Cotswolds

Cots = sheep's shelters
Wolds = hills

Driving around Cotswolds, one can understand where the name came from. Gentle hills and sheep, horses and other animals everywhere around. What is also charming and makes this place so enchanting are the villages.

Bibury is said to be the most beautiful place in Cotswolds and looking at this and the picture above, I can easily say that they are right. If only there were not the tourists (one of them was me - oops) this place would be even more charming.

Just look at the roofs and the stonework. And we were lucky with the weather as well. Simply beautiful.


Before arriving to Bibury, we had to stop in Burford, a gateway to Cotswolds. Apart from admiring the picturesque village, we also visited the church which is some 900 years old.

Apparently, you can really recognise the age of such structures by simply looking at the towers. It is the one on the left, the one with the flat roof, that dates the church as far back as c.1175 (or so we were told). The tower on the right, the one with the spiky roof, is much 'younger' (though I think it is still pretty old anyway).

Whenever I come to a church I have to admire the windows, the vaults and the complexity and wisdom with which they were built. People had to be so clever to achieve such beauty.


We visited few more villages before reaching the finale of our trip, Stratford upon Avon. Yes, the birthplace of William Shakespeare (also a place where he died in between living in London).

What you can see here is a close-up of William Shakespeare's birthplace revealing the original section of the building.

Displayed behind a sheet of glass, yet again I have to admire the skill and knowledge of craftsmen of that time.

And this building is still standing, some 450 years later...





What I also remember about this place are the exteriors of the buildings around as you can see in the selection underneath. So eye-catching, so visually pleasing.

I would say, Cotswolds is a place worth visiting. There are some hidden gems in England but Cotswolds is not even hidden. It is there in the open. I am glad I have finally seen it all with my own eyes. We spent one day traveling from one village to another, stopping for lunch (trout that they claimed was caught just before we ordered the meal) and scones (proper English ones with jam and clotted cream) at teatime. If you ever come to England, I have just recommended a place for you. This is a must.