We left London in our hired Vauxhall, passing Big Ben as we crossed the Thames River. Five minutes later, to our surprise, we found ourselves passing Big Ben again as we crossed the Thames a second time, over the same bridge. And then a third, 15 minutes later! The tension in the car was rising but we didn’t make the same mistake again, and within two hours after jaunts along the M4, M25 & M40, we arrived in the Cotswolds region to the north west of Oxford.
Think English storybook village scenes – think the Cotswolds. Few places on Earth are as beautiful as these timeless centuries-old villages, most of which sport intriguingly quaint names like Chipping Sodbury, Upper Slaughter, The Rissingtons, and Moreton in Marsh.
We checked into the excellent Over the Bridge B&B in the serenest village of them all, Bourton-on-the-Water, through which the shallow River Windrush silently glides to the satisfaction of the local ducks and trout. Fortified the next morning with a large hot English breakfast, we set out to see and stroll in a few of the nearby towns and villages. Our favourites were Chipping Camden, Broadway, Stow on the Wold, Lower Slaughter and Bourton-on-the-Water. But they’re all beautiful, each possessing its own unique character.
We stopped for a late picnic lunch in the characterful graveyard surrounding the 13th century Saint Eadburgha’s Church at Snowshill above Broadway. From there it was a short journey along narrow tree-lined roads back to Bourton, the last of the day’s sun rays flashing between the hedges. But there was no need to look out for kangaroos, and the Vauxhall was more than a match for any pheasant thinking of making a dash.
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
