Last month Graeme and I had a little pre-valentines weekend away to Stratford-upon-Avon. It was a lovely two night trip giving us one full day in Stratford and half a day exploring the Cotwolds before heading home. We stayed at Ettington Chase Hotel, a gorgeous Victorian manor in the little village of Ettington. Ettington village was quiet with a couple of pubs and a convenience store, perfect for us as it was only a short drive (about 15 minutes) to Stratford-upon-Avon.
On the Saturday we spent a full day exploring Stratford-upon-Avon. I carried my camera round Shakespeare’s birthplace, Anne Hathaway’s House and the city centre as we browsed the various shops and enjoyed some of the cafes. As much as I enjoyed the day, I was way too cold to even pull my camera out of my bag as we walked around and so I didn’t take any photos that first day (bad, i know!).
The second and final day of our trip the weather was perfect; sunny with a mild winter chill. I managed to get a few snaps as we enjoyed a romantic driving tour of the Cotswolds.
We began our drive at Chipping Campden, a cute little market town at the North of the Cotswold Hills, well-known for its unusual and attractive High Street. The high street is noted to be “the most beautiful village street in England” and I must say, it was rather lovely! From there we made our way over to Broadway Tower, then followed the Cotswolds Romantic Roads Guide down to Broadway and on to Stanton. We lusted after the beautiful limestone cottages in Stanton before continuing our way to Stanway, stopping for a quick photo outside Stanway House’s impressive gate house. By mid-afternoon we had worked up quite an appetite (even after the ginormous buffet breakfast at the hotel that morning!). We stopped for Sunday lunch at The Halfway House in the hamlet of Kineton before circling back and heading North.
Before heading home we stopped for one last cream tea at Wayside Farmshop and Tearoom in Evesham. The tea room was cute with its mis-match of china plates and colourful teapots. It was there that we decided we would have to come back for a longer stay in the Cotwolds in the future, it is just too beautiful to visit for one day!