After Bath, we spent a week (August 8th thru the 15th) in the Cotswolds.  It was a relaxing week and somewhat of a vacation inside this trip.  We chose to stay in a quaint little cottage in Blockley because it’s the iconic filming location of the BBC show Father Brown based on GK Chesterton’s short stories, a show we have enjoyed watching a couple of seasons of over the last year and half.  

The Cotswolds is an area in southwest England, protected since the 1960’s for its “outstanding natural beauty” (an AONB). It was built and settled with wool wealth during the Middle Ages.  Before cotton, wool was king and the Cotswold landscape and weather are ideal for raising sheep.  Our Rick Steves guidebook said that they used to say the best wool in Europe is from England, and the best wool in England is from the Cotswolds.  I first read about the area in Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meisner.  One of the main characters goes there as a teenage refugee during the London blitz of World War II.  It’s a wonderful story in itself but also has complex characters and deep themes – I highly recommend it.  

The historic Cotswold buildings are built with limestone from the region, some with slate roofs, others with thatched, but all lovely and picturesque full of character.  It would be hard to overstate how beautiful and peaceful this part of England is.  

We took it easy that week. enjoying the beautiful, sweeping scenery, walking on English footpaths and living a much slower pace.  Here’s how we spent our days:

Two days we just stayed around Blockley and our cottage doing normal life activities like laundry, computer tasks, reading, going to the market and taking walks. (Check out https://www.staycotswold.com/ if you’re looking for a place in the Cotswolds.)

One day we rode the bus to one of the larger and more touristy villages, Chipping Camden, where we walked around, enjoyed lunch at a pub located in a building built in the 1300’s and walked home on a footpath through a sheep field while snacking on wild blackberries. 

One day we took a day trip to Oxford to see the famous university, a couple of literary sights and rent a car so we could go to Benthall Hall.

On Sunday, we drove to mass in a nearby town and then on to Benthall Hall and Iron Bridge (separate post coming) in Shropshire.

Our week in the Cotswolds was so lovely; I personally could go back again and again.  Also, staying in Blockley was delightful – partly because we were right where Father Brown is filmed and partly because it felt like home because the cottage was so quaint and enjoyable.  Plus, there’s a hotel in town (operated by a Sri Lankan couple) that offers a Sri Lankan feast that Scott, John and I were delighted to try.

PS.  If you’ve never heard of English footpaths and enjoy being in nature, you must check them out.  They are all throughout the country and take you through farms and fields.  We learned about a few that go for miles, retracing historical paths or routes; Scott and I decided we would like to come back one day and walk at least one of them.