It’s time for Five on Friday hosted by Amy and Friday’s Fave Five hosted by Susanne. Today I’m continuing my reminiscing of our time in Great Britain with our daughter Katie in April of 2004. After our day in Oxford we took a day to drive through the Cotswolds.
This was a literary tour for our daughter to see her favorite authors haunts or inspirations for the books they wrote. We were hoping to see a Hobbit in the Cotswolds. Our first stop was for a snack of treacle close to the Cotswold way. I fantasized about walking the whole of this trail once…
The closest we came on this tour of seeing Hobbit land was just seeing the countryside and coming upon this little village of Buckland which I’m counting as stop number two. Buckland has a lot of history we weren’t aware of when we stumbled upon it. Isn’t that the way it goes when you blog? You come home and look up a stop you made to research for a blog post and find out everything you missed! I wasn’t blogging in 2004 so I’m letting myself off the hook for this trip!
Our third stop in the Cotswolds was Hailes Abbey. Built in the 13th century by the Duke of Cornwall, the beautiful ruins of Hailes Abbey are set amid delightful Cotswold countryside. There was a small church with this graveside next to the Abbey.
Stop number four was Hidcote Gardens. This was early in April and the blooms were still not at their prime except to our delight the daffodils!
All these photos were taken with film not digital. The manicured hedges are always a treat to see.
Lambs were in plenty.
One more stop halfway on the Cotswolds Way was St. Mary’s Church in Painswick. The church of St Mary (originally Norman) was extended around 1480 in the English perpendicular style. The churchyard with 99 yew trees (legend has it that the 100th won’t grow) also has unusual tabletop tombs.
This past week afforded me the time and effort to scan our film photos from our trip to Great Britain in 2004. It’s nice to look back and remember the good things that God has allowed in our lives. This trip was a good experience for Dear, Katie and me. I still have the Jane Austen portion of our trip to share and the Monty Python portion, too. I’ve already shared the C.S. Lewis and Tolkien portion in Oxford.
These five stops could be way out of order but I don’t think that matters now. Hidcote Manor Gardens and Hailes Abbey are part of the Heritage Pass that you can purchase for your touring pleasure…
Dear got home from Austin Thursday night so all is back to normal around this old house. I made it to the accountant in the big blue truck and he was helpful as usual. I have a few more things to dig up for him so we can get a few more deductions. I was able to get out and walk in between rain showers by myself while Dear was in Austin which was a great accomplishment for me.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
This is a long post already but today on Mennonite Girls Can Cook I’ve reposted my Chicken Quesadilla recipe with a new twist. Click over to check it out. Also on some of your blogs my comment link takes you to the Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog instead of to my home blog (The Happy Wonderer). That happens when the pull down choices for comments don’t include the Name/URL option or the double choice blogger and open ID. On those that give you 5 choices with open ID it won’t let me switch from my blogger ID to my WordPress Blog. TMI? It’s just one of those weird things. Sheesh…I better just let you go now and enjoy your day!
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
Such gorgeous places and wonderful photos! Thank you for sharing!
Have a lovely weekend!
Lovely photos of a beautiful part of the world. I remember Hidcote in the spring. One of those places that I would love to revisit in Summer. Have a good weekend. Barbara x
These sceneries are like from a fairy tale! Just lovely – oh Buckland ♥
Lovely photos of the Cotswolds and happy memories for you of your tour. Have a good weekend!
I really enjoyed your tour and photos. It made we want to dash off and go and see them! 🙂
Oh your photos have brought back such happy memories when I travelled to the UK from New Zealand in 1999!
My son was on his OE, we hired a care and drove around the Cotswolds and Bath, staying in lovely B & B’s for a week.
My favourite village was Burford – did you happen to go there Ellen?
Wishing you a happy weekend
Shane
PS great film photos!
The Cotswolds is such a gorgeous area to visit.
so much beauty, what a great trip. i love the abby ruins. and the big beautiful famly wedding.
You visited some of our favorite places in England, we go nearly every year and never grow tired of it.
It’s hard to believe that 2004 was more than 10 years ago! Loved seeing the gardens and sights through your lenses. Such lush and beautiful settings. And the lambs!
Your pictures are gorgeous! What a fabulous trip that must have been. My husband’s favorite book is The Hobbit so a visit to Great Britain is on our bucket list. Also, to see Downton Abbey. Happy Friday!
I loved seeing your photos. It looks like you had a lovely trip and made memories for a lifetime. The setting looks like Jane Austen characters could appear at any time. Have a wonderful weekend, Pat
The next part of our trip took us to Jane Austen haunts like Bath and Chatsworth House. Thanks for your comment!
Lovely photo’s the Cotswolds are truly a beautiful place to visit. 🙂
Such lovely countryside and more inspiration for my July/August trip to the UK. Thanks for sharing.
We have never been to England ( just Paris!) but it IS on our bucket list….my oldest daughter would LOVE a literary tour! the photos are stunning. we want to do London AND the countryside. was this a high school graduation trip? just curious as we told our youngest she can choose either a big party next year or a trip.
I hope you have a relaxing weekend!
Faith, it was a high school graduation gift/trip. We followed C.S. Lewis and Tolkien in Oxford. We followed Jane Austen in Bath, and Bakewell and Derbyshire. We were in York and Edinburgh and London, too. It was a wonderful trip.
England is so beautiful. Where I live, we rarely see sheep and lambs, so that’s always a treat. Your post reminds me of Susan Branch’s book called, “A Fine Romance, Falling in Love with the English Countryside”. She lives in the USA, but loves everything in the UK, as do I.
Patsy I loved reading A Fine Romance!! We love everything UK, too. Since this 2004 trip we returned in 2006, 2013 and 2014!
What a wonderful trip you had!!! So lovely to see where you went and wonderful too for you to look back at your memories I am sure! Don’t you just love Hidcote, it is wonderful isn’t it!! Thank you so much for joining in the anniversary of Five On Friday, I really do appreciate it so much! Have a good weekend! xx
Wonderful memories & photos, Ellen! I loved seeing the quality of the film in these shots as opposed to digital. It makes them more nostalgic!
Oh now you know that I am just in LOVE with this post! Each image is prettier than the last. I would absolutely love for your to share it on Thoughts of Home on Thursday. The chicken recipe too. 🙂
Ellen, You have taken me to my happy place! Your photos in lush green and the lambs, of course. I will go again, absolutely.
So much fun to go to the Cotswold with you!
Beautful scenic shots. What a wonderful trip this must have been, especially having just one daughter along with you. She must remember it with great fondness too.
What a lovely trip that must have been. While the gardens might not have been at their height, you had some lovely views without the leaves on the trees to mask them.
What a lovely post. We are planning a trip to England and Wales this summer and the Cotswolds is on the top of my list. I’m going to investigate the Heritage Pass you’ve mentioned. The house in Buckland is so picturesque!
Sounds like a wonderful trip. Thanks for sharing the story and the lovely photos. We’re off to the Cotswolds in May for my daughter’s 30th birthday. But as we’re already here in the UK (London) it’s not so far to go!
It looks as though you had a wonderful trip, Ellen. It all looks so green! xx
I am loving this tour .. The first picture really looks like a hobbit house as I imagined it. You guys got some great pics back then and I’m so glad you had time to scan them …(but I’m glad your husband is home safely too ;))
It is a beautiful county ! I love to go to the UK, there are so many beautiful places to visit !
Oh! The Cotswolds – one of my favourite places on earth! Thanks for bringing me back there, even if it was only through photographs!
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Hello Ellen, My oh My, This certainly brought back lots and lots of memories of a three month trip I had to England in 1999. I was so fortunate to have a much needed respite at a very difficult time in my life. My main base was a thatched roof cottage in Wooton Rivers, a tiny village (only a church and a pub) in Wiltshire. It was a gentle experience that I will be ever thankful. So many wondrous and adventurous times, Oxford, Bath, Wales, Bristol, Devon Coast, London and so much more. I did a lot by train by myself. Most exciting for me was my trip alone into London. Wow, I was so pleased with myself for not standing out as a tourist. I knew that because many times I would be asked for directions! Afternoon Tea at Harrod’s where I met folks from Cape Town, Africa. Chelsea Flower Show, and then a one week trip to Paris staying in the Latin Quarter near the River. In Paris I even visited a renowned (since has closed) quilt store that was within walking distance of my hotel. I was invited to join them in the evening for a reception for a book signing. Monet Gardens, Eiffel Tower, Montmarte District, and so many places. This was before 9-11 so I felt safe but was very cautious none the same. Thanks for tweaking my memory. Have a wonderful week. Blessings.
Mary, it was a pleasure to read about your experience in England and beyond. Thanks for sharing it with me. Blessings…
What a lovely place to visit! You might enjoy The Bronte Plot by Katherine Reay – I just finished it a few weeks ago and it involved a tour of Bronte places of interest in England. The only author’s places I have visited are Joel Chandler’s Harris’s house when we lived in Atlanta and Carl Sandburg’s home.