The Cotswolds in a motorhome

Upon leaving Bath we drove north to the Cotswolds, a large area in southern England designated as having 'Outstanding Beauty'. The area is known for its well-kept quintessentially English villages, and our first stop there was the delightfully ancient village of Castle Combe. 

Castle Combe cottages

It was full of old stone cottages with steep slate roofs, overflowing flower boxes, and abundant gardens. It was a very charming village to walk around.

Its history is in weaving, with red and white cloth being its specialty. We walked past some old weavers' cottages, and it wasn’t hard to imagine it as a busy, bustling place of industry.

Narrow and wet road coming out of Castle Comb, Cotswolds

As we were leaving, the rain really set in making for a slow trip northward. Our big motorhome Vtee, didn't seem to mind the wet weather but it slowed us down considerably on the narrow slippery roads.

Our next stop was in Cirencester, another ancient and pretty town. However, the rain hampered our visit somewhat, and it became more of a drive-by.

Burford shops

We then moved on to Burford. By now, the incredibly fickle weather had cleared up and we saw an interesting mix of stone and Tudor half-timber houses and shops, all beautifully presented. This is a very attractive town and it was buzzing while we were there.

We enjoyed a lovely walk around this small town, then drove on. We were headed to Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.

Blenheim Palace

We parked in the Blenheim Palace Park and walked through the beautiful grounds to the Great Court. As we entered this wonderfully Baroque Palace, we began to appreciate just how huge it is.

Once inside, we found there was lots of really good information about the history of the Palace and Winston Churchill’s connection to it. It was well set out and easy to follow, as well as very interesting.

Blenheim Palace salon

The Palace is still in use as a home, but we were able to visit certain of the Palace rooms. They are all very large, and beautifully decorated.

Outside, we viewed the formal gardens, two lakes, and the huge beautiful green parklands that surround the Palace.

  

Later, we walked over some of the parklands and out through a grand gate that had a security guard standing by. This ornate and well-guarded gate took us into the town of Woodstock. 

Woodstock

Located right next door to the Palace, it is a very lovely village with stone houses, narrow streets, plenty of shops, and the obligatory pub.

Leaving Blenheim Palace and Woodstock later, we headed to Morton-on-Marsh and the Greedy Goose Pub. The pub has a nice little camping ground out the back with facilities and electricity for motorhome like Vtee, so we camped there for the night. 

Greedy Goose pub and our campsite, Morton-on-Marsh, Cotswolds

We decided it was a good evening to dine at this cosy-looking pub, and so enjoyed a nice local meal before heading back to Vtee.

The next morning, we set off to view more Cotswold villages. Our first stop was Stow-on-the-Wold, a small market town located on the Roman Fosse Way, an old Roman road built during the first and second centuries AD.

Stow-on-the-Wold

Stow-on-the-Wold has a large market square, and an elegant array of golden stone cottages and shops. The whole town just reeks of history and is very lovely. 

Our next stop was the tiny village of Snowshill, tucked away down some very narrow roads. We parked at the local manor car park and walked back up to a row of beautiful, typical Cotswold stone cottages, shops, pubs, and a church. It was all so picturesque.

Broadway

Continuing on after that, we drove along more narrow roads and arrived in Broadway. This village is also called the ‘Jewel of the Cotswolds’, and we could soon see why.

While there were lots of tourists wandering around, we could see that it was rather gorgeous. It has a wide and very long main street, lovely houses and shops, and a mix of Tudor, Stuart and Georgian buildings.

We stopped at the local deli which had a very tempting array of goodies. So we bought some of course! 

Typical, tiny Cotswold road

A few hours later, we drove to yet another very small village, down another very small road. Entering the village, we were pondering the size of the road, wondering whether Vtee would fit through. Suddenly our hearts lifted as we met a bus coming toward us.

Throughout the trip so far, when we see a bus in a narrow road, it's a good sign - if a bus can get in and out so can we!

We drove on, then found a parking space at the edge of the village. 

A Stanton house

We had arrived into a rather sleepy place with a number of lovely 16th and 17th century houses. The village was Stanton, a refreshingly non-touristic and reasonably authentic Cotswold village.

On this leg of the trip, we have driven through many beautiful villages. We've seen lots of yellow sandstone cottages lined up along the roadside like soldiers on parade, differing only in their door colour and gardens - and there are so many cottages with impossibly thick thatched roofs - it is all so picturesque.

Tudor buildings in Tewkesbury

Moving out of the Cotswolds, our final destination was the market town of Tewkesbury, where we enjoying seeing many medieval and Tudor buildings. 

We’d had a wonderful few days exploring the beautiful Cotswolds. However, it's time now to move on, and our next stop will be in Wales.

This is part of a bigger blog on our travels around England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Belgium and Luxembourg. The first blog is called "Off to do the UK in a motorhome".