Top 7 villages to see in the Cotswolds

While we all are waiting for travel restrictions to be lifted, I would like to feed your wanderlust with the most beautiful towns and villages to see in the Cotswolds.

Castle Combe

In my opinion, Castle Combe is one of the prettiest villages in the whole area and a definite must-visit. The name may sound a little confusing as there is no castle. But the village does take its name from the 12th-century motte and bailey castle which used to be located to the north of nowadays Castle Combe.

The village was used as a location in quite a few movies, some of them being Stardust and War Horse.

While exploring the village, do not miss Manor House Hotel pictured below.

Lower Slaughter

Another lovely village with an even more confusing name! It derives from the Old English term ‘slough’ meaning wet land, and not from what you could have thought. The village is built on the banks of the River Eye which also flows through Upper Slaughter.

Don’t miss the 19th-century watermill that now houses a museum. There’s also a craft shop and a handmade organic ice cream parlour. 

The views between the villages aren’t bad either!

Upper Slaughter

The village is slightly smaller than Lower Slaughter and therefore is less touristy. It’s still worth a visit if you are travelling through the area.

Burford

If you fancy a bit of shopping, Burford is the perfect places for it with a relatively busy high street lined up with small shops, pubs and cafes. I always pop in to Lynwood & Co cafe that does the best coffee in the area. On the opposite side of the road, you can find the Cotswolds Cheese Co. shop and The Burford Farm shop that are both worth a visit too.

Bourton-on-the-Water

This charming village is known as the Venice of the Cotswolds and perhaps that is the reason it’s always very busy and full of tourists. it’s also known for its low bridges and quaint limestone houses and is home to the Cotswold Motoring Museum that features vintage cars and a toy collection.

You can also visit The Model Village which is a one-ninth scale replica of the heart of the village of Bourton-on-the-Water.

Stow-on-the-Wold

Stow-on-the-Wold, originally called Stow St. Edward or Edwardstow after the town's patron saint Edward, is said to have originated as an Iron Age fort with its defensive position on a hill. Same as Burford, it’s a good place for a bit of shopping or for grabbing a bite to eat.

Don’t miss the medieval St Edward's Parish Church with its famous north door flanked by yew trees and Talbot Square lined with lovely little shops.

Bibury

Last but not least, Bibury was once described by William Morris as “the most beautiful village in England”. A picture of Bibury is seen on the inside cover of all United Kingdom passports, making it the most depicted village in the world. Arlington Row (pictured below), a row of weavers cottages built of local stone next to the River Coln, is a very popular tourist destination. I recommend arriving early if you would like to have the village all to yourself.

Looking for more places to visit in the area? You can find a separate post on Bath here, Bradford on Avon here and some other suggestions here.

A day trip from London - things to do in Norwich, Norfolk

Taking the advantage of January being a slightly less eventful month of the year, last week I took a train from London to visit a city I haven’t been to before and have been thinking of visiting for a long time. Norwich is only 2 hours away by train from London and if you book your tickets a little in advance (like I did) return journey costs only £20.

Did you that from the Middle Ages until the Industrial Revolution, Norwich was the largest city in England after London and one of the most important too? It is also the most complete medieval city in the United Kingdom. This makes it a great city to visit for a day trip, or you can stay overnight and then head to explore Norfolk Broads.

Norwich Cathedral

Norwich city centre is just a short walk from the train station. I started my trip with a visit to Norwich Cathedral. Built in the 11th century, the cathedral has the second largest cloisters in England and the second-largest cathedral spire.

Elm Hill

After visiting the Cathedral, I headed to Elm Hill, a pretty historic cobbled lane with many buildings dating back to the Tudor period. Don’t miss the Briton's Arms coffee house, one of five remaining thatched buildings in the City. There is a number of independent shops there including the Dormouse Bookshop.

Tombland bookshop

While in the area, I popped into Tombland bookshop, located in the 15th century building opposite the Cathedral, specialising in secondhand and antiquarian books displayed on two floors.

The Book Hive

Next on my list were Norwich lanes and while on the way there I went to check out another wonderful bookshop located in a quirky building - the Book Hive. It was very tempting to sit on its windowsill on the first floor with a book in hand but as my time in the city was limited, I headed further.

Norwich Lanes

It’s a lively area consisting of a few streets with a wonderful mix of old and new. Biddy’s Tea room (pictured below) looked particularly lovely.

The Bicycle shop (on the right photo below) also looked like a really good place for lunch. I could have spent hours browsing through Saint George’s Centre for the Arts vintage treasures (the left photo below).

I have seen those colourful houses on Instagram before and was keen to find them - they are located on the corner of Pottergate and Ten Bell Lane.

There are plenty of independent stores to check out - I loved Elm offering a range of plants, ceramics and gifts.

After so much walking I stopped for a quick bite at Strangers coffee house who have three cafes in Norwich.

Wilkinson’s of Norwich is an independent tea and coffee merchant - I loved their selection of loose leaf teas and the rich green colour of the facade.

Castle Quarter

Norwich Market has been in its current position for over 900 years and consists or around 200 stalls.

Don’t miss the beautiful art-nouveau Royal Arcade situated right next to the market.

Norwich Castle is another must-visit attraction in Norwich that unfortunately I only saw from behind the wall as it closes at 4:30pm and I ran out of time. A good reason to come back, isn’t it?

A riverside walk

If the weather is nice, a walk along the river is another great activity to do in Norwich. You can make a quick stop by the restored 15th-century, flint stone watergate and 17th-century Pulls Ferry House and see the Cow Tower, 1300s artillery tower built to defend Norwich from invasion.

A few other places to see in Norwich

Marble Hall

The Guildhall, Dragon Hall, Stranger’s Hall and St.Andrew’s Hall

The Museum of Norwich at the Bridewell

City Hall

What to see in and around Buckinghamshire

I am often asked by my followers who are visiting England, what to see outside London. In fact, there’s so much to see that it can take a few months!

This time I’m going to take you around parts of Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire. Those areas are easily reachable from London and are just perfect for a weekend getaway with a bit of history.

Waddesdon Manor

If you only visit one place in Buckinghamshire, make it Waddesdon Manor. This country house was built for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild in the 19th century in the Neo-Renaissance style of a French Loire Valley château.

It is currently managed by the Rothschild Foundation and is part of the National Trust. If you are planning to visit only the grounds, you can buy a ticket at the gate when you arrive but if you’d like to visit the house as well, I’d recommend booking online in advance as the tickets get sold out very quickly, especially at Christmas and weekends.

Interesting to note, that Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild left his estate to his youngest unmarried sister Alice. She established a set of housekeeping rules ‘Miss Alice’s Rules’ – guidelines for the care and preservation of the collections which even today form much of the basis of National Trust conservation guidelines. She did not allow even King Edward VII to touch the furniture!

Wrest Park

Wrest Park is a country estate in Bedfordshire with a Grade I listed 19th century country house set in restored garden landscape originating from the 17th century. You can easily spend a day there admiring the beautiful gardens, the sculptures and exploring the house. I imagine it’s particularly lovely in summer.

Wrest Park was used as a hospital during the First World War. Nan Herbert (Auberon Herbert, 9th Baron Lucas’ sister) was responsible for setting and running the hospital, and under her leadership Wrest Park became recognise

d as one of the best-run country house hospitals.

Where to stay

While exploring the area, I was invited to stay at Woughton House - MGallery in Milton Keynes.

I have previously stayed at MGallery hotels in Cheltenham and Bath and was happy to stay with them again. What I particularly like about MGallery hotels, is that they are addressing the needs of female travellers. They have recently launched a special ‘Inspired by her’ offering designed especially for women.

If you are looking for a place to surprise your mum on Mother’s Day, have a look at what Woughton house has to offer – starting from cocktails on arrival to lovely in-room amenities and ladies afternoon tea.

Stowe House and gardens

Stowe House is a grade I listed country house in Stowe, Buckinghamshire. It is now home to the independent Stowe School, while the gardens are owned by the National Trust. I haven’t visited the house because I didn’t book tickets in advance, but as it was a beautiful day, I had a lovely walk in the gardens.

Orangery of Castle Ashby

Last but not least, Castle Ashby gardens, located in Northamptonshire, but still easily reachable from Milton Keynes/Buckinghamshire. The unique Orangery dates back to the 19th century and houses a large central pond filled with fish and water lilies. It’s a very beautiful space for a photo shoot.

In partnership with MGallery. All opinions are my own.

48 hours in the most beautiful parts of England with MGallery by Sofitel

I am often asked about the best day trips from London. This trip was slightly longer than a day but it should give you plenty of ideas for a day trip or even for a week of travel around England. As I am based in London I usually travel only for a day but thanks to MGallery by Sofitel this time we had an opportunity to stay a bit longer and explore more.

The first stop of our trip was Windsor for an afternoon tea at Castle Hotel Windsor.

On Sunday Windsor was incredibly busy so we were glad to find a moment of calmness over a delicious afternoon tea in the Castle Hotel. The pale green elegant Georgian building is located right in the centre, just around the corner from Windsor Castle. The hotel has been in service since the 15th century and has been awarded eight Royal Warrants.

After savouring all the treats we headed to the Cotswolds and, of course, we couldn’t miss a quick visit to Castle Combe. The day was a bit rainy but the village looked even more authentic with an overcast sky. If you haven’t been to Castle Combe yet, you definitely need to add it to your list as it’s surely one of the prettiest villages in England!

We got there in no time thanks to our trusty companion, Mini 3-door Hatch that was kindly provided to us for the trip. We had so much fun driving this little beast!

You don’t need more than couple of hours in Castle Combe as it’s so tiny.  And it’s only 30 minutes away from Bath where we were staying for the night.

We arrived in Bath just in time to see the lovely Francis Hotel in the daylight. The hotel is located in the very heart of Bath and occupies seven of the original 18th-century townhouses on the Queen Square. The city of Bath is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the hotel is Grade 1 listed. Throughout the 18th century, Queen Square remained a residential district of Bath. Soloman Francis, a local builder, first opened a hotel at No.10 in 1858. Later, the hotel has expanded.

Taking the advantage of staying overnight in the city we decided to pop in the Roman Baths, a well-preserved Roman site for public bathing. It is now open as a museum, you cannot bath there anymore but there are plenty of other spas in the area if that’s what you are after.

If you are planning to visit Bath you can also check out this post from my previous trip.

I can talk about Bath forever as it’s one of my favourite cities in the UK (and if you are visiting for the first time you need to allow at least a day to see everything) but it was time for us to head further.

Having initially planned to spend more time in the Cotswolds, we realised that we could also visit Frome and Wells in Somerset so we decided to make a little detour.

Packed with historic buildings and lovely independent shops, Frome is worth visiting for a few hours.

I loved Frome but a real discovery of this trip was Wells. Most known for its Cathedral, Wells had city status since medieval times and is now considered to be England’s smallest city.

After admiring Vicar’s Close, claimed to be the oldest purely residential street with original buildings surviving intact in Europe, it was time to head to Cheltenham where we were staying for our second and final night of the road trip.

Passing through the pretty villages of the Cotswolds we have arrived to the Queens Hotel in Cheltenham.

Impressed by the grand white (Grade II listed) building of the hotel we had a really warm welcome with cocktails waiting for us in our rooms. The hotel has recently undergone a complete restoration but it still retains many of its original features including the wallpaper designed by Augustus Pugin, a key feature in 19th century architecture and design. We loved the gorgeous Georgian staircase too!

That was the end of our exciting girls’ road trip but I will surely return to those beautiful areas of England and will hopefully stay at MGallery by Sofitel hotels again.

In partnership with Mgallery by Sofitel and Mini. All opinions are my own.