England 1997
December 19, 1997 – Day 6
The Cotswolds in style!
Fred Coultas, Managing Director of the British Motor Heritage Centre, has asked Roger to be a test subject for a new commercial venture he is proposing. The Centre (or Center… your choice!) will offer customized tours of the Cotswolds (the beautiful hilly region in England’s Midlands region… see last years pictures and descriptions!) in vintage British automobiles.
I jump at the offer and set out in a 1965 classic Rover. This is the same make that several European and English royals have used in the past. It is a nice car, for sure!
My driver, Brian, and my hostess, Sarah, take me about familiar territory (I had toured most of the area with John and Marianne last year). It was a good thing that the countryside was familiar, because a dense, but very English fog has reduced visibility from (at best) one mile to (at worst) a few hundred yards.
Some of the more memorable stops included:
I love the names of some of these villages! Apparently, these villages used to specialize in the “processing” of the sheep. The “Upper” and “Lower” nomenclature dealt with which village was further up the hill from the other.
Yet another picture-perfect Cotswold village! We stopped for tea and to discuss how to structure the tour. I step outside to take a few pictures and get a better look around. There is a really cool, and very narrow alleyway between two of the buildings. I don’t know why… but I thought it was worth a picture!
Perhaps the most well known of the villages, Broadway has a picturesque “High Street” that runs through the center of town. It is here that we stop for lunch at a pub next to a very old hotel.
After a fine pub lunch, we take a look at the hotel, since Fred is planning on adding their services to the tour package. The rooms in the hotel are all different and very distinct in their “Shakespearean” decorations. A large fireplace in one of the drawing rooms (the original kitchen, we’re told) is puffing out just a little bit too much smoke for our taste, so we step outside.
FINALLY!!! I get a picture of the “No Fouling” sign I wanted… Now, if I can just get the “Old People Crossing” sign, my journeys will be a success! ?
A very old marketplace in the center of town provided the local farmers a permanent, covered area to sell their wares.
This is a stunning small village with a lovely stream that flows through the center of town. We stop for a moment, so that I can walk onto the main bridge (which really isn’t all that large) and take a picture across the park and towards the main portion of town. It was only after I turned around that I saw the better view with the small waterfall and nearby old stables.
Brian and Sarah are very nice and patient with me as I slip into “tourist mode.” We have some nice conversations about the area and “things British” and “things American.” We even find a few things in the area that they had not done before!
We crossed a small ford (low water crossing) and saw a functional post box from King George’s reign (remember that we saw a box from Queen Victoria’s era at the end of the Edwards’ lane last time!).
As I returned to the BMHC, I gave Fred my opinions of the day. Since these tours will be offered in times of the year when fog won’t be so much of a problem, this should be a very popular (and profitable!) tour! I bid Fred farewell and thank Brian and Sarah for a fine afternoon.
Dinner this evening takes a dramatic, but welcome, change. We stop at an authentic “Chip Shop” for some true English fish and chips (so authentic, that they’re wrapped in paper!).
We take the yummy smelly bounty to Mill Cottage, the Edwards’ 500 year old home.
They have recently made an addition that contains the new master bedroom and bathroom and the dining room. John’s brother, Dave (the “Viking”), was the architect and had to have the plans approved in advance, as the cottage is a registered historic building.
The fish and chips are devoured quickly and we settle in for a quick (ha!) and lively game of the UK version (!) of Trivial Pursuit. Mark and Roger emerge the victors!!!!
Since it is now very late and we had… um… “sampled” some incredibly smooth 15-year old Scotch, John and Marianne offer the spare bedroom for the night, rather than returning to King’s Court.
Given the opportunity to sleep in a 500 year old cottage, I eagerly accept.
