Europe Adventure: Day Eleven- Chipping Campden

Friday, April 15th was our "rest day". 

It was the one day we didn't plan any huge activities so we could feel free to sleep in, hang around our cottage, explore our town, and do whatever else we felt like doing. 

I had done laundry a few days before so my things had been hanging up drying already but my mom hadn't done hers yet. 

So this morning we slept in, had some cereal for breakfast, and she did her laundry. 

After it was done washing she hung it to dry and we went out on a walk through town. 

We started down High street stopping along the way in some of the shops. 

 

It was lightly raining and a lovely walk. 

We went quite a long way down High Street and then turned around and came back down High Street on the other side of the road, stopping for a minute at The Market Hall.

 The Market Hall was built in 1627 to provide shelter for the market traders.

A War memorial...

We made our way down to the Cotswold way as I really wanted to walk at least part of it. 

I loved looking at all the buildings, homes, and gardens. 

We found one of the cottages we had considered staying in. It was so cute!

Hoo Cottage-

After our walk we went back to our cottage and had a simple peanut butter sandwich and chips lunch. 

My mom's clothes weren't dry at all and we started to worry that they wouldn't be dry in time for check out the next morning. 

We decided to go looking for a laundromat to dry her clothes. 

We went in search of one I found online but it wasn't there when we got to the area. 

We stopped at a little farm stand store to ask the owner if they knew of anywhere. 

He told my mom where one would be and we went looking but ended up all the way in Stratford and never found one. 

Finally we gave up and went back to the cottage. 

Mom came up with the idea to hang her clothes next to the oven and the fireplace. 

We let them dry like that for a while and then we went out on another walk. 

I really wanted to walk through the neighborhood. 

I took this picture to show the sign into our parking area.

We were in Coldicott's Close...

The neighborhood was heavenly.

My favorite cats are orange ones. 

I spotted this guy and called it to me. It came over to me but then gave me this snarky look as it walked right on by. 

That's a first.

I am obsessed with thatched roof houses. They are so amazing. 

I found a lot of them on this walk. 

I fell in love with this one. I want to live there!

Most of them had cute statues on the top of the roof. This one was my favorite...

Walking up to the back of our house...

"Home Sweet Home"

I bought one thing in town- this card. 

It was so cute and made by a local artist. 

There were quite a few things I wish I would have bought in town now that I am not there anymore but I am glad I got this card as I was able to give it to my sister in law- she and her husband are beekeepers.

My mom set her clothes back up by the fireplace as soon as we got back and it actually worked! Her clothes began to dry finally. 

We had nachos again and watched more Pride and Prejudice.

Then we packed up as we would be leaving our cottage early the next day.

Europe Adventure: Day Ten, Part Four- Castle Combe, Bibury, and driving

 After leaving Lacock we drove to Castle Combe. 

We drove to the nearby car park first and took a while trying to figure out where we went from there. We finally figured out that we were supposed to walk down some stairs onto a road and then walk up the road from there. But we got down to the road and it was small and curvy and a car shot by going fast and we became afraid for our lives. 

So we went back to the car and decided to drive down closer to try to figure out what the town was like. 

We drove right through the town and noticed there were cars parked up the hill before we got to it. So we went back and parked roadside just up the street from the town instead.

 There was a trail through the woods so we took that instead of the road and it came out right by the center of the town. 

This town is beautiful. Charm at its finest. 

I was excited to visit Castle Combe as I had read a lot about it and how pretty it is. 

Also, it was my mother in law's favorite village. 

And there were some films made here as well. 

They filmed the 1967 Dr. Dolittle that I watched as a kid here. It was also the location for Stardust and War Horse, two films that I love. 

They also have filmed some episodes of television shows here. 

The town is centered on the 14th century market cross (in the picture above) with an old water pump beside it. 

Looking down the road from near the Market Cross...

 

We first went over to St. Andrew's Church. It is a 12th century church in the heart of town. 

 

I love looking at old cemeteries. 

 

The church was small but very pretty inside. 

 It housed a 15th century faceless clock that is one of the oldest working clocks in England. 

There was also a Norman monument to the Knight Sir Walter de Dunstanville, the Baron of Castle Combe. He died in 1270.

His legs are crossed to indicate that he fought in the Crusades and he has his feet on a lion and a sword in his hands which lets us know that he died in battle. 

After exploring the church, we began to walk down the main road.

 

It was so pretty and so peaceful.

 

After passing the bridge we stopped by the old weavers' cottages to get the iconic view of Castle Combe.  

This door. So awesome.

 

Then we walked back up the hill. 

It was unfortunately too late to really do much else here but we really enjoyed just walking through the village and seeing the church. 

 

We walked back up the woodland trail and made our way back to the car. 

 

We drove north toward our town going through so many adorable little villages along the way. 

 

It was starting to get dark and stormy and we really wanted to get home before it was completely dark so we only pulled over by Bibury to get a picture. 

 

And we kept driving...

 

It did get dark before we got home and started raining like crazy. It turned out to be about 15-20 minutes of pretty scary driving but we made it back safely and were so glad to be back home in our little cottage. We made some nachos and started watching the 1995 Pride and Prejudice.