Britain 2011 - Day 7

Introduction

After breakfast we walked back to Charing Cross and found the train out to Heathrow. We had discovered from previous visits that the easiest, and ultimately the cheapest, way to get a rental car was to pick it up and return it to Heathrow. Central London locations are a nightmare. After arriving at Heathrow with our luggage we simply joined the queue waiting for the free shuttle bus to take us to the Budget/Avis depot. Our car was waiting and we were soon out onto the M4 and heading west.

Our plan was to head west towards the Cotswolds. Visit a few villages and end up at Stow-on-the-Wold for two nights. We avoided Reading (we would be driving through it at the end of the trip). Bibury appeared to be a nice place so we headed there for lunch. Then through the Slaughters and on to Stow.

Bibury, Rack Isle and Arlington Row

Bibury is one of the quintessential Cotswold villages. It has buildings made from cream-coloured Bath Stone, ivy covered pubs and a pleasant stream through the middle with ducks, geese, coots and others dabbling in the water. It is also one of the most visited with scores of tour buses in the height ot the summer.

The river at Bibury, Cotswold

The Swan Pub at Bibury

The bridge looking towards The Swan

The Swan

The outside courtyard where we had lunch.

The Swan courtyard

One of the streams through Bibury.

The lake with giant rhubarb in the foreground

The small stone bridge.

Entry to the riverbank

Birds and crowds.

Wildlife on the river

Young swans.

Older swan

Coot on a nest.

Coot wading in the river.

Rack Isle and Arlington Row

In the middle of the river is Rack Isle. It has been taken over by the National Trust in an effort to conserve the breeding sites for the waterfowl. There is a pathway around the isle, which passes Arlington Row.

Rack Isle

Noticeboard at the site

Typical buildings in Bibury

Name plate on the houses at Arlington Row

The row of old houses,

The Row from a distance

Arlington Row.

From the Row looking back towards The Swan

The Slaughters to Stow

From Bibury we headed northeast to Burford then northwest to Burton-on-the-Water. Minor country roads took us through the "Slaughters", Lower and Upper before arriving at Stow-on-the-Wold. Here we had booked two nights at the B&B Number 9 Park St. What we had not realised was the next day, Saturday was the annual market fair and the celebration of the Civil War, with re-enactments of the battles that took place in this area. Accommodation and car parking were at a premium. But for Friday night we booked into the top class restaurant across the road, the Old Butchers.

Through Burford, one of the Cotswold villages..