Hidden Cotswold Tour 8th April 2023
I was outside the Airbnb in Bath to start my Cotswold tour at 10 am to pick up my guests from Australia.
Anjie & Isabella and Lisa & Madeline.
We made our introductions, got in the car and navigated our way out of Bath on a busy Easter Saturday morning.
The sun was shining and we were looking forward to a day out in the Cotswolds.

Lacock Abbey
Our first stop was Lacock and the 13th Century Abbey.ย
I dropped everyone off so they could wander around the Abbey.ย Isabella and Madeline particularly wanted to see the cloisters which were used in the Harry Potter films.
We then walked over to see the place which was used as Harry Potter’s mother’s house.

The village of Lacock dates from the 13th century and has many lime-washed half-timbered and stone houses. The Abbey was founded in 1232 and converted into a country house around 1540.ย The fine medieval cloisters, sacristy, chapter house and monastic rooms of the Abbey have survived largely intact.
Castle Combe
Moving on from Lacock we headed to Castle Combe.ย As we got closer to the village, the roads narrowed and the number of cars and people increased.ย This was not looking good for parking.ย The village was jam-packed with tourists!!ย I dropped everyone off at the bridge.ย I was sorry not to be able to walk around with them and point out various things.ย When they had finished I picked them up and we set off to Malmesbury.

Castle Combe has been described as the prettiest village in the Cotswolds. This magical and ancient village, mentioned to the Domesday Book of 1086, was once a weaving town at the heart of the Cotswolds wool trade. Now a popular tourist destination with good reason.
Malmesbury
At least we managed to park in Malmesbury and my guests found an Italian Restaurant for lunch.
They then wandered around the church yard and also into the impressive Abbey.
Once they were done we jumped back into the car and headed off towards Bibury.
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ย Malmesbury is rightly called the “Queen of Hilltop Towns” being England’s oldest borough with a rich history of over 1,000 years. Officially Malmesbury can be traced back to the fifth century, but modern excavations have revealed the remains of an Iron Age Fort, which casts the settlement possibly as far back as 500 BC.ย
Bibury
Predictably, Bibury was full to bursting.ย Iย managed, fortunately, to find somewhere for the car and I found my guests in Arlington Row. The river Coln was in full flow with a lot of water, but still crystal clear.
It was lovely to see Madeline using a 35mm camera with old fashioned film.ย I hope she got some good pictures.

Thomas Arkell bought a 13th-century watermill in this idyllic countryside on the edge of a magical lake setting. Today, the mill wheel is still used to drive pumps and machinery to brew their beer the same way 150 years on.
Burford
Originally, I had planned going to Bourton-on-the-Water but with our experience of today’s crowds I suggested we visit Burford instead. Burford is known as the gateway to the Cotswolds and the view from the top of the hill never disappoints. We spent a little time in the Church yard before climbing in the car and heading back to Bath.

A beautiful old Cotswold town, its High Street sloping from the high Wolds, where you have beautiful views over the open countryside, down to the willow fringed River Windrush in the pretty Windrush valley. A fine three arched medieval bridge crosses the river at the foot of the hill.
It had been a long day and we travelled back via the town of Tetbury with its connections to our new King Charles lll.
We returned safely to where we started and said our fairwells.
I really enjoyed spending time with these lovely Australian families and getting to know them for the day. I hope they ejoyed the day as much as I did, thank you.
