Following on from where we left off, we drove to Bourton on the Water for breakfast at Croft, by the riverside. I had Belgian waffles with berry compote and dairy free yoghurt while K had some egg Florentine.
We have been to Bourton on the water few years ago with a friend and this is what I remembered of it – lovely walks by the river and endless coffees. It is such a different feeling going to the same place with two littles in tow. We absolutely soaked up the golden sun that morning and walked until we stumbled on a farmers’ market!
The streets were super colourful and cheerful, it felt like everyone was out celebrating the sun!
I was looking for tiny quaint villages in the the north of Cotswolds, villages that are really small and not big market towns and definitely ones we had never visited until then. That is how I stumbled on Lower and Upper Slaughter, the twin villages about a couple of miles away from the more popular Bourton on the Water. And ofcourse, the fact that registered with me is how the word Slaughter came up – definitely nothing to do with slaughtering, it is derived from the old English word “slothre” that means “muddy place” which I can assure you along with every other article on the internet, it most certainly is not.
What it is though, is ethereal.
My research had told me of how scanty parking space is and all of my searches only threw up one road near the Manor House and said there are only a few spots available. And so we found ourselves there at 8 in the morning, with just one or two joggers who were residents, in sight. Bliss.
We parked by a stream that I later realised is the river Eye that runs through the village and was potentially the source of “muddy” banks. It really looks like a stream though it is a river. Walking along the river is one of the most memorable highlights of our entire trip.
I was in love with those beautiful stone foot bridges! You will find a couple as you walk along.
To watch the reflection in that pristine glass like water as we (read: I) tried to be as quiet as possible because I wanted to break into a song and announce to the world of how much beauty there is to be discovered all around us! I am sure the residents would not take too kindly to it, so I was on my best behaviour.
As you start walking further up along Copse Hill road which according to some of the sources has been voted the prettiest road in Britain, you cannot help falling in love with this beautiful village but also wonder how the residents must feel when it gets all busy with tourists. It is not easy being a resident in picturesque towns, is it?
I was really mesmerised by this style of stone houses – hundreds of homes across Cotswolds built in this distinctive style with Cotswold stone. This must have been so time consuming to build and yet stands tall and strong to this day! I was trying to read more about how these stones are formed (makes for a fascinating read, especially so when you are procrastinating on something) and I stumbled on these words by J. B. Priestley who wrote of Cotswold stone that – “the truth is that it has no colour that can be described. Even when the sun is obscured and the light is cold, these walls are still faintly warm and luminous, as if they knew the trick of keeping the lost sunlight of centuries glimmering about them.”
As you walk along, you will reach the unmissable Old Mill with its trade mark red brick tower and the water wheel.
If you just turn around, you will walk into this charming little horse trailer that doubles as the delightful mobile coffee van and sells some delicious coffee and pastries. What warmed my heart was they have doggie treat and smoothies for the infants/toddlers all served with a smile by the thoughtful owner.
We kept walking further up and had the most peaceful town to savour that morning.
We were peckish and decided to turn back and try the beautiful Manorhouse for breakfast but unfortunately it was only open to residents so we just had a quick look around and decided to head to Bourton on the Water for some breakfast and explore the market centre. All of that in my next one!
I am always blown away by how beautiful Cotswolds is. Quaint, charming, idyllic, oddly familiar from the books and movies you watched and imagined a place to be, and ofcourse, incredibly picturesque. I had read of Castle Combe’s charm a few times I looked up the villages to be at in North Cotswolds so we had to make a trip there and am so so happy we did. It is a tiny town, nestled most rightfully within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The chocolate box village is characterized by its honey-hued Cotswold stone cottages, some dating back to the 12th century. These quaint buildings line the narrow, winding streets and everything looks right out of a fairy tale. I later read that possibly, no new houses have been built in this historic centre of the village since about 1600.
We parked atop the hill in the visitor’s car park and it is such a lovely walk down to the village with the autumnal colours transforming the landscape into a tapestry of oranges and gold!
I always wonder how the people residing here must feel, having tourist stare admiringly at the streets, their houses, taking pictures and soaking what is often referred to as one of the prettiest villages in England. It must not be easy 🙂
Within a few steps, we were met by the beautiful Bybrook river flowing gracefully through the heart of the town and beautifully highlights the stunning Cotswold stone cottages against that rich backdrop that no phot can truly capture.
While Castle Combe gets its name from the castle, I am told that nothing much remains of it so we didn’t really explore anything beyond the heart of the town and its quaint streets which while not totally empty didn’t really have many tourists that day.
We were utterly famished when we stepped into the Castle Inn late that afternoon. It is at such a fantastic location for visitors to have a nice stroll and then step in for a meal or drink. I had a super delicious rosti with portobello mushroom, cavolo Nero (my first of the season), cheese topped with an egg – it was just so good! We shared a panna cotta served with a yummy Garibaldi biscuit.
We did another small walk near the square and headed back, happily full from this beautiful village, a feast for all senses.
When we decided to go away for a surprise weekend away with the littles in Cotswolds, I knew we wanted to stay in a home. It is my preferred way of holidaying these days, especially after Mili and Ishaan have come into our lives. Don’t get me wrong, I love me a good buffet breakfast and a midnight room service and not having to do the dishes. But I more love the prospect of being in a place that someone made a home of, the idea of cooking in a new kitchen and whipping utterly simple meals with local produce, the thought of waking up to someone else’ garden views, the joy of sometimes making friends with a new temporary neighbour and the absolutely divine feeling of having figured how the places come together on your last day of the trip when roads to your home away from home, start to feel familiar. But most importantly, I love how someone else thinks of what a home should be like for a stranger who has chosen to stay at theirs and pour their thoughtfulness into it, in the small corners that bring the living room together, in the fireplace that smells of yours, in the kitchen that overlooks the road where the horses clippety clop away at about 7:30 in the morning as you brew your coffee, in the extremely well positioned baskets with blankets that always seem to be within your arms’ reach and the open spaces that let your crowded mind relax.
We stayed at the beautiful Daylesford cottage in Barton on Heath, very close to Moreton on Marsh, a part of north Cotswolds we had never been to. Here is what greeted us on arrival.
Life and Times of Piyu 