The Cotswolds

Heading up to The Cotswolds for a maiden voyage in a 1970 Danbury Bay Window

Words & Pics Karen Drury

Having only recently bought our Camper and battled the initial gremlins of ownership, Jim and I eased ourselves in gently with a little help from our friends Rick and Helen, who told us that they were having a week in a cottage in the Cotswolds. We asked if we could gatecrash for the weekend so Rick checked with the owner of the cottage and they allowed us to park in the courtyard for the weekend and use the cottage’s facilities. Result!

Out and about
The Cotswolds covers a large area of beautiful olde worlde villages, renowned for their yellow-stone buildings and also the stunning surrounding countryside. We all had a great time travelling around visiting villages and pubs in the Camper and we managed to get a bit of mountain biking in too.

As it was or first weekend away we had lots of shiny new equipment to try out like our snuggly sleeping bag and our Campingaz Party Grill camping stove which is so easy to use and clean. We were really excited and so pleased to be spending time with our friends who have moved away oop north. Rick was amazed that we could make a cup of tea in a field, which we did a few times over the weekend.

Our mountain biking morning was great fun, although we got a bit lost at times. We rode from a village called Ilmington and stopped at Hidcote Manor Garden’s tearoom for a well-earned cream tea. We liked it so much that the next day we were back to take a look around the beautiful gardens and have a picnic in the car park on our new picnic rug.

Picture postcard perfect
The picturesque villages like Bourton-on-the-Water and Moreton-in-Marsh are lovely for spending a lazy afternoon looking around the gift shops and enjoying a cream tea or an ice-cream.

We also managed to visit Stratford-upon-Avon to see Shakespeare’s birthplace and stock up on some local ales. It was a whirlwind tour over one long weekend but we’ll be back to see more of the Cotswolds.

GETTING THERE
We took A and B roads up from our Surrey base as it was our first proper outing in the Camper and we wanted to experience our new found freedom in style

WHERE WE STAYED
Distiller’s Cottage, Shipston-on-Stour, Warks (www.blackwellgrange.co.uk). Well, in the Bus outside the cottage that is…

BEST BIT
Finally getting the Bus ship-shape enough to enjoy it properly for cooking, entertaining and sleeping.

MUST SEE
All the lovely little villages are so pretty, but also see:
Cotswold Motoring Museum, Hidcote Manor and Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon.