Chipping Campden

Chipping Campden is a bustling, quaint town in the British Cotswolds, complete with a traditional British High Street. We stayed at the most enchanting little cottage while visiting (found here). It was my favorite accommodation during my entire time in England — pristine, serene, and unbelievably cozy! The windows of the cottage cranked outwards, so I would open some whenever there was a drizzle of rain, plop onto a bed or chair, and read to the soothing sound of falling drops. There are so many cute shops in Chipping Campden, including Draycott Books, Stuart House Antiques, and — my favorite — Campden Coffee Co. (Warning: getting food to-go or as “takeaway” does not exist here.) By an act of complete chance, we happened to be staying in Chipping Campden during the 2018 Cotswold Olimpick Games, with shin-kicking and torch-bearing mobs included, which resulted in quite a ruckus in the evenings. Oops.

Snowshill

Our dear British driver and tour guide, Jim Gladwin, drove us to the small, picturesque village of Snowshill. It is said that, when snow falls in the region, it always falls here first. Snowshill is renowned for its unspoiled beauty and ancient architecture; Snowshill Manor, home to the expansive antiquity collection of the eccentric Sir Charles Wade and where Virginia Woolf once stayed as a guest; and Bridget Jones’s Diary, which it was a filming location for. There’s also a lovely lavender field (pictured above) at Hill Barn Farm in Snowshill!

Broadway

Broadway is one of the chicest areas of the Cotswolds. We only passed through briefly, but I wish I could have had more time to explore the Tea Set, the Bakehouse, and Cotswold Chocolate Co. (A scenic hike to nearby Broadway Tower would be a must to counteract all of those sweet treats.) Options for vegan and vegetarian meals were notably available here, at establishments such as Russell’s, contrasting with much of the traditional pub culture found elsewhere throughout the British countryside.

The Slaughters & Bourton-on-the-Water

Upper and Lower Slaughter share a fascinating (deceptively terrifying) name, which derives from the old English ‘Slohtre‘ — meaning ‘muddy place.’ Upper Slaughter is a ‘sainted village,’ meaning that it lost no inhabitants in the First World War. The River Eye runs through the the two villages, which have remained utterly unchanged for more than a century; no building work has taken place since 1906. In contrast to the bustle of Bourton-on-the-Water, the only attraction in the Slaughters is a restored nineteenth century flour mill — which now has a tea room and ice cream parlor for visitors. Bourton-on-the-Water is always positively overflowing with gawking tourists, so we did not linger long. However, simply driving about its winding streets, which often bridge over the river running through the town, was lovely.

Swinbrook & Burford

For Downton Abbey fans, The Swan Inn of Swinbrook may look familiar as this is where *spoiler alert* Sybil and Tom elope in Season 2. There are also some astonishingly beautiful churches in this area of the countryside, such as St. Mary’s Church (left), where the Mitford sisters are buried, and Burford Church (right).

Bampton

Bampton is affectionately known as “Downton Village” because many pivotal scenes of Downtown Abbey were filmed here! St. Mary’s Church (heralded as St. Michael and All Angels in the show) was used for filming various weddings (or not-quite-weddings *cough* Edith *cough*), funerals, and christenings in the series, and the nearby Churchgate House, also pictured above, served as Isobel Crawley’s home. The Bampton Community Archive was used to film the series’  World War I hospital scenes and now houses a Downton Abbey-themed gift shop.

Poulton & Cirencester

There is nothing really to say about Poulton; unbeknownst to us before arriving at our cottage, there is only a pub, The Falcon Inn, and a small store to be found there. However, it must be said that The Falcon Inn has incredible pizza served outside on Thursday evenings in the summer. Cirencester has far more to offer the eager traveller: the stunning Abbey Grounds (that once belonged to St Mary’s Abbey, dissolved by Henry VIII in 1539), the parish church of St. John the Baptist, the Wool Market (home to the vintage shop, Ava & Ida, where I bought the most darling green hat), Roman ruins, and The Bear Inn (where I arguably had the best pasta I have ever eaten in my life).

Bakewell

Bakewell was the first place in my England travels where my soul at last went, “Ah! Now this is a place I could call home.” I revered and adored the daily scenic hike into town along a softly murmuring brook (upon which ducklings would often play) from the beautiful cottage where we stayed (here). Seriously, imagine all of the pages of poetry that I could fill if I lived here and simply wandered around on a whim! Highlights of Bakewell include The Rutland Arms Hotel, where Jane Austen stayed and worked on her manuscript of Pride and Prejudice, and the adorable gluten-friendly tea room Because I Like It. For both the gluten-free and the unafraid, please do not refrain from sampling a signature Bakewell Tart while here! Hiking opportunities in Peak District National Park abound and Chatsworth, the site of Pemberley in Pride & Prejudice (2005), and Haddon Hall, the site of Thornfield in Jane Eyre (2011), are both only a short drive away.

P.S. A blog post solely focusing on Chatsworth is in the works. Yes, it was that good.