Adventures in the Cotswolds

The English countryside is gorgeous.

I've always been partial to wide open spaces and fresh air. Just a short train ride from London brings yellow flowers coloring the English landscape. Everything is a beautiful shade of green. 

We first visited the Cotswolds last August (post here). For that adventure, we took the train, then used taxis to get around but it wasn't ideal. This time we took the train, rented a car in Moreton-in-Marsh and actually drove. On the wrong side of the road.

And that wasn't the tough part. The tough part was actually having the entire car on the other side of the car than we were used to. It was really hard to adjust your perception and stay away from things on the left side of the vehicle. We took out the left side of the car a few times. I did a bit of damage to the left mirror and Davis got up close and personal with a large bush. There may have been a few other close calls and probably some panicked yelling from yours truly. Oh and those roundabouts- they sure are tricky. 

We visited the beautiful Broadway Tower. It had an amazing view of the countryside. 

After the beauty of the castle, we went into the village of Broadway and had lunch at The Swan.


M ran off some steam and enjoyed chasing birds in the park across the street. I found an adorable toy store for M and picked up a few things.

 After lunch, we took a break for a yummy treat.

We stayed in Chipping Campden, unbeknownst to us was the weekend of the Cotswold Olimpicks coined as "a blast from England's sporting past." (Haha- do yourself a favor and watch the video in the link above) Of course, the only events of the weekend that we partook in was a little driving, flying and trotting due to a little person's bed time. 

Another day we visited the Sudeley Castle. A lovely UK spring day but still beautiful in spite of the rain.

 

They had an epic playground that was fun for the whole family. And entirely empty for our family. The playgrounds in the UK never disappoint.

We also explored Hidcote Gardens.

The house we rented was amazing. Davis' dad and Gladys were supposed to spend the week with us (hence the enormous house) but in the end, they were not able to make the trip from the US. And being term break in the UK, all of our friends had plans of their own so an entire wing of the house sadly went unused.

We loved the fireplace as our weather was chilly. Very chilly.

And the bathtub was pretty fun too.

It sure was a relaxing few days escaping from city life.

Restaurants we loved and recommend around Chipping Campden.

The Swan

The Kingham Plough

The Lion Inn

Eight Bells Inn