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| Copyright Famocon Tours 2001 |
| Day 10 - Cotswolds |
| We left Oxford before 9am and drove to Burford via Minster Lovell. From here we wandered through the villages of Windrush, Sherborne and Bourton-on-the-Water which are some of the loveliest places in the Cotswolds. We then stopped at Lower Slaughter and Upper Slaughter which are spectacular on a sunny day and provided plenty of photo opportunities. Our next destinations were Stow-on-the-Wold, Moreton-in-Marsh, Broad Campden and Chipping Campden, each justifiably worthy of a visit if you can find a convenient place to park - or you could do what the locals do in abundance - simply stop on the road and get out of your car. The English love to turn their roads into one way lanes and queue for ages to get past. At Chipping Campden we were impressed with the Market Hall built in 1627 by Sir Baptist Hicks who evidently burnt down his residence (Campden House) rather than let the Parliamentarian forces use it during the Civil War. These days, the locals are more obliging to visitors. We then travelled down through Aston Subedge and Weston Subedge to Broadway. A quick detour brought us to Broadway Tower perched high above the surrounding countryside for a spectacular view. We called in to see the superb gardens and manor of Snowshill before continuing on to the remains of Hailes Abbey, the first of many former churches we will see on our tour which were laid waste when Henry VIII decided to dissolve all religious connections with the Pope in the 1530's. Further up the road from the Abbey we found Hayles Fruit Farm, an excellent place to stock up on quality local provisions as well as all sorts of jams. They explained that Hayles was the correct spelling of the Abbey and blamed some dusty clerical assistant from long ago who got it wrong. From the Abbey we drove to Winchcombe for lunch. This is not the most attractive town in the Cotswolds but it does have a certain rustic and ancient feel to it as you walk through its quiet streets. The surrounding countryside is heavily forested and evidently JRR Tolkein spent time in these forests before writing Lord of the Rings. We then drove to Sudeley Castle which was a highlight of our trip. The castle has a long history including having royal owners and having frequently changed sides during the Civil War before it was partially destroyed. Today it combines magnificent gardens and grounds with evocative ruins and wonderfully restored rooms. We particularly liked the castle's gift shop. We then passed by the Belas Knap burial mound on our way to Charlton Abbots, Withington and Chedworth where we were staying for the next two nights in a lovely B&B. We arrived in time to visit the ruins of a Roman Villa just out of Chedworth. That night we discovered that a local pub did fantastic meals evidenced by its great popularity. |
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