beautiful relaxing weekend getaway to Bibury in Cotswold

Have you ever dreamed of waking up in the morning to the sound of silence interrupted intermittently by distant flight calling in the ……..

Cotswold AONB

Cotswold AONB (Area of Natural Beauty) is so mesmerising, it melts my heart just like melting butter on a freshly made stuffed naan every time I visit. This part of England stands out for its honey coloured cottages and charming landscapes. The quintessential English villages and quiet streets transports you to another era. Its THAT magical!

About Stay

In this weekend getaway trip to CotsWolds during off-peak travel season(December), I stayed at Cotswold WaterPark. It is a significant area for wildlife spanned across 147 lakes, great for family fun activities like fishing, sailing, boat rides, etc. We stayed at a beautiful airbnb lodge called ‘Grange Lodge’ at Spring Lake.  It was spacious, nicely decorated with a patio overlooking the lake with possibility of parking the car close by. A perfect place for a holiday getaway with everything you could possibly need.

Commute

From London to Cotswold Water Park, it take about 2 hours by road. If you own a car, Great!. If you don’t, still Great!
Rentalcars website is a great place to start. Use ‘Waze’ app for navigation once you hit the road.
Also, check google maps to see the train and bus connectivity.
For bus service – National Express is reliable.

Boring yet important information done. Now Hitchhike to Cotswold!

Day 1

Route: Cotswold Water Park -> Bibury

Tip: Since Cotswold is about 2 hours drive from London I find it easier to travel on Friday evening and therefore, get entire next day to enjoy the place/property.

Cotswold Water Park

Have you ever dreamed of waking up in the morning to the sound of silence interrupted intermittently by distant flight calling in the sky…. Because that is what I witnessed from the small window in my room at 6 a.m. Tucked in cozy faux fur jacket with hot tea in my hand, I pushed the doors of the living room and gazed at the mesmerising beauty of the lake painted in prasine and russet tones.It was beauuuutiful.

I went for a walk and discovered that the property had lakeside bar, brasserie, gym, water sports and a playground for kids. How lovely!

Bibury

After having scrumptious brunch, we headed to see Bibury, a village famous for row cottages built in 13th century to store wool. It was a 20 minute drive. Usually this place is bursting with tourists but because it was winter we were among the very few and therefore it was easy to find parking space :).

Bibury was indeed a picture-postcard village with no high rise but just cute cottages with cobbled courtyards. Large lush green farms dotted with cows, lambs and horses grazing kept me smiling until I reached my final destination – Arlington Row. The popularity of these honey coloured limestone cutie patooties has landed it on the British passport. These cottages are owned by National Trust and 9 Arlington row is a cottage where you can stay for a minimum of 3 nights. How cool!

If you ask me, it was not love at first sight but its charm grew on me with every passing moment. It was so quiet that while walking on a nearby trail, I could hear the river Coln babbling over smooth rocks with water fowl crash landing in it playfully. I could feel the wind caressing my cheek while I gazed fondly at the cottages brought to life by the fresh green moss and creepy creepers. We sat in the courtyard of Swan Hotel for coffee while chatting and contemplating what it must be like to work and live here in 14th and 17th century.

I saw smoke meandering its way out of the chimney of one of the cottages and slowly disappearing into the thin air. This sight transported me to the times I had a blurry existence, weighed down by distractions but then slowly I found my way to Ichigo Ichie Life. We always find our way forward if we do not succumb to despair, don’t we? I was moved by this thought and so told my husband to visit this place again tomorrow.”

Day 2

Route: Cotswold Water Park -> Bibury

Cotswold Water Park

Next morning I was woken up by exhilarating chatter. I saw my son and husband from the window, it filled my heart with joy.

My son loves to feed animals and birds and there he was, doing what he loves to do. We packed our bellies with delicious Pav bhaji and set out yet again to Bibury.

Bibury

This time we visited Trout Farm, had an ice-cream, fed hundreds of trout and saw some swans bossing around in the water.
Japanese Connection – It was a lot of fun!  I was surprised to see Japanese sign and instruction boards. After some ruffling and shuffling, I found out that this village is loved by Japanese tourists because of two reasons. 1. Emperor Hirohito stayed here during his European tour and became a fervent advocate of the area. 2. In 1970 a renowned Japanese artist was so charmed by the character of this town that much of his work was inspired by it.

We went back to the Swan Hotel for lunch and sat in one of the rooms with fireplace. It was small but cosy. I had a fantastic day!

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ichigo ichie Tip

Just before leaving, I stood in the middle of the road showed in the above picture and took a 360 degrees view of the place. I felt alive and awake. I highly recommend you to always choose a spot no matter where you are and take a 360 degree view without any distractions. I can assure you that you will be transported to that place whenever you want in future by just closing your eyes.

Life is an oasis of serenity , find your Ichigo Ichie to cherish till eternity.

If you found this informative or if it inspires you to live the Ichigo Ichie moment, let us know. We will be overjoyed to hear!