We changed our itinerary so that Alan Foster could show us the Cotswolds. He said we would be doing a disservice to ourselves if we did see the real Cotswolds. So a day in Burton on the water was switched out for a drive through the Cotswolds villages.
Alan picked us up at the hotel at 9:30. We saw and learned so many things and had a wonderful day.
What we saw:
What we saw:
Stop number 1: Stanton: We got out of the van to walk through the town. Alan took us to an old church in the small town. There we saw a pew that had a worn ring around it. This was from the sheep herder tying up their dogs while they were in church.
|
|
Stop number 2: Cheltenham St. James Good Station. This is an old train station that was out of use and was refurbished to look like an old train station, complete with platforms and old luggage.
|
|
We tried to visit Stow-on-the-Wall but the traffic was so backed up due to a fair in the middle of the town Alan suggested that we skip it. Sitting in traffic would have taken too much of our time.
Stop number 3: Lower Slaughter; The old English name for ”wet land” is slough which is how the town got its name. Here we were able to walk along the stream that led to the old mill.
Stop number 3: Lower Slaughter; The old English name for ”wet land” is slough which is how the town got its name. Here we were able to walk along the stream that led to the old mill.
|
|
Stop number 4: On the way to the next stop we made a brief pause in Burton-on-the-Water before passing through Bibury known for the trout farm and Arlington Row Cottages. A picture of the cottages from Bibury was used on the British passport at one time.
|
|
Stop number 5: The Buford Garden Centre. This was our lunch stop. It reminded many of us of the old Williamsburg pottery when it had the long buildings.
|
|
Stop number 6: We drove to Chipping Campden, considered one of the most beautiful places in the United Kingdom to view the row of thatched-roof houses. The original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory as well as Sleepy Hollow were filmed here.
|
|
Last Stop: Our Hotel, the Lygon Arms. We then walked to the Crown and Trumpet Pub for a great dinner.
|
|
What we learned:
The red phone boxes known as K6 are historically protected. Today they are not allowed to be removed and are being used for such things as lending libraries, housing defibrillators, tourist kiosks, and ATMs. Occasionally, you can still find a working phone inside.
A muntjac is an animal that looks like a very small deer. One ran across the road so fast I could not get a picture of it.
A shire is a county such as Oxfordshire or Gloucestershire.
Any name that has Chester on it says it was originally a Roman place such as Gloucester, Manchester, and Winchester.
The red phone boxes known as K6 are historically protected. Today they are not allowed to be removed and are being used for such things as lending libraries, housing defibrillators, tourist kiosks, and ATMs. Occasionally, you can still find a working phone inside.
A muntjac is an animal that looks like a very small deer. One ran across the road so fast I could not get a picture of it.
A shire is a county such as Oxfordshire or Gloucestershire.
Any name that has Chester on it says it was originally a Roman place such as Gloucester, Manchester, and Winchester.
