill of the drivers guiding their projectile without running into fences, vehicles, and people is amazing.

The surprise event on the ride were two fields covered with grouse or pheasants out for morning feed. The fields were newly ploughed or newly planted and the birds were having a feast. The hedgerows inhibited our vision. We barely had time to recognize what was happening since the bus did not slow for grouse photography.

The ride to Chipping Campden took us into a completely different geological area. A big difference is that hedgerows outline the fields instead of stack stones in the Lake District. At Batsford Arborteum, we were on an oolithic ridge, the the highest point in Cotswolds. North and west of the ridge is considerably more hilly though with familiar sheep, horses, and cattle in fields.

Chipping Campden follows the model of the proper Cotswold village. We walked up the street past store front dating back 300 years or more.

We found some interesting objects, such as an authentic Clarice Cliff milk pitcher in her original Bizarre pattern. We have foresworn buying anything that is breakable, but we do enjoy seeing them.

One artist coop store was showing many fine craft items including some beautiful cyanoprint/stitch work.

We followed a sign to the Corn House Museum honoring their sign: Closed on Mondays. But the sign led us to a medieval church. St. James Church’s origins date to 1190, but the existing building dates back to the 13th century as one of the finest “wool” churches.

The funding for construction was made possible by Cotswold sheep. The church holds one of the oldest relics in all of Great Britain, a medieval cope (robe) worn by priests dating around the year 1400.

Sir Baptist Hicks was instrumental in building this church and just past the ancient cemetery are ruins of his manor which was destroyed in the English civil war in the 1640’s. It never ceases to amaze us how each one of these tiny little villages have absolutely gorgeous churches filled with beautiful carvings, stained glass windows and magnificent organs.

A large vault was placed in a side chapel for the descendants of the founding family.

On the walk down from the church, we encountered a man on his knees with hammer and chisel. What was he doing? He was repairing the stone walkway. He was “chipping” in Chipping Campden.

We found a nice outdoor tea room and ordered lunch. Our hopes to rest our tired feet and take a much needed rest were quickly dashed. Jim is really good about transportation and decided to check our return bus schedule. He realized that we had about 15 minutes to eat and run to the stop or else we would have to wait three hours until the next one. As rain was looming, we bolted our lunch and raced to the bus making it just in the nick of time.

On the trip back, we hoped to get a better grouse photo, but the only thing we have is a very distant photo Jim took of something we know is a bird. Following an afternoon rest, we reconvened for Fish and Chip dinner from the Mermaid wrapped in newsprint. It was exemplary Fish and way too many Chips.

Day 4 Carry On in the Cotswolds

Splitting up is hard to do, but necessary today. We met for goodbyes at the bus/train station. The Tipps-Poplin team was going to Cardiff by train to meet some friends in Wales. Jim and I caught an early bus to continue visiting several Cotswold villages.

Stow-on-the-Wold was very quaint, and we walked about for an hour before catching another bus and riding 10 minutes to Slaughter Pike where we got off. We began the first of several long treks through the countryside.

Walking through the Cotswolds is a very British thing to do. The “right to roam” is guaranteed to all people of the United Kingdom and private property owners must allow people to walk on their lands. Walking paths cut through fields and pastures everywhere. Gates separate pastures and you must simply be sure to close each one after you enter a pasture so that the farm animals won’t escape.

Jim was an excellent navigator through all this as we walked on country roads and footpaths for several hours visiting Lower and Upper Slaughter. What we liked so much about these quaint villages was the sense of peace there.

Little streams coursed through the neighborhoods as women tended tiny neat gardens or hung out their wash. Elderly gentlemen were strolling about with their dogs. It was a window into the actual lives of people who live in these sweet cottages.

Even more charming without tourists everywhere in other villages.

The weather was perfect, and we really loved it. We ate lunch outside and strolled along the river in Bourton-on-the-Water before catching the bus for home.

Buses don’t run very frequently, so punctuality is critical. We almost missed the one we wanted; the next one was 2 hours later. We just made it before the doors closed and it was standing room only.

Private schools are everywhere, and the students take local buses to and from school. This bus was packed with middle schoolers and then at the next stop even more kids squeezed on. It didn’t seem possible, but even more people got on at the next stop. We were all so tightly packed in that bus that no one could even move. Finally, at the next village lots of kids got off and there was room to move about a bit.

Then an inebriated man and his large dog got on the bus. Dogs are allowed everywhere in Great Britain and often ride on buses and trains. The man was loud and obnoxious and vaping, sending clouds of smoke around everyone near him. Fortunately, we were way in the back. Then much to the horror/amusement of the kids the dog peed. Riding the bus includes full-time local color, but we were very happy to get off soon afterwards!

Back at The Bell, Jim took a much-needed nap, while I caught up on correspondence and some reading. A late pizza here at the pub was all we had the energy for. We hoped for a good night’s sleep as we have an 8:00 bus to catch the next morning as we head to Bath.