Following last week’s soothing afternoon at Mayfield Lavender Farm, my English country idyll continued this week with a day trip to the Cotswolds. Located only a ninety minute drive from the capital, the Cotswolds offer enchanting villages immersed in fields of gold where the urban malaise of stress, pollution and over-crowded tubes seem as foreign as a McDonalds drive-through.
Office Breaks Cotswolds village
Arriving into Quenington, Geoff, our hike leader, gives us the low-down on country etiquette – recounting a harrowing tale of one hiker who dared to place a Starbucks coffee cup into a private bin. Who knew Starbucks could incite such wrath? With every reason to be proud of their rural utopia, the villagers’ suspicion of townies is perhaps understandable. But with the exception of one exasperated farmer, we’re warmly greeted by everyone we encounter.
Office Breaks The Cotswolds
Delving deeper into a world of plodding Labradors, immaculate country gardens and jaw-dropping dwellings (ranging from peasant cottages to fortresses) – the Kath Kidston vibe assails you from every frothy flower basket. Returning to a gentler by-gone era, the sense of community is nowhere more apparent than at the quirky Quenington telephone kiosk where you can pick up the latest thriller on the way to the shops. All a far cry from the dubious offers that assail you in London’s telephone boxes.
Office Breaks Quenington Telephone kiosk installation
Leaving Quenington behind in a blur of foxgloves and honey-hewn houses, we make our way onto open farmland where herds of woolly friends hint at the Cotswold’s glorious medieval heyday as Britain’s leading wool manufacturer. (Cots originally means sheep enclosures and wold means moorland.) Further trophies from the wool merchant’s days are emblazoned on the horizon in the form of domineering Downton Abbey-esque mansions. Built using limestone from the local area, the houses are luxuriously spacious and solidly reassuring with many still retaining their original slate roofs.
Office Breaks wool mechant’s house in the Cotswolds
The most impressive dwelling we encounter is undoubtedly Bibury Court hotel – a stunning 17th century Jacobean manor house on the scale of Buckingham Palace. Itching to take a look inside, we look down forlornly at our shabby hiking gear and decide to spare ourselves an embarrassing knock-back.
Office Breaks Name plaque for the Bibury Court hotel
Rocking up into Bibury – England’s prettiest village, according to William Morris, we make a beeline for Arlington Row. Nearly as famous as Oxford Street, the lane’s 14th century peasant cottages are immortalised in every travel brochure – bringing flocks of tourists in their wake. From modest dwellings in medieval days, the cottages are now among some of the most sought-after properties in the region.
Office Breaks Arlington Row, Bibury
Gingerly making our way down the heaving high street, (William Morris has a lot to answer for), we catch sight of the glinting rainbow trout destined for Bibury’s famous Trout Farm. Grabbing one of the few remaining tables, we’re amused to note the trout-themed menu, ranging from sandwiches to cheese and trout toasties. Fortunately there’s no sign of trout-flavoured ice cream this time. As a toastie fancier, I end up dithering for too long and miss the boat on a mid-afternoon snack. Leaving with a trout pout, I resolve to return again. In addition to feasting on trout, the farm also offers the opportunity to fish, feed or take trout home for your pond or reservoir.
Office Breaks Bibury Trout Farm and Fishery
Making our way back through the fields of gold, I note the ripening apples that are now coming into season as the chill of autumn approaches. The curious sight of ladders attached to trees highlights the presence of the hunting and shooting brigade in this area and as if on cue; a streak of grey flashes before us as three baby deer bid for cover.
Office Breaks Apples in the Cotswolds
On the way back to London, we decide to drop into the village of Burford – a veritable metropolis of 1000 residents. Home to its very own supermarket, (the first we’ve seen to date), the high street also offers a tempting array of independent food shops including the Cotswolds Cheese Company.
If that wasn’t enough, Burford is also home to one of the top twenty churches in the UK. Feeling too weary to shop or sightsee by this stage, we make a beeline instead for the Mermaid Inn for a reviving pint in the beer garden. With the setting sun casting a mid-summer glow over the flower baskets, my only regret is not booking an overnight stay. The over-crowded tubes can wait for another day.
I visited the Cotswolds on a day hike with Backabush Explorers.
What is your favourite British rural retreat?