We had originally planned to ditch the rental car and spend 3 – 4 days hiking from village to village in the Cotswolds but eventually came to our senses and decided on a more prudent approach. We would stay in the car and attempt to avoid driving into the hordes of other tourists who were walking on narrow country roads no wider than a bar of soap continually dodging cars operated by drivers like us, sitting on the wrong side of the car, driving on the wrong side of the road, in an unfamiliar country, with unintelligible road signs.
This is quintessential England. Pastoral landscapes, grazing sheep, sleepy villages, thatched roofs, honey colored coloured stone cottages nestled into narrow lanes, stately manor houses, and of course the ever present, perfectly tended English country garden overflowing with roses, geraniums, and honeysuckle.
The Cotswolds was the center of the English wool industry in Shakespeare’s time but as Australia and New Zealand emerged as the new woolen capitols, prices here declined and as the rest of the country was caught up building factories and cities in the industrial revolution, the Cotswolds slept. Lucky for us!
Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water, Moreton-in-Marsh, Chipping Camden, (I love the names) were bustling market towns in the 17th century. Street names like Shepherds Way and Sheep Street are reminders of the origins of these towns’ remarkable history and wealth.
The towns are all protected now. Various covenants and restrictions are in place that prevent what may not be in keeping with these 400 year old farms and villages. The stone used for all these buildings and homes is locally quarried, honey-hued limestone that lends each village a warm and inviting glow. And the towns are thriving! Tourists have replaced the sheep as the main inhabitants and there are fabulous restaurants, quaint tea rooms, art galleries, antiques, interesting shopping, and intriguing historical sites to appeal to just about everyone.
And of course no English town would be quite complete without a splash of gin, and Cotswolds Distillers does not disappoint! The varieties here are mind boggling. Think rhubarb, blackberry, pink grapefruit, and Cotswolds lavender. And then there's the cheese! From the traditional Double Gloucester, to Baron Bigod, and Stinking Bishop, to ewe and sheep cheeses the variety is endless. And the breads and pastries! And the restaurants! The wild rabbit that scampered across the meadow earlier today is now on the menu, vegetables that have been pulled from the ground 20 minutes before they arrive at your table, that cute little lamb that you cuddled this morning... well, never mind.
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