Cotswolds

Today Rachel, Ellen, and I went on a tour through the southern part of the Cotswolds. It was absolutely gorgeous. Our tour guide was named Steve Hodgkinson. He told us that he got into driving tours after he retired from his long time job as a pub owner. When he was young, his dad would take him on road trips exploring the country side every weekend. He also told us that 50% of the pubs in England have been lost over the past fifty years. Also many of the villages have lost their village stores, their inns, and even their churches. It's really sad to see that kind of depletion of traditional village attractions. Below are a bunch of photographs from our tour. Enjoy!

Port Meadow

Church in Minster Lowell

Ruins of a manor house

Staircases go counter clockwise so if you are defending your home (and are right handed) you can easily maneuver your sword while your opponent's elbow hits the wall.

Thatched roofs.

The town of Buford

Sandwich shop where I bought a delicious cheese sandwich for lunch

Church in Buford

Bridge with Rack Isle in the distance

Arlington Row (probably the most famously photographed row of houses in the Cotswolds)

Poor duckling is stuck on his back and floating down the stream (no, he is not dead)

A rare Anglosaxon church (the original part is on the right, partly cut off) that is about 1200 years old

A little dog we greeted while walking through a village

Lower Slaughter

Upper Slaughter

Bought some delicious butterscotch ice cream here in Boughton on the Water

More photos from around St. Stephen's House