The
Cotswolds offer English countryside at its best with beautiful
landscapes, picturesque villages, historic manor houses and
glorious gardens. Our Cotswold tour is based for a week in
the quaint town of Bourton-on-the-Water surrounded by gentle rolling
countryside. Distinctive honey-coloured
Cotswold stone walls and buildings typify this charming corner
of England. We see heritage houses and medieval churches,
atmospheric country estates and prehistoric burial mounds.
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Itinerary: The
following are just some of the highlights. Our back-roads
touring will include
lovely scenery, visits to
interesting villages and many historic sites.
Saturday: Arrival at Harrington
House in Bourton-on-the-Water in time for afternoon tea (travel
to the Cotswolds not included).
Sunday: We start by visiting the typical pretty Cotswold village of Snowshill where the
honey-coloured Cotswold stone houses cluster around the village
green and church. From here we move on to the more formally laid
out village of Broadway. In the afternoon we stroll along the
terraces at Kiftsgate Court Gardens with views of the Malvern Hills. Kiftsgate
Court Gardens is a series of interconnecting gardens each with
its distinct character and secrets.
The 'Kiftsgate Hundred' was the ancient area surrounding
Chipping Campden. Even today, the 'Kiftsgate Hundred' stone,
where the elders met to administer justice, stands in Weston
Park Wood above Chipping Campden
Monday: Our day starts with a stroll through Sherborne
Park Estate. Situated on the
picturesque Sherborne Estate in the Cotswolds, Lodge Park was
created in 1634 by John ‘Crump’ Dutton. Inspired by his
passion for gambling and banqueting, it has an ornate
grandstand, deer parks, water meadows, and village. The
estate holds many mysteries - in the grounds of the property is
a long barrow burial mound and the "lodge" is said to
be haunted by the ghost of John Dutton.
In the afternoon we travel to Bilbury, one of the
prettiest villages in the Cotswolds. Attractions here include a row of
weavers cottages built of local stone next to the river,
Arlington Mill and a trout farm as well as a Saxon Church.
Tuesday: Today we begin with a visit to Moreton-in-Marsh
with its unusual curfew tower. Moreton is a thriving market town
dating back 1000 years to the Saxon era. King Charles I granted
a charter for the market in 1637 and it is still exercised every
Tuesday when the High Street is thronged with market stalls and
shoppers from all over the Midlands. The broad High Street is
lined with elegant 17th and 18th Century buildings, among them
the White Hart Royal, a former manor house in which King Charles
I sheltered during the Civil War.
We have lunch in Blockley and then drive on to Chipping Camden.
This ancient town has many beautiful buildings - from St James
Church to Dover's Hill all nestle in tranquil and beautiful
countryside. Of interest to explore are the old Banqueting
House, the Almshouses, a thatched house, the Old Silk Mill which
is now a centre for local arts and crafts, St James Church and
the High Street with its olde shoppes.
Wednesday: Free day to
enjoy the town of Bourton on the Water with its tea-shoppes and
antique stores. You may want to spend time in the lovely grounds
of Harrington House and try your hand at croquet. The village
has an 18th century pub where you can sample the
local ale. For those who want to explore further afield, it
is possible to go to nearby Oxford for the day or visit Blenheim
Palace (home of Sir Winston Churchill)..
Thursday: Our
first stop is Northleach to view one of the finest "wool
churches" in the Cotswolds. Such large and impressive
churches illustrate the past importance of
the Cotswold sheep. We then visit Cirencester,
a thriving market town with wool merchants houses and a museum.
Cirencester was Britain’s second city in
Roman times (called Corinium) and today the Corinium
museum reveals plenty of that history along with many other
treasures of the Cotswolds. It is one of the finest collections of
antiquities from Roman times which come alive using full-scale
reconstructions to re-create life in Corinium.
Friday:
In the morning we visit the nearby village of Lower Slaughter.
We then continue to the peacefully atmospheric ruins of the
great medieval pilgrimage site of Hailes Abbey. This
late Cistercian house, built on the edge of the Cotswolds during
the mid-13th century, provides a lovely setting for a picnic
lunch.Most of the surviving artefacts from the site are now exhibited
in the museum. From floor tiles to vaulting bosses, and finely
carved stone (believed to be from the shrine) to pieces of a
13th century effigy of a knight. Soon after the Dissolution,
Hailes Abbey was granted to Katherine Parr (sixth wife of Henry
VIII).
Our last stop is Sudeley Castle and Gardens which was once home
to Katherine Parr who died here and is buried in the chapel.
Many of the Tudor royalty stayed and lived here and today one
can wander around the castle amid gardens such as the Queen's
Garden, the Mulberry Garden and the Victorian Kitchen Garden
to name just a few.
Saturday: Tour ends after breakfast.
Cost per person: (based on double occupancy) 729
GBP (Great Britain pounds)
Sole occupancy supplement: 257 GBP
A few small single rooms are sometimes available with a
supplement of 49 GBP
Extra charges for admissions to museums approximately 50 GBP .
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