If you are nestled in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by lush countryside, senescent minuscule towns, antiquated thatched cottages and medieval parish churches, you might just think that you are living in a fairy tale.
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| A true-blue, real living tiny village filled completely with thatched-roof cottages nestled deep in the Cotswolds! |
You may wander along the meandering country lanes, or down quaint cobblestoned paths in honey-coloured towns, wondering if time had stood still. You may be cramped in a small thatched cottage with low ceilings and diminutive rooms, suspicious that you had inadvertently entered a dwarf's home, right out of the pages of a Snow White story.
And that was exactly how we felt every second of the 4 days that we spent deep in the Cotswolds. We stayed in a beautiful cottage in a tiny town called Moreton-in-Marsh, whose shops are all closed by 4.30pm! A sleepy, quiet but exceedingly tranquil town, draped in a delicious golden shade of the famous Cotswold stone.
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| Our little cottage in Moreton-in-Marsh |
Time slowed to a grinding halt in Moreton-in-Marsh, where we sat around in our cottage playing card games all evening, where we spent quiet afternoons reading, where we spent many hours in the kitchen cooking and dining together.
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| It is a charming 2-level cottage with 2 bedrooms upstairs, and the living and kitchen areas downstairs |
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| Such quaint finishing inside! |
Moreton-in-Marsh is a lovely old town situated right in the middle of the Cotswolds, a magnificent pastoral area of outstanding beauty and historic significance. One of the most memorable experiences in the Cotswolds was the privilege of meeting 2 of the friendliest natives who brought us on a tour off the beaten paths in the countryside.
Imagine a good friend bringing you around her village, showing you all the nooks and crannies of the region. Imagine her bringing you home to her warm, cosy cottage - numerous times - where you sat around the fireplace, chatting with a group of equally contented friends, sipping on tea and gorging on some of the best English food we had ever tasted. Imagine leaving her company at the end of the day, totally contented and reluctant to part with the beauties of the Cotswolds.
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| The "secret cottage" of Becky and Robin. The interior of their home is so cosy and magical, complete with a warm fireplace, low ceilings and amazing nooks and crannies! |
And that was exactly how we spent the day with Becky and Robin, a husband-and-wife team who founded The Secret Cottage tours. Despite the drizzle on our day out, the beauty of the Cotswolds - with all the secret thatched cottages, tiny villages and beautiful rolling meadows - was showcased to perfection by Becky, who has an amazing knowledge of the most beautiful places to show us!
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| One of the houses in the villages around Cotswolds - doesn't this look like Snow White's house? |
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| It is hard to believe that real families really live inside such resplendently beautiful houses! |
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| Magnificent English countryside filled with animals just roaming around - curious horses, stubborn bulls who refused to give way to traffic, hippy sheep (see below!) and even hedgehogs! |
Robin, her husband, was so hospitable and prepared multiple feasts for us back in their home. We would drive and walk around different villages in the Cotswolds, before returning to their home numerous times for morning tea, lunch and tea! This is, by far, one of the most intimate and cosy tours I had been on! The hosts were warm, friendly and put all of us at ease. The company of the other 8 guests was excellent, and we all chatted around the fireplace like good friends.
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| Lunch - what a spread! |
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| The Bees were thrilled by the underground wine cellar of Becky and Robin because there was a magic trapdoor which led them downstairs! |
We were brought to quaint villages, majestically old country manors and archaic, serene parish churches in Becky's comfortable SUV. We went on charming country walks in the gentle drizzle and mist, feeling almost like we were characters in a Jane Austen novel!
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| Smelling and picking flowers along quiet, bucolic country paths |
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| A pretty pub with beer mugs hanging all over their low ceiling! |
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| Chastleton House - which has been around since 1612! |
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| Oooh, I want to live in this house! So charming! |
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| An old mill in Great Tew, one of the villages we traipsed through |
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| A lovely, tranquil parish church with a small cemetary on its grounds. We looked around the tombstones that dated back centuries ago, and remembered a time long gone... |
The Bees were delighted with the food and found everything to be so fetching and memorable. That day provided us with the most indelible experience indeed!
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| We simply love their tea spread! What alluring tableware and the most scrumptious of English scones and tea cakes! |
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| If anything can fascinate picky Little Bee in terms of food, it must be superb! |
Other than our very captivating day off, we took long country walks on our own, stopping to literally smell the flowers and just to admire our enchanting surroundings.
Most of all, we spend so much time with each other, laughing, eating, ambling and chatting .... far far from the madding crowds :)
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| A splendid field of gold (likely to be rapeseed plants) just a 20-minute walk from our little cottage! |
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