It’s time again to get out of London for a weekend and head for the pretty contryside of the Cotswolds. Now this region is larger than I first thought, at 2072 square kilometres its not huge, but the winding roads taking you in and out of the little townships dotted through stunning farming land make for a memorable drive. It will take many trips to see all the offerings of the region, which is a good thing. If what we saw and experienced over our first weekend there was anything to go by, we’ll be going back many times.

First up we needed some wheels as the train gets you there but the sneakers can only get you so far from the train station. So it’s off the Heathrow via the Tube, pick up a car and head to our first town. The drive was entertaining as England seems to have a preference for manual gearboxes in their cars and, well frankly, its been a while since I have driven a manual. The funny thing is, I really enjoyed it even though it was an economy level car, it was entertaining. I may need to speak to the Boss about upgrading to something sportier in furture, maybe a convertible…

The rolling hills or “Wolds”, where the area gets its Cotswolds name from, are beautiful and reminds us of all those old English TV series we enjoyed. It also reminds me of Tasmania and the “Tiers” of mountains that run throughout the island. Driving through this area does feel a lot like a road trip in Tasmania, the similarities are uncanny. Not to mention that the town names have a lot in common.

We visited a number of towns during our stay but it seems that half of London was keen to visit the area at the same time as the weather was near perfect, and these little towns don’t have parking for that many cars. So it was a case of we’ll stop if we can find a parking space or we’ll come back to the town on another occassion.

The photos show some of the highlights from the towns we managed to stop in while our drive took us through Burford, Bibury, Bourton on Wold and Moreton on Marsh.

We stayed the night at the Blue Boar Inn that is the quintessential cotswolds pub and features a glass panel in the floor showing a well that the inn is bult over.

Sunday morning we get an early start to allow us to roam the streets of Stratford upon Avon before the crowds arrive. They have definitely taken advantage of the river here as the parklands in the heart of town run down both sides of the river making it a welcoming spot for a coffee and a wander. This is the birthplace of William Shakespeare and he is celebrated by the community as they are extremely proud of him. The town has a mixture of buildings from all eras that range in age from old, to very old, and older again.

Following on from Stratford Upon Avon we head to Coventry to see their old cathedral which is impressive even after being devastated in World War 2. For us its the only highlight of a city that struggles to show any pretty parts. We must have missed them as we were drove around so I’ll do some more research about the area before we decide to visit again.

All too soon its time to head back to London but not before a stop for lunch in Banbury where we found The Roebuck Hotel. With it Cotswold stone walls and thatched roof it is a stunning mixture of buildings and style. The food was spot on as well making for a good ending to the trip. We’ll definitely be back to this area in the near future.