ENGLAND'S GREEN AND PLEASANT LAND

I have been "back" to England a few times over the last 30 years or so, always in the summer months, but have never really been lucky with the weather.  Well, this time, in July, the sun shone, the skies were blue, and the rain even held off for an entire 10 days (well nearly).  I was brought up within a stone's throw of the Cotswold region of England but had never really visited so, with less than 48 hours to spare before attending a very special family birthday, we tried to visit as many villages as possible.

The base was Bourton on the Water, and after a rather long journey from Johannesburg, via Dubai, and over an hour's drive from Birmingham airport, we checked into our bed and breakfast and pretty much all myself and my travelling companions were fit for was a walk around the town and finding somewhere for dinner.

Our bed and breakfast, Lansdowne Villa Guest House was situated a short walk from town, and about three doors away from the Mousetrap Pub, which seemed a suitable distance to walk to dinner after all our travels.   The guest house was very comfortable and they have apparently won awards for their breakfasts.

Bourton is whimsically called "The Venice of the Cotswolds" due to the fact that it straddles the River Windrush and all along the town there are lovely low stone bridges where one can meander from side to side.  The traditional Cotswold Stone houses are now of course mostly restaurants and shops where one can have a cream tea (we had a couple!) and buy souvenirs, very few of which are made locally which is a great pity.

After a hearty but healthy breakfast we headed off for our first port of call, Bibury, primarily to see Arlington Row - a row of 17th century cottages which are the most photographed cottages in the country.  I managed to get a couple below with no people in them, but it was quite difficult and I had to be quick!

The bridge leading to Arlington Row

Arlington Row Cottages

Next stop was Snowshill and the National Trusts Snowshill Manor House, the home of Edwardian Gentleman Charles Paget Wade whose motto was "let nothing perish".  So the house is full of anything and everything he ever bought, and apparently he was a bit of a hoarder.   Apart from the exorbitant 11 pounds entry fee per person, only a few people at a time are allowed in the house so we had over and hour to wait if we wanted to enter.  We chose rather to look around the gardens (for 6 pounds) and have the quintessentially English scones with jam and clotted cream and a pot of tea. 

A short hop from Snowshill is the village of Broadway and the Broadway Tower with sweeping views over the Cotswolds.  The tower was designed by Capability Brown in the 18th century for George William 6th Earl of Coventry.   On a clear day apparently one can see 16 counties, and we had the clearest day imaginable as there were very few clouds and minimal haze.

View through the window of the roadway Tower

On to the old market town of Chipping Campden for a bit of retail therapy in the many shops along the high street selling local produce.   

Chipping Campden Market Hall in the centre of the terraced High Street
Built in 1627 and still in use today

Toby Jugs - what's that all about?!

The limestone buildings of Chipping Campden High Street

St James Church in Chipping Campden was built on the site of a Norman Church in the 15th century.

Even though they are not the original stained glass windows which perished long ago, they are still impressive

Broughton Castle is a moated and fortified manor house near the town of Banbury.  They only open for three hours every Thursday afternoon, and although we got the right day, unfortunately we arrived too late to tour the castle itself.  We were however in time for a cream tea and a walk around the gardens.

The city of Worcester which was my base for the rest of the week is lined with beautiful Tudor buildings, home to many shops and restaurants.  An evening watching a stage performance of "The Importance of Being Earnest"at the Commandery, a Grade 1 listed building, dating back to the 12th century, was a highlight.

All of these photos were taken with my little "point and shoot" Canon Camera, and I have to say, I'm impressed with its performance.