The Cotswolds (#11)

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The Cotswolds...where are they...and what are they?

The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called "the heart of England".  How could we possibly not want to spend a full week here?!  It is the largest "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" in England (and yes, AONB is an official term over here!). There are over 100 beautiful small towns in this area of limestone grassland habitats and old growth woodlands.  We knew we wanted to spend some relaxing time here...but which village to use as our base?!  I truly don't know how we settled on Chipping Campden, but I'm glad we did!  (If you want to see a bunch cute cottages in this area, check out www.manorcottges.co.uk). Originally established in the early 7th century, this little town is known for having one of the most charming high streets (that's what all these quaint little villages call their main shopping street). And it has one of the finest churches in the area, built from money made from the wool trade (their primary industry back in the day).  This area did decline in the 1800's, during the national decline in agriculture (including the wool industry), but was revived at the end of the 19th century. Chipping Campden was the home of the "arts and crafts" movement, founded by William Morris who lived here. The buildings are all built of local limestone that just gives a lovely golden glow to the town, the yards are lush and green with lovely plantings...it is divine and I just may never leave! 

Here is our adorable cottage - a little larger than we need (2 bd/2 bath), so if any of you want to hop on a plane to visit, we have room for you!!

This is Wyncliffe cottage, located at the corner of Birdcage Walk and Hoo Road.

The side yard with lawn, large outdoor dining table, barbecue, and lots of song birds singing! The entire town is built out of this honey colored stone.  Look at that thatched roof on the house in the background...many of the houses here have thatched roofs and they are beautiful beyond words and intrigue me with their perfection!  Definitely need to do more research into them!

Little patches of flowers everywhere...there is a huge lilac bush out front!

Lovely living/dining room, stairs lead up to 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom


Plenty of wood outside in the woodshed in case we decide to have a fire! Love the beam ceiling. And looking at the window on the right, you can see that the walls are 2' thick!

The kitchen is lovely, and I imagine we will cook some dinners here and take a break from eating out all the time.

And who doesn't love a dutch-door, looking out onto the garden?! Be still my heart!

This was the view out the kitchen window this morning when I woke up! It was a little too chilly to have my tea out there...but I was tempted to bundle up in a blanket and just go for it!


The down stairs bath is a recent add on (along with the mud room)

The "guest bedroom", just waiting for any of you to pop over!

Upstairs bathroom

And another beautiful bathtub! This one is navy blue with silver feet (sadly they don't show in the photo).

Our bedroom



View from the top of the stairs looking down.



Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 9, 2026 at 7:51 AM

    What a GORGEOUS place to stay! I can understand your reluctance to leave. Only thing missing is the BBCE. lol. LMK

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousMay 9, 2026 at 8:04 AM

      Well Lori, the couches are really big so some of you could sleep in the living room, and 2 more could bunk together in the extra bedroom…we can definitely make it work! We took a beautiful “hike” this morning and I kept thinking how much you would love walking here, beautiful paths through the most gorgeous scenery!

      Delete
  2. AnonymousMay 10, 2026 at 7:38 AM

    Sign me up!!!!

    ReplyDelete

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