Queen Elizabeth and the Beatles? There’s much more to England!
So, since this was not our first trip to the United Kingdom (last time headed up north to Scotland) we decided to dedicate a long weekend to Cotswold and the area.
We landed after midnight in Luton and slept the night at the Ibis hotel nearby. The hotel is within a walking distance from the airport or 1 stop by bus.
Woke up and took an airport shuttle to the rental car building.
Transportation – With so much to see and so many tiny towns, there was no doubt that a car is the only way to get around. When driving- remember that you are driving on the left side of the road!
The drive from London to Cotswold is about 2 hours (without traffic).
I read so much about the area, everyone wrote about a different village that ” is the prettiest village in the Cotswold”. The roads are narrow and since these villages are small, you can usually take a short walk to learn about the historical buildings in the area, take photos and drink tea!
The English countryside is beautiful with its green rolling hills and since we visited in autumn, there was a gorgeous palette of seasonal colours.. The small villages we saw along the way , the stone cottages , the blue skies and the leaves that range from bright yellow to deep red,were a treat!
Accommodation – we did NOT make any plans since we figured that it won’t be busy in November outside London. Luckily, we were satisfied but I understood that we did have lots of luck since there isn’t a large variety as in Central England.
So, here’s our route –
The Rollright Stones is a complex of three monuments near the village of Long Compton. It was on our way to we stopped there but I don’t recommend to make a special detour to see them.
We stopped for a huge FISH&CHIPS at the small village of Moreton in Marsh.
Stow on the Wold – Such a cute village with places to eat, drink( tea of course !), shop and just take a stroll in the village. Don’t forget to enter St. Edward’s Church and make sure to stop by the “Tolkein” Door- the door said to inspire Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings. The trees and door were said to inspire JRR Tolkien’s “door to Moria.”
There is a 2 hour free parking in the center of the village.
The Slaughters – Look how a name can be misleading. “Slaughter” has such a negative connotation but the view in these two villages is magical!! The (Upper and Lower) Slaughters are home to quaint honey-coloured stone architecture, tiny little cottages, and the famous Copse Hill Road, which won the Google Street View Award for “The Most Romantic Street in Britain”.
Castle Combe– situated in the southern Cotswolds this village is often referred to as England’s prettiest.
Apart from taking the classic photo from the river bridge, you can also play golf, have a drink in the local pub or enjoy a walk through the river valley. There are free parking spaces at the top of the hill .
We then continued to Bourton-on-the-Water .Unfortunately , we arrived late afternoon. I had so much expectations to see this village and see the local shops, cafes, and attractions here , BUT they were closed when we got there (close at 17:00). At least we got to see the 5 beautiful arched stone bridges that cross the river, which runs through the village, and were all constructed using local stone.
Since it started to rain, and the famous local bakery was closed, we entered the Cotswold Motor Museum, a car lover’s dream with vehicles on display from right through the 20th century. My husband loved it.
It was getting late so we started checking on Booking.com for a place to sleep. Finally, we arrived to Premiere Inn in Swindon. Premiere Inn is a hotel chain scattered in UK (and Ireland) with fair prices. We got to know the chain last week when we traveled in Scotland. There’s something comfortable knowing what to expect when you reach the hotel. It was pouring so we had dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.
Started the next day at the local Cotswold’s shopand from there drove through the beautiful villages towards Bristol.
Rain , rain go away, come again another day!! It rained when we arrived to Bristol and when we left !!
We were lucky and parked right in front of St Nicholas Market (a busy marketing market in a Georgian arcade) which offers a large variety of food from one of the many food stalls there. We grabbed a bite at the Chinese stall and walked to the center of town for some window shopping.
I had so many things on my TO DO list that unfortunately due to the rain (yep, I’m one of those girls) will be postponed till my next trip to Bristol .
On our way out of town, we drove (parked and then walked) the famous Clifton Suspension Bridge – note that there is a 1Pound toll to cross the bride (by car). The bridge is considered to be a beautiful icon for the city. As I said before, it was pouring rain here as well and the wind was so strong that my umbrella broke!! There is an observatory in the middle of the bridge .
It became dark so again we started to look for a hotel for the night. Eventually, we arrived to Weston super mare (a seaside town in Somerset). There was no vacancy in the hotel we wanted , so slept in a less modern hotel facing the sea.
Ate a great Indian dinner at Hussains Indian Cuisine and collapsed to sleep.
We woke up very early and since we didn’t get a chance to see the town last night , we strolled on the board walk , drank coffee and headed to our next stop.
10 minutes drive from Weston super mare, and we reached the peaceful village of Kewstoke, were we had a very easy hike to see the view of the ocean.
On this day we had a tight schedule. Bath and Stonehenge were on my list.
You will already notice on the way to Bath, that traffic is slow and it takes a bit longer to reach the center of town. Parking in the center of Bath is quite impossible and there are a few Public parking places . Make sure you have coins with you. The machine does NOT accept card or paper money. It took as a while to find someone who was willing to give us change!
I now understand that my plan was not good. We should have stayed more hours in Bath, but since we were in a rush to get to Stonehenge we just did a quick tour in Bath . Have a look in the Bath tourist web page for all possible attractions.
The mystery of Stonehenge– from Bath we had an hour drive to Stonehenge. These are ancient huge stones laid out in Salisbury Plain.
There are 2 ways to get to Stonehenge. 1) Either park at the visitor center , from where you can do a 1 mile walk to the site or get a 5 minute bus to the bus. 2) or you can enter the road from A303 or Fargo Road and park very close to Stonehenge.
You must buy tickets to the site (Regular entrance price is 19 £). We arrived too late so we followed advice we read and followed Fargot road until the end where there are concrete boulders blocking you from going further. Just park up on the side of this track and walk up to the site. Go to the side of the main entrance where there is a small gate and you can go on this path for free .
We had a great time but I’m not sure I would drive especially to Stonehenge and for sure I wouldn’t pay 19£ when I can see the stones from behind the barrier.
Left Stonehenge back towards London….which you can read about in another post.
Practical information –
You should always carry an umbrella with you in England !!
Most places close at 17:00 – we missed some places I wanted to see since I was not aware of this fact. So check the opening hours.
Have a good one! Kinneret
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