Chocolate Box Country

Over the Easter break, we decided to keep it local, so we rented a car and made our way up to the Cotswolds for the long weekend.  Renowned for its picture-perfect scenery, good enough to be put on the front of a chocolate box, we were keen to take long walks, maybe cycle a bit and take in the spring views.

We arrived late in the afternoon on the Thursday and, after a brief detour through some fields to get some cell phone reception, were greeted at the recently opened Longmeadow B&B by the owners carrying a tray of freshly brewed coffee and plates of Victoria sponge...  Delicious!  That sponge ultimately constituted our dinner.

Throughout the weekend, we pottered around the various villages, ate cream tea (what is the deal with clotted cream? How is it so scrummy?) and basically just chilled out. 

Our first stop was the comparatively large Chipping Campden, just down the road.  We gave the Badger Tea Rooms a go...  but kind of wish we hadn't, and stumbled the Campden Gallery exhibiting the works of Kurt Jackson, who we both liked (!!!).  Sadly, the paintings stayed on the gallery wall - we weren't prepared to part with the 23 grand required to obtain our favourite piece!

After that, Burton-on-the-Water and Snowshill (Bridget Jones was apparently filmed here) stand out as being particularly gorgeous.  For all the villages, it seems as though there's a building dress-code.  You must be made of a certain yellow and veined type of stone, you must have daffodils planted in your garden, thatched roof optional.

nom nom NOM NOM NOOOOOM

The food was a mixed bag, but when it was good, it was very very good.  The Ebrington Arms was a particular highlight.  I still dream of my duck liver parfait starter....  Mmmmmmmm, gooooooooooooood.  No wonder we only just scored a table!

The Cotswolds also has a castle, Broadway Tower.  So we climbed it.  Turns out, its had a varied past...  Thanks to its both picturesque and remote location, it has been favoured by local artists and was used during the Cold War to monitor nuclear fall out, with easy access to its own nuclear bunker.  Two things that I'm sure don't often go together.

Other than that, we pretty much ate chocolate...  Easter eggs were delivered with our breakfast on Easter Sunday, which was brilliant.  Religious festival = observed.

On our way back to London, we thought we'd swing by Stonehenge and take a look.  The massive queue and the 14 quid entry fee kind of put us off, so we followed the other cheap skates down the nearby country lane that offered fair-middling views without the price tag.  Whatever, it's ticked off the list!

A very relaxing and enjoyable weekend, really.  A good build up to our next adventure in Italy...

TTFN
M&K