The Cotswold district in south-central England is famous for its green rolling hills and
especially for its honey colored stone villages.
We are starting our explorations in perhaps the most beautiful village in all of the Cotswolds
and perhaps in all of England or the world for that matter it's Castle Combe, a perfect
postcard village.
Fortunately we have arrived early in the day in the off-season so it seems as if we have
this little town all to ourselves we can appreciate the exquisite beauty of this special place
without any crowds or distractions.
The classic view is across from the little stone bridge with the stream flowing next
to what had been the Weavers Cottages.
In olden days the stream provided waterpower for the woolen mill.
The village center has a couple of cafes and it is built around the 14th-century market
cross with the water pump and the 12th-century St. Andrew s Church.
But it is this one particular view looking across the stream into the village that makes
Castle Combe uniquely beautiful.
As the first village on our day's tour which starts out from the city of Bath, Castle Combe
created a very high standard of beauty, but other villages along the way are also worth
a visit.
Malmesbury, a market town in the southern Cotswold county of Wiltshire is particularly
famous for its old church, the Malmesbury Abbey.
This 12th-century church is located next to what is reputed to be the oldest hotel in
England dating from the 13th century, the Old Bell.
A short drive in the countryside soon brings us to Bibury.
The small Coln River is a tributary of the Thames and makes an idyllic setting for these
stone houses in their pretty flower gardens.
The main historic attraction in Bibury is Arlington Row, this line of picturesque cottages
that were first built from 1380 as wool storerooms and then they were converted into weavers
cottages in the 17th century.
A pleasant footpath leads you right through this little hamlet which is of course a protected
historic site and then you circle around back to where you started in Bibury and come to
the trout farm.
You can have a look from the outside into this pretty gardens and trout farm with its
little streams and ponds but to go inside you pay an admission, or you can just visit
the cafe, take a break get a sandwich, use the facilities and enjoy the scenery for free.
After a little break we continue on our Cotswolds exploration on this daytrip that's conducted
by Mad Max Tours.
Stow on the Wold is one of the larger and more famous of the towns of the Cotswolds
and it's got a lot of restaurants and shops and several main streets, so it makes a very
good place to take a break in the middle of the day, do a little shopping and have lunch.
The large market square and busy streets testify to the town's former importance and to its
current popularity.
It is an important shopping center with antique shops and art galleries and gifts and craft
stores and variety of restaurants in all prices.
It's a center for some of the different hiking trails that extend out into the Cotswolds.
The Porch House restaurant also offers high-quality accommodations in the building, with sections
dating back 1000 years but thoroughly renovated today.
St. Edwards is a medieval church with cut stone and stained-glass and a very attractive
doorway surrounded by you trees kind of like out of Lord of the Rings.
The garden and old graveyard out back provide a tranquil oasis to relax and play.
The Cotswolds are definitely rural with horses, green fields and sheep and yet sprinkled with
so many of these little stone villages.
The little stream flowing through Lower Slaughter helps explain the name: slaughter means muddy
pool not a butchery.
It's a village that goes back 1000 years along with its twin, Upper Slaughter.
Visitors can enjoy horseback riding and variety of leisure activities, especially if you're
staying at the Slaughter's Manor House, a five-star deluxe hotel and thoroughly renovated
17th-century mansion, originally called the Manor House, with a restaurant terrace open
to the public.
There was a farm festival going on nearby which gives the tractor owners and farmers
a great reason to roll out their tractors on a Sunday afternoon and show them off.
There is still a lot of farming taking place in the Cotswolds.
Nearby is Bourton on the Water, another quaint village on a stream.
The tiny footbridges give it a magical charm.
The dog relished an opportunity to play around in the stream and then hop out and shake off.
Bourton on the Water has managed to preserve very nicely its small historic center despite
the crowds it attracts and new modern housing in the outskirts.
Arriving now at Tetbury, the final village of our full day excursion into the Cotswolds.
Tetbury is considered another architectural gem with many of the original wool merchants
houses remaining the same as they were in the 16th and 17th centuries during the height
of the town's prosperity from the wool trade.
The most remarkable historic landmark in town is the Market House, a fine example of a Cotswolds
pillared market and is still used as a meeting place and market today, originally built back
in 1655.
The main street is a very busy place lined with shops and another very old hotel, buildings
that date back several hundred years and made of Cotswold stone.
That completes our visit to this beautiful part of England and now we return to the city
of Bath located at the southern edge of the Cotswolds.
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to answer and respond.
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