Cotswold Capers – Part 2 Bourton-on-the-Water

Bourton-on-the-Water, Glouchestershire, England

After a good night's rest and a hearty breakfast at Sturdy's Castle in Kidlington, we headed off to Bourton-on-the-Water, a village in Gloucestershire, apparently voted as one of the prettiest villages in England (courtesy their website). It had been highly recommended.

The hour long drive was very scenic with tree lined roads, rolling hills and vales and charming cottages and farms scattered here and there. On the way we passed the picturesque village of Stow-on-the-Wold and were planning on stopping by for a looksie on the way back but couldn't as we ran out of time. Got to the Bourton parking lot and were quite surprised to find it kind of deserted. The air was chilly and the skies threatened rain as we walked through an inside lane to get to the main centre. Once we came out of the lane the sheer loveliness of the village took us by surprise. Really really charming. A small canal runs right through the village with little arched bridges to get across and the limestone houses in symmetry and leafy surroundings made for a pretty picture.

BRUM

We started by going to the Motoring Museum where well kept vintage cars from Austins, Jaguars, BMW's, Daimler Benzs shared space with motorcycles, automotive parts and memorabilia. You first enter a shop selling miniature cars and knick knacks and think what? This is it? What museum? Then you pay the 5 pound entry fee and the gentleman opens a nondescript door behind him and you enter a whole little world of cars. I could almost feel myself transported to a different era and really missed my father who would have gone berzerk here as he's a car freak. Actually if he had been with us we wouldn't have been able to see anything else as he would have holed himself in there the entire day and it would have been impossible to drag him out! The museum is also home to BRUM a little car that has had its own TV show on the BBC.

Miniature wonders

Motoring Museum miniature

After that, we went to the Model Village which just blew me away. The entire village was replicated in miniature with such attention to detail, it was extraordinary. The motoring museum part even had a little car in front. The model village also had an enclosed area with many glass windows of approximately two feet each containing miniature replicas of things like the flower shop complete with the sales lady, someone's study, a greengrocer, a girl's birthday party, to recount a few. It was just marvelous. We spent a good amount of time there and I would highly recommend a visit if you're in those parts. Such a unique and well executed idea. I loved what the village has done to showcase itself and tourists are in for a visual treat.

So like the original

Next we went to the perfumery. We thought we'd actually see how perfumes were made but it was just a small store with a whole bunch of scents in glass pots and a section selling jewelry. If there was something else to it, we missed that.

Walking through the village by-lanes, we chanced upon a little shop selling colourful sweets and literally became the kids in the candy store. Went a bit crazy buying toffees, hard boiled candies, lollipops and fudge, though there were a few hits and misses as tasting was not an option before buying. Loved the chocolate lime toffees, the rum and raisin fudge, bubblegum and the chocolate raspberry toffees but the striped sweets and flying saucer discs were a bit strange.

Miniature Model Windows

The Den

Caught!

All the Pretty Flowers

Mind it When You Park it!

I would have loved to just sit in one of the tea rooms and enjoy a cuppa but we had a lot of places to cover. Also, I think first world countries practice parking terrorism. Charge you a huge amount per hour and once time's up you better get the hell out or pay a hefty fine. So mostly you're not sure how much time you're going to spend there and always end up running back to top up! It's always at the back of your mind and kind of takes away a bit of the enjoyment of exploring a new place when you're constantly having to check your watch.

Digressing a bit, in Oxford we just managed to jump on the HO-HO (hop-on-hop-off) bus for a one hour tour and then had to gobble our lunch at lightening speed as our parking time was almost up and the fine for overstaying was 80 pounds or so. 8000 rupees! Our friend got so worried that she ditched her soup and ran to wait in the car so she could move it if required! My husband and I refused to leave good Thai food.

Country road

Back to Bourton..since our parking slot was for a two hour period and my husband had already topped it up for another hour, we decided to head out. When we reached the parking lot, it was packed and bus loads of tourists were heading towards the village! It was a good idea to come early.

There are so many places to go from here such as Stratford-upon-Avon, which houses Shakespeare's cottage and other small villages which all have their unique characteristics, and Bichester village which has designer shopping outlets at cut prices of all the brands from Dior to Armani to Diesel. All within about an hour or two's drive. We wanted to do it all! UGH! So little time! I am definitely coming back to these parts and will surely plan better next time.

Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire

After Bourton we drove down to Blenheim Palace, the home of Winston Churchill, located outside another very charming village called Woodstock. In the palace, you get pretty much a lot of the war history of England given the nature of the Churchill family's occupation.

Blenheim Palace

The stairs to the left of the entrance will take you through numerous rooms chronicling the drama of the Churchill ancestors and their household help including their scandalous affairs and happenings, complete with sound effects and life-like puppets. On the other side you get to walk through the residential part of it including the bedrooms, dining room, the staterooms and the study where he thought out his war strategy. The place also very conveniently has good restrooms, a large cafeteria where the tired tourist can relax and partake of refreshments and a sizeable gift shop for souvenirs.

The palace lawns are quite extensive and a wooded path around the lake on the property makes for a nice relaxing stroll. If you really want to make the most of it, exploring Blenheim Palace and its lawns will take you the better part of the day.

Woodstock

We were told to definitely have scones and clotted cream at the Blenheim Buttery in Woodstock and at around 5.30 p.m. we made our way there, eagerly anticipating the lovely rich typical England experience only to be told that they had run out. What a disappointment. Though I was probably the only one looking to stuff my face with the buttery treat.

After a cup of tea we walked around the village a bit and decided to have an early dinner and head back. Had a hearty meal of steak and ale pie and wine at the Woodstock Arms pub, which for a while was managed solely by the bartender-cum-waitress (no mean feat), and headed back to Sturdy's where we spent our two nights. As the end of our Cotswolds trip neared, we were feeling terrible that our holiday within the holiday was coming to an end. Nevermind that we were going back to London for the rest of our vacation!

Word of advice: Bring a fat wallet when coming to England. The combined entrance fees for popular tourist attractions will be an average person's monthly (or two monthly) salary.