Cotswolds villages

Costwolds has always been popular for its very beautiful villages. I find the best time to visit the villages is in Autumn as the autumn colours are simply stunning against the natural limestone colours of the villages. Each village is quite unique which I will detail. However, beware that some of these villages are becoming  extremely busy with tourists. Parking can be very hard. Please respect the local residents!

 

Here are the villages I visited so far:

-            Moreton-in-Marsh - Moreton-in-Marsh is widely regarded as the inspiration for the fictional town of Bree, which features in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The Bell Inn is often cited as the inspiration for the Prancing Pony, the inn at Bree and you can grab a beer or more! It is one of the quieter villages of the Costwolds. There’s quite a few attractions including Batsford Arboretum and Cotswold Falconry Centre: Home to a large collection of birds of prey with daily flying displays, situated next to the arboretum. However, a very unique attraction is Sezincote House and Garden which on the exterior looks like a Indian Palace from the Mughal era. The Garden also is very unique with a Surya Temple, Grotto and water features. You can visit the house by booking  a  tour. I booked a tour online to make sure I don’t wait! I loved seeing the interior which is not like its exterior! It is still inhabited and felt so jealous of the beautiful grounds they own. Visiting the house took more than half a day to thoroughly enjoy the house and gardens!

-            Cirencester is a town and another quiet part of the Costwolds. It used to be a Roman town and to learn its Roman History, you can visit the Corinium Museum which some of the most beautiful Roman mosaic tiles I have ever seen! It is so well layed out with a comprehensive history of the town and nearby villages. There’s a small entry fee but totally worth it! The cathedral is also very nice. Next to the chapel, if you see the walls you can see some old paintings coming through the walls! You can also see the original Boleyn cup which was given to the town as gratitude! I also enjoyed walking through the park with its lake and beautiful view of the cathedral.

-            Bibury – this village was so busy even on a weekday during a work week! I went by bus but the roads were full with cars with no parking spaces! Bibury is famous for many things. Arlington Row was a bit disappointing. I thought it will be more the cottages so this was a just a very quick walk around. However, the Trout Farm is well worth your time and money! You can fish and BBQ your own fish on site at an extra cost. As part of the entry fee, you will also be given fish food which I was so excited about so I can see the trouts. They were different types of trouts too. There’s lots of information boards so you can learn more about the trouts and the farm! There’s also a small park to keep the kids entertained and plenty of picnic tables! I cannot recommend this attraction enough! I also enjoyed the riverside views!

 

I will keep exploring the rest of the Cotswold villages soon!