The Cotswold

This is an area in southwest England. It is an area that covers around 800 square miles and is known for its amazing and beautiful rolling hills and landscapes. The major element that makes it so unique is the stone that is so prevalent over the entire region and that homes, fences, barns, stores, and churches are all made from it. We have been wanting to go to this area since we first came to the UK. We did see a part of the area when we visited Bath back in 2022. What we really wanted to do is to visit some small towns out in the Cotswold. So, I looked up on the internet how we could do this via the trainline. Sure, enough the Trainline company had an article about how in one day you could travel from London and visit several towns in the Cotswold.

Becky and I headed out at 9:15 to go to Paddington station and ride out to our first town. The ride out was crammed and at one section along the way many people were standing. I had never seen a railway train that full. We arrived late morning in the town of Charlbury, our first stop of the day. The train station was a bit out of town, but it was a very lovely walk to the town. Every building in the town was built out of the Jurassic limestone the area is known for, and I mean every building. The population is only 2,800 and the town has a history that dates back to 7th century. We just walked different streets. It was all just so gorgeous. The streets were very narrow as were the sidewalks. Many times, we had no choice but to walk on the road. We got lost at one point and met a very nice man named Fred. He was a retired architect who has lived in the town since the 1970’s. He was working on a Ford jeep from WWII. He told us some of the history of the area and we learned a bit about him. He had taken the house he had lived in and added rooms to it and then had built several of the homes across from his house. We then moved on our way and found the nice little pub called “The Bull”. We ended up sitting outside which was very nice as the sun was brightly shining. We had one of the most delicious meals we have had in the UK. It was just light fare. I had oyster mushrooms and shredded beef on sour dough. Becky had a salad, cooked carrots with a delicious crust on them and amazing sausage roll. We then worked our way back to the train station.

Trains only run through this area about every hour, but we just happened to arrive about 10 minutes before the next train we needed. We boarded the train and rode for about 10-minute train ride to the station of Kingham. We got off there and the article we were following said we should follow the 3.5-mile Kingham Station Short Circular Walk. He had never heard of it, but he pulled a map up on his phone and told us where to go to start walking it. I found the map and off we went We walked in the direction of small town of Bedlington, population 506. We walked along the road for bit and then crossed on to a walking path, followed along some fields, along the Evenlode River and eventually we found ourselves on the streets of the town. Again, every building, fence, etc. was made out of the same stones in Charlbury. It was so quiet and peaceful every place we went. Again, very narrow roads and sidewalks, but only a car passed by every once in a while. There were some families playing out on the village green. We then came across the old church building in the town. St. Leonard’s. There was a choir inside that was rehearsing so we did not go in but really wanted to. Not many records about the town are around, but it seems to date the Roman era, it was recorded in the Doomsday book in 1086 and has had a history from then on. It was a walk we really needed.

We slowly made our way back to the train station and once again made it with about 5 minutes to spare before the next train arrived to take us the 7-minute trip to Moreton-in-Marsh. The town was a very short walk from the station. This town was the biggest of three with wide streets and sidewalks. Running down the high street was a center area were there was a carnival going on with amusement park rides going. The buildings all were still made out of the Cotswold stone that we had been seeing. This town also dates back to around 500 AD and the Roman time period. The main street of the town may have been part of the Roman road through this area. The town has been in the hands of many different individuals and different churches down through the ages. It was just so open, flat and big in comparison to the other two town we were in.

We slowly walked up and down the high street and stopped in at the Redesdale Arms pub for a short break. We could only find a place to sit in the back bar area, but it was very interesting since this was the place that was clearly where the local people hung out. We felt a bit unwelcome, but no one said anything. We then walked the streets a bit more till we found the Sakura Bistro to have dinner at. Many places we stopped in we could not even get a table at. This little local place had many open tables, and the food was pretty good. It was dark when we finished and so we headed to the train station. Once again, amazingly with zero planning, we showed up to the station within 12 minutes of the next train arriving.

The train home was also very crowded as we moved along the different stations. This also includes the many people who travel with their dogs on the train. This black dog was really eyeing Becky at one point. The dog’s owner is sound asleep next to the dog. Not sure why this weekend was so busy, maybe people were off to see their mothers as this was Mother’s Day weekend in the UK. We arrived safely back at the Daniel House and are so very glad to have down this trip. What a magical place each town was. If we retired here, I could so easily see setting up in Charlbury.