My travel experience has demonstrated that the images I have in my mind may, or may not, be realized when I actually go there. So far, I think we have been very lucky. York, The Moors, and The Dales exceeded our expectations. Bath – well it was mixed. I have been to Bath before so was a bit surprised that it felt so much busier than I remember.

I am sure the The Yard hotel has contributed to my disappointment. Aside from the tiny room (we frequently had to move furniture and luggage in order to navigate to and from the door, or the bathroom), there were other issues. It was located not far from the centre (positive) but also on the edge of a slightly dodgier part of town (negative). It was fine for sleeping, but two adults negotiating the minuscule bathroom was tough.

Our breakfast hamper arrived at 9:00 as requested. The hotel proudly posts their Michelin stars for 2023 and 2024 on the front door, so we imagined even a hamper breakfast would be yummy. Oh, how the mighty have fallen!

The apple+orange+carrot juice was delicious. The croissant was acceptable. The yogurt and fruit left a lot to be desired. Coffee… forget it. Rather than supplying a nifty little Nespresso machine – available in almost every hotel room anywhere – we had two tea bags of coffee. Just pour in the hot water and away you go. OMG – it was just awful. My mother would have said it was horrific and it would not have been an exaggeration. I would have preferred instant! That meant we were off on our day’s adventures without the benefit of any caffeine.

We picked up the rental car without issue, though it is a step down from the Quashqai we rented in York. There was no GPS! Ok. I know. I have my phone but I have other important requirements for that phone. We were only saved by the USC plug that allowed me to keep it charging as we travelled.

Our first stop was Castle Combe, a picturesque village in Wiltshire. It was a short 25 minute drive from Bath along pretty little country roads.

Castle Combe is famous for being Dr. Doolittle’s village in the original 1967 film, starring Rex Harrison. I remember that film well, having watched it more than once as a child. Who wouldn’t want to talk to the animals?

Even though it was raining, perhaps heavy mist is a more accurate description, our first stop was the outdoor café at Castle Inn. We had a truly spectacular cup of coffee and shared a slice of carrot cake. Ecstasy! I was already warming to the Cotswold’s food scene.

The village is a cluster of stone cottages dating back to before the 1600’s.  Nothing new has been built in the village since then. The little bridge over the By Brook River, and St. Andrew’s church, only contributed to its reputation as the “prettiest village in England”. Locals even had little honour boxes outside their front doors where they sold cakes and flowers.

I particularly loved St. Andrew’s Church. It was musty and old but peaceful and well cared for by what I imagine would have been a small congregation. I loved that all the kneelers where handmade needlepoint pillows – just beautiful. Tucked in a corner was a small prayer tree; I added one of my own.

This part of the world was very different from the beautiful scenery of the north. Dry stone walls were replaced by black iron fences. There are many grand homes on small roads labelled “private”, instead of tiny stone cottages. Sheep gave way to horses. And we were clearly in the land of Audi’s, with an occasional Tesla

I have also realized that though dogs are everywhere, literally, everywhere, we had not seen a single doodle – “labra” or otherwise. Today I spotted a number of cocker spaniels, tails intact, as well as a ridiculously long and chunky basset hound. Remember the newspaper cartoon of Fred the Bassett? He looked just like that. Terriers of all varieties abound, as do golden retrievers.

I have also seen roadside defibrillators, though I am not sure what to make of that. Does everyone know how to use them? They are often housed in repurposed old mailboxes or the familiar red phone booths.

And then there are the (loaded) logging trucks. Where do the logs come from and how are they used? Every single building here is made of stone…?

Enough pondering.

Leaving Castle Combe behind, a short 30 minute drive had us in Tetbury.

Tetbury was a last minute addition to our plan, so my early research had not identified it as a town on the doorstep of Highgrove, the place King Charles and Queen Camilla call home. Princess Anne also lives nearby. The tip off was seeing a Highgrove shop that sold products from the farm, as well as numerous books, tea cups and plates featuring the face of the King. I am really not sure what I think about all of that….

The town itself was much larger than Castle Combe, yet just as delightful in its own way. The shopping street has 20+ antique shops including one specializing in old clocks. though it was unfortunately closed. We poked around in a few, mostly out of curiousity. Rick especially enjoyed looking at some of the beautiful wooden furniture.

There were a few clothing stores, though I didn’t get past peering in the windows at beautiful garments with the most alarming price tags and moving on. Wealth lives here.

We stopped for lunch at a lovely little restaurant called Blue Zucchini. It will definitely be on my list of favourite things today. The inside was decorated with all sorts of fun and gaudy items. I had a fabulous salad with more greens than anyone could ever need, and a soda with lime which is interpreted as a soda water with lime juice. Its quite delicious. Rick had a prosciutto sandwich and chips. The service was exceptional even though it was completely packed.

After lunch we wandered down the streets and I just took random photos of things that made me smile. Unfortunately, the last thing we saw was the yarn shop – closed. for the day. :0(

I poked my head into the church and had a rather surprising encounter with a young man who sat up from his prayers, looking rather alarmed, and said “I thought you were a ghost! And then I realized you were an angel.” Quite the conversation starter. After a recent night in prison he had found God and somehow my arrival in the otherwise empty church had become tangled up in that. He seemed harmless enough so we chatted a bit before he returned to his prayers and I slipped out.

Happy with our day, and keen to get to our hotel, we set off for Painswick. It wasn’t a long drive, though many of the roads were very narrow and tricky to navigate when passing oncoming vehicles. I am constantly surprised to see the speed limit posted as 60 mph on roads where I would have thought 30 was suicidal. I did double check and England does not use kmh for posted speeds. In fact they dont seem to have embraced the metric system at all.

We pulled into the hotel parking area after a relatively short drive, and slipped into the parking spot saved for overnight guests. The town is lovely and the hotel itself is a marvel. The public spaces are all beautiful and our room… well the photo tells the story.

We settled in for a short break before going to the hotel’s restaurant “Sauce”. The service was impeccable and the meal was amazing. In a rare moment of solidarity I skipped the fish and went for the beef wellington along with Rick. He was right; I was unable to finish it all but I enjoyed making the effort. We skipped dessert, opting instead to have an after dinner drink in one of the 3 lounge areas. Rick ordered a port while I had my new favourite: soda and lime.

Cheers to you all!

P.S. A chat with a local today confirmed that we had chosen the best there was to offer in Painswick when he congratulated us on our selection.