Hidden Cotswold Tour 14th July 2023
Umbrellas were the necessity of the day. They were neccessary to get today’s gusts from the hotel to the car!
This was at Buckland Manor where I met up with Nancy, Dick, Melissa and Jeff.
Undeterred we set off.
Donnington Brewery
Our first stop was the tranquil and beautiful spot of Donnington Brewery. Umbrellas were called for to have a wander up to the mill race and the water wheel. Patrick, the peacock, looking somewhat bedraggled, was calling from the roof of the brewery.
There has been a brewery at Donnington since 1865, when Richard Arkell started brewing beer alongside the farming enterprise. The building itself dates back to 1291 when it was one of the mills of Broadway Manor.
Stow-on-the-Wold
From Donnington we headed towards Stow-on-the-Wold. It’s a busy day in Stow so I dropped them off at the top of Digbeth Street and pointed out the Cotswold Chocolate Shop Na the Cotswold Chees shop. Arranging to meet up at the Porch House. The Oldest Inn in the country dating back to 947AD!
We still found time to have a quick look in our shop, Jenny Edwards-Moss and meet Jenny.
Stow-on the-Wold is the highest of the Cotswold towns standing exposed on 800 feet high Stow Hill at a junction of seven major roads, including the Roman Fosse Way. The vast Market Square testifies to the towns former importance. Around the square the visitor is faced with an elegant array of Cotswold town houses and shops.
The Slaughters
From Stow it was a short journey with some wonderful views down the narrow lanes to the village of Upper Slaughter. Here we all got out and had a look at the the Church of St. Peter.
I was very happy that Jeff was taken by the continuity of rectors since the 12th century. Something I always marvel at.
Back in the car we drove very slowly through Lower Slaughter with little stops to look at the mill and river.
It was noticeable how the weather was keeping people away and it did feel at times as if we had the Cotswolds to ourselves.
The building that dominates Upper Slaughter is the beautiful gabled Manor House which is one of the finest buildings in the area. The Manor is now a hotel. Upper Slaughter is known as a ‘Double Thankful Village’ due to all their then members of the armed forces surviving both World War I and World War II.
Bourton-on-the-Water
We took a little detour to take in the village of Wyck Rissington before coming down througn Little Rissington and into Bourton-on-the-Water.
Here I let every one out and pointed Dick in the direction of the public loos. I had armed him with a 20p piece to gain access. But, Horrors!, it is snow 40p. Dick was not to be put off and charmed his way in.
we re-grouped and set off for lunch.
Bourton-on-the-Water has been described as the ‘Little Venice’ of the Cotswolds and is one of the most popular tourist spots in the region being serviced by the many shops, cafe’s, and attractions
Guiting Power
Of the several requests from Nancy, one was a Ploughman’s lunch for Dick. Not many places have this on their menus nowadays. But I found the Hollow Bottom in Guiting Power did and it could easily be on our route. So we booked a table and were now on our way.
All looking good apart from the music, which with a polite request was turned off.
I enjoyed my meal and thank you very much for treating me,
Guiting Power is a perfect example of how the English village can seem to have been carved from the earth it is built on. The village is in the upper reaches of the Windrush Valley, built on the site of an Anglo Saxon settlement called Gyting Broc, dating back to around the 8th century. Guiting (pronounced gitting) comes from the Saxon word getinge, which meant rushing and also features in the name of the nearby village of Temple Guiting.
Cotswold Lavender
Service was not that fast and time ticked on so we had to set off back to Buckland. I thought it prudent to drop into Cotswold Lavender at Snowshill as it was on the way back. We did a quick loop taking in the field of lavender before heading off through the downpours and back to Buckland Manor.
Lavender has been grown at Cotswold Lavender for the over 20 years as it loves the free draining limestone soils giving the highest quality essential oils. There are over 35 different varieties of lavender covering more than 70 acres of the farm. Every year at the height of summer the lavender gives a stunning display of colour.
Route
Despite the rain we had a good taste of the North Cotswolds, taking in various towns and villages.
We have more to do tomorrow.
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