Pauline
Forums Admin
Friday May 14
In the UK we are now allowed to travel in the country. Vacation rentals and camp sites (without shared facilities) have been open for a month. Hotels and B&Bs open in the next phase, which starts Monday. We are both fully vaccinated so thought we would take the brave step and leave our immediate area. On Friday we drove 3 hours north to the Cotswolds.
Since we returned from Switzerland/Italy at the end of last September we have been at home in various states of official lockdown. It was difficult for me to get organised for the trip because it has been so long since we’ve traveled. I filled the car with petrol (gas) for the first time since October - and it wasn’t even empty.
We drove up to the Cotswolds and the roads were busy. The motorway rest area was as busy as it would have been in pre-Covid times. We visited friends (in their garden - current restrictions don’t allow you visit inside) near Stroud in the north Cotswolds, where we lived for five years. It has been two years since we’ve been back and I was shocked by how beautiful everything is. It is different from Dorset where we have the sea and more open spaces. The Cotswolds is all rolling hills and charming stone cottages. I really loved living there and sometimes wonder why we left. But I like Dorset too.
After our visit we drove an hour up to the north Cotswolds, the part that is more popular with tourists. I booked this about six weeks ago. We are staying in a cottage at Broadway Manor Cottages where we stayed once before, in 2009. I’ve kept in touch with the owner and I know she keeps these places beautifully and I wanted to stay some place that I knew would be good for us. The estate is right on the Cotswold Way and we hope to spend the week hiking.
By trying to avoid heavy traffic in Cheltenham we ended up on too many narrow Cotswold lanes, but the drive up was beautiful.
We unpacked. I brought food for the week, not wanting to go into a shop. We had our car-fridge in the car, brought our Nespresso machine for morning coffee, and even brought my new small Instant Pot that I have big plans for on our summer driving trip to Switzerland. All this food and I forgot to pack rain hiking trousers and a brush to clean our boots even though the forecast is rain followed by more rain.
In the evening we walked into Broadway for a look around (12 minutes across fields). All looked normal with people sitting outside for drinks and meals. Starting Monday restaurants and pubs can serve inside.
Our cottage on the left, Stables Cottage.
Sheep in the field across from us.
In the UK we are now allowed to travel in the country. Vacation rentals and camp sites (without shared facilities) have been open for a month. Hotels and B&Bs open in the next phase, which starts Monday. We are both fully vaccinated so thought we would take the brave step and leave our immediate area. On Friday we drove 3 hours north to the Cotswolds.
Since we returned from Switzerland/Italy at the end of last September we have been at home in various states of official lockdown. It was difficult for me to get organised for the trip because it has been so long since we’ve traveled. I filled the car with petrol (gas) for the first time since October - and it wasn’t even empty.
We drove up to the Cotswolds and the roads were busy. The motorway rest area was as busy as it would have been in pre-Covid times. We visited friends (in their garden - current restrictions don’t allow you visit inside) near Stroud in the north Cotswolds, where we lived for five years. It has been two years since we’ve been back and I was shocked by how beautiful everything is. It is different from Dorset where we have the sea and more open spaces. The Cotswolds is all rolling hills and charming stone cottages. I really loved living there and sometimes wonder why we left. But I like Dorset too.
After our visit we drove an hour up to the north Cotswolds, the part that is more popular with tourists. I booked this about six weeks ago. We are staying in a cottage at Broadway Manor Cottages where we stayed once before, in 2009. I’ve kept in touch with the owner and I know she keeps these places beautifully and I wanted to stay some place that I knew would be good for us. The estate is right on the Cotswold Way and we hope to spend the week hiking.
By trying to avoid heavy traffic in Cheltenham we ended up on too many narrow Cotswold lanes, but the drive up was beautiful.
We unpacked. I brought food for the week, not wanting to go into a shop. We had our car-fridge in the car, brought our Nespresso machine for morning coffee, and even brought my new small Instant Pot that I have big plans for on our summer driving trip to Switzerland. All this food and I forgot to pack rain hiking trousers and a brush to clean our boots even though the forecast is rain followed by more rain.
In the evening we walked into Broadway for a look around (12 minutes across fields). All looked normal with people sitting outside for drinks and meals. Starting Monday restaurants and pubs can serve inside.
Our cottage on the left, Stables Cottage.
Sheep in the field across from us.