Apr 7, 20183 min read

24 Hours in The Cotswolds

Updated: May 10, 2018

Thatched roofs, inns, tea salons, and rolling hills come to mind when I hear "The Cotswolds." Visitors can expect charm and quintessential "Britishness" when visiting the small villages frozen in time.

Our trip to The Cotswolds was a laborious one. We woke up in Inverness (yes, northern Scotland), and spent the morning at Culloden Battlefield, which was conveniently close to the Inverness Airport. We ditched the rental car, then boarded a Flyby flight from Inverness to Birmingham. From Birmingham we had to catch a train to Moreton-in-Marsh, the only village in The Cotswolds accessible by train. I estimate we arrived in Birmingham between 5-6:00 p.m., so our train options were limited. We didn't secure train passage in advance for fear that our flight itinerary might shift. We found a Virgin Train ticket booth and asked the teller which route would be best. We opted for the faster and more expensive route that took us to Oxford, where we would change trains. Despite the greater expense, this train was well over-booked. People crowded in the aisles and common areas, hoping for a seat near an open window to get some air. At the risk of sounding dramatic, it was a claustrophobic nightmare.

We stayed at The Bell Inn, said to be the inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien's the Prancing Pony from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Thankfully we'd called from the Birmingham train station to inform them that we would be arriving late. The manager was nice enough to keep the bar open to accommodate our late arrival (THANK YOU!).

[Tip] Many of the accommodations in The Cotswolds are privately owned B&Bs or inns. Ensure the staff is aware of your arrival schedule, as they may lock up for the night if you don't arrive before they close. Similarly, many restaurants will stop seating after 8:00-8:30 p.m.

The sun had long since set, and all of the restaurants had closed for the evening. We settled for a Tesco dinner - canned Pimms, a day-old ham and mayo sandwich, a bag of crisps, and a sleeve of Jammie Dodgers. We ate our dinner in the private courtyard outside the carriage house where our rooms were located.

The accommodations at The Bell Inn were very comfortable, and I wish we had more time to truly enjoy them. Our recently remolded rooms were bright and cozy with brick walls, plush bedding, private bathrooms, and windows facing the garden. The next morning we woke early, had an English breakfast in the main room at the Inn, and met the caretakers and their goldendoodle pooch. We took our time at breakfast, still drained from the day prior.

In the spirit of taking it easy, we called a cab to take us to Cotswolds Lavender, a lavender farm approximately 15 minutes away from Moreton-in-Marsh. We had limited cell service, so we asked the taxi driver to meet us back at the farm shop in 1.5 hours. The shop was filled with soaps, lotions, teas, and literally anything you could pump lavender oils into. The adjoining tea room offered lavender teas and scones with jam and clotted cream. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! The farm offered self-guided tours of the lavender distillery we learned about how the lavender is grown and extracted for commercial uses. However, the pièce de résistance was the multi-acre field lined with rows-upon-rows of blooming lavender. The air was sweet, and the bees (some of the largest, happiest bees I've ever met) buzzed from flower to flower. #namaste

Our taxi was a few minutes late (had us worried), but eventually we were returned to the heart of Moreton-in-Marsh. We had lunch at The Marshmallow Tearoom, a cute dining experience with an ivy covered patio out back. We ate well, did a bit of shopping along the high street, then returned to The Bell Inn to collect our luggage.

It was a short walk to the Moreton train station from the inn. We were truly relaxed as we boarded our Oxford-bound train.