Deep in the heart of middle England
Heading into 2025…having closed my beloved store in Denver’s Highlands neighborhood and the stress of holiday season coupled with a desire for some alone time…I booked a round trip ticket to Heathrow for a long solo weekend. I realize that going to England in the dead of winter is not everyone else’s dream, but I truly enjoy weather and spending late Janauary trekking through the muddy farm encrusted hills of middle England’s Cotswolds was EXACTLY what I would call a dream vacation.
I nervously braved the renting of a car in London. Yes, one where the driver sits on the right side of the car. And yes, in England where they drive on the left side of the road. Despite possessing the ability to drive a manual transmission, under advisement, I decided against the added element of driving difficulty by getting an automatic that also had in car GPS as well as some added insurance. I might recommend that you do the same, should you decide to duplicate my adventure. Regarding driving: I was right to be nervous and you would be ill-advised to not be. However, i embarked on a 2+ hour highway drive from Heathrow that gave me lots of time to familiarize myself with the car and road rules, like their use of roundabouts, and getting used to the far right lane as the fast lane.
Day 1: I landed at Heathrow at 9:30am and picked up my rental car shortly there after. I have a Google phone and so getting my phone to work on international soil is never an issue as it is with iPhones. I sat in the parking lot for a good amount of time to hype myself for what I was about to do and snacked on a banana, plugged in my phone, turned on some music and made my anticipated pilgrimage to DeVol Kitchens at Cotes Mill in Leicestershire (pronounced Les-tuh-sure to Americans).
I could devote this entire blog to my Cotes Mill trip (and maybe I will in the future) but let me just say, if you’re a fan of DeVol Kitchens in any capacity this is a MUST stop. I had planned to be there about 2 hours with a tour of the exterior gardens. However, after a brief stop at a rest stop where I grabbed a small wheel of cheese, a coke and Swedish Fish, then brushed my teeth, and made myself look presentable after a 9 hour trans-atlantic flight and 2 hour car ride, I got to Cotes Mill around 1pm and stayed about 4 hours, missing completely the exterior grounds. I was able to unexpectedly meet with my design heroes and chat about product design in a way that was truly unforgettable. Something I could have never anticipated or expected. And I felt so humbled and special to have that opportunity. I couldn’t leave without purchasing an antique painting that Helen herself would have intentionally chosen and curated so perfectly in the Sebastian Cox kitchen alongside my beloved Heirloom kitchen and brass sink.
With my head in a fog and on a major high, I hopped back in my little red car and trekked 2.5 hours down south to my farm stay in the Cotswolds.
Day 2: As part of my farm stay accommodations, it was within my duties to awake and help with prescribed farm chores in exchange for farm fresh breakfast and foods. The sun came up at 8am where I was met with a babbling brook, frosted dew on the grass, honking geese, and a gorgeous sunrise. Steps out the double doors across from my bed, I handed off food to the pheasants, geese and ducks on the farm. I snacked on toast with farm fresh butter, 2 farm fresh eggs and some really velvety smooth milk before heading in to change out of my muddy wellies.
I had planned to visit a popular bakery (Lavender Bakehouse) nearby on my way to my next destination but unfortunately, they were unexpectedly closed.
I had reserved a workshop in advance with Honeybourne Pottery where I took a 3 hour course on the potter's wheel! When I think of England, I think of pottery, so it seemed like no better place to take my first ever try at clay. I enjoyed my time getting my hands dirty and learning something new. I’m not a prodigy and found myself in less of a meditative state and instead heavily focused on troubleshooting at each moment to accomplish what I felt my hands should be doing. We were allowed to make as many pieces as we wanted and to take 2 home. We used air dried clay and so I was able to leave my creations out at my farm stay house through the rest of my trip until I packed them safely in my suitcase on return.
I made friends with other class attendees who suggested I go to Broadway, just a 15 minute drive away for a bite to eat and to explore. So I took the advice, and parked at the end of the town at the top of the hill and made my hike down passed narrow streets lined with centuries old houses. On a Saturday, the little town speckled with visitors and families alike; all adorned in a rain coat of sorts and their own muddied wellies…even the littles rocked their brightly colored rain boots crusted with wet and dry mud. I stopped into Otis & Belle and grabbed a rhubarb cheesecake and chamomile tea. I sat outside and was greeted by numerous dogs. A fuzzy mutt named Molly paid me a lot of attention and so her parents and I naturally took to conversation over our teas. They had suggested I trek up to Broadway Tower (which was already in my plans) and suggested we walk together across the 4 muddy fields where they had parked at the top of the hill. As we hiked, we realized the sun was soon setting and so plans changed that I would go with them to their car and they would drive me to the tower in time for me to trek down the 2 mile hill while I still had some sunlight. Don’t worry - nothing bad happened and sure everyone would tell me to never take a ride from strangers. I assure you, all was well. I got to Broadway Tower right at 4 and as the sun was in striking position. Broadway Tower is atop Beacon Hill and is the second highest point in the Cotswolds so the views were simply spectacular. I hadn’t anticipated taking the paid tour, but a placard had mentioned William Morris started his campaign for the preservation of historic monuments whilst staying at the Tower during one of his Holiday retreats. Naturally, I was intrigued. If you aren’t familiar with William Morris (you are certianly familiar with his designs!) he is known as one of England’s leading designers and artists of the 19th century, leading the arts and crafts movement.
I hiked rather quickly down the hill back to my car - a true race against the impending darkness. There I met some horses and enjoyed spending my time with the centuries old stone walls that divide the properties. Back at my car, I decided to head south to my farm stay. My travel itinerary had made mention of a 400 year old pub somewhat out of the way that I decided on a whim to divert to. The Ebrington Arms is an idyllic Cotswold pub dating back to the 1600s, set in stunning countryside overlooking the village green and thatched cottages. It was dark and so I was not able to see the landscape around but the pub itself was plenty to enjoy. I sat at the bar and enjoyed a couple gin and tonics and a lovely cheese board before indulging in a mushroom risotto and the most delicious halibut of my life where I sat next to a fireplace large enough to fit a car in and had etchings in the wood beams from the days of King George I. I allowed my food to soak up my gin and tonics before polishing off some sparkling water and made my drive back to my farm stay.
Late at night and somewhat sleep deprived, I lit up my wood burning stove, took a quick hot shower and soon fell asleep looking at brightly glowing Mars through the skylight.
Day 3: This day was supposed to be my free-choice day where I would kind of allow things to lead me naturally and Monday would be the day I headed further south for an itinerary packed day, however, a number of things stood in my way. One, Storm Éowyn was an extratropical cyclone heading straight for Ireland and the UK brining heavy rainfall and a wind advisory and two, one of my stops was to be closed on Monday. So, I swapped plans for the day. The weather really was miserable first thing in the morning and so farm chores were ill-advised. I instead slept in and then had eggs-Benedict with my farm stay hosts where she told me the male Goose’s name is Michael.
I took the scenic drive through the Cotswolds down to Stonehenge. Now, I had mentioned before that I truly enjoy weather and I WAS dressed completely prepared…fleece leggings, wellies with 2 pair of socks, long sleeve sweater, fur lined neck warmer, a fur lined beanie, puffer jacket with my rainjacket over the top and it’s hood up. Only my eyes were showing. But it was no match for 65 mile an hour winds and sleet/rain. I parked, bought my tickets and boarded the shuttle bus. The only person on it. When I got to the top to walk to the viewing path around Stonehenge, it was a battle against the elements! I walked backwards most of the way as the rain pelted the only expose of skin that felt more like beestings than water. And I only spent a few minutes there before a ranger/guide told me they were closing down due to high winds. On my walk back to the shuttle I did walk over something that read “Aubrey Hole” on the path and caught a glimpse of a curved rock pushing up out of the ground that read “Station Stones”. Neither of this meant anything to me. But I admit, I went to Stonehenge with an incredibly limited idea of what it was. I’ll spare you the education on it but it was most likely deceivingly more complex than you probably realized. Getting back down to the visitor’s center, I spent a large portion of time in the learning center where I was enthralled with it’s rich history. And also learned that there are numerous spots of standing stones within the region. Had the weather been even slightly better, I would have diverted to spend some time trekking those as well.
Back to Aubrey Holes and Station Stones - I recommend looking them up but they are significant to the original architecture of Stonehenge. I suddenly was envious of those who were able to see Stonehenge during special solar and lunar moments, like the recent eclipse.
I grabbed a quick snack in the visitor’s center and headed 20 minutes east to the Bombay Sapphire Distillery. My favorite gin. And probably yours too, if you’re a gin person. Architecturally marvelous and small is stature. Rich in history. I took the tour where they began by giving us a freshly tapped gin and tonic and we were supposed to spend time outside touring the grounds but the weather really had other ideas. We toured the greenhouse, saw the 3 stills that produce their gin - an astounding 60 million bottles a year! and spent a good amount of time investigating their proprietary blend of botanicals. Awe inspiring to tour grounds that have devoted over 1000 years serving as a mill: first for corn, then paper, and eventually gin. I finished the tour with an etched bottle of Bombay Sapphire and so much excitement about seeing the World’s Most Sustainable Gin Distillery.
On my drive back to the farm stay I realized how hungry I was and decided to just park and walk to find food in the next village, which ended up being Kingsclere. I popped into the Bel & The Dragon at the Swan Hotel and enjoyed a gorgeous wild mushroom polenta, Moules mariniére, a nice glass of white wine and a classic sticky toffee pudding.
*this day I had also planned to go to Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey!) which is just 10 minutes down the road from Bombay Sapphire however, the castle is closed most of the year as it’s still a working estate, so no tours were available. I was okay to visit without a tour and use the walking paths nearby to walk the grounds and catch an iconic glimpse but the rain was still miserable and I didn’t find much appeal in trying to make it happen. I had also planned to drive back through Bath for a visit (suggested by many) but because of my late morning start and state of hunger, I decided it wasn’t important enough to force. These were the only things I had to divert from on my trip*
Day 4: I woke up to gorgeous blue skies and was back at my farm stay duties that included working in the barn on stocking hay for the horses, checking in on the cows, and a walk amongst the sheep. This would be my last full morning in the Cotswolds as my flight is early the next morning so I enjoyed a lovely farm fresh breakfast after spending some time on the farm. From there, I drove north up to Moreton-on-Marsh & Bibury (what William Morris called “the most beautiful village in England") and is still considered one of the most picturesque villages in the Cotswolds, and worked my way south to as much of the Cotswolds as possible. While in Bibury, I stopped into a small coffee shop for a raspberry filled croissant and chamomile tea and had a lovely chat with a woman who was photographing her two very well behaved golden doodles on a stone bridge for her Dogs in the Cotswolds calendar. She reminded me of all the villages I should try to drive through before leaving England.
I had a reservation that I made in advance at PIG at the Cotswolds. This is a highly recommended stop if you’re visiting the Cotswolds. It’s a storied boutique hotel with top notch dining as well as a spa. Not only was it styled and decorated to perfection but the PIG is all about sustainability and their incredible kitchen garden. With their ‘25 mile Menu’ everything on it is from the working gardens or locally produced within a 25-mile radius of the hotel. It’s easy to spend hours here enjoying your meal as well as lovely quaint ambience. I had a gorgegous glass of white wine with my plates of turnips and creme fraiche with chives, pickled red cabbage, arugala, and buffalo mozzarella, trout pate from the trout farm just visited in Moreton-on-Marsh and a delicately roasted chicken with porcini mushroom sauce. Sufficiently stuffed and slightly behind schedule (but all was forgiven due to the incredible dining experience), I made my way down through Stow on the Wold where I walked the adorable streets lined with local shops and picked up some amazing baked goods for later (a Victoria sponge and chocolate eclair with pralines) as well as a visit to St. Edwards church to find the J.R.R. Tolkien door. Not too far down the road is Upper and Lower Slaughter, quiet little villages that don’t require too much time to see, and Bourton-on-the-Water. All were beautiful and scenic and just filled with so much history. I realized my day was winding down and I had a few more things to see still so I drove straight down to Castle Combe for a visit to St. Andrews church and cemetery as well as the picturesque walk through the village before losing the sunlight in it’s entirety.
As my last day came to a close, I drove back to the my farm stay with so much adoration for the richness of middle England. For all the beauty it holds and the reminder of the slowness in life. I lit the remaining dry logs for my wood stove feeling such an appreciation for life in the day to day no matter where I was. Everyone I spoke with was engaging and seemed to never be in a hurry and appreciated being in the present. And although as i write this itinerary out, it’s easy to feel like it was action packed, it really wasn’t. I admit that I did and saw a lot but in a place like the Cotswolds that’s easy to do because there’s a lot to do and a lot to see. Beauty easily found in every corner. Behind every hedge. I left my vacation taking that with me and weeks later am still feeling the inspiration to slow it all down. Way down.
