Last weekend we took Friday off and drove to The Cotswolds for a quick mini holiday.

I think we’ve all been cooped up for too long and a trip away somewhere different was really needed. We came back Saturday evening and had all day to relax on Sunday so it really was just a night away but still lovely.

My main excitement was the thoughts of all the pretty houses and scenery of the Cotswolds, but also camping in a really interesting campsite I found online, The Wildings. There didn’t seem to be many places that weren’t booked up or that we could stay for just one night, luckily this gorgeous site was available at short notice, and had enough mod cons to not feel like it was hard work!

The Wildings is a small & friendly, family run campsite that is nestled in the wildflowers and trees of their farm and it is the perfect escape for those who want to unwind and explore a pretty bit of Cotswolds countryside.

Our bed for the night was Meadowsweet, a spacious pod, fully insulated with lighting and power to recharge the batteries (my own and the camera!) It was much bigger than expected and was on its own little patch in the wildflowers away from everyone elses pods. We had also booked a firepit to cook over, you can’t go camping without the campfire!!

The minute I walked onto the site I felt relaxed, I can only recommend you visit for yourself.

Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them.

Eeyore

Before we checked in, our first stop in the Cotswolds was the small medieval town of Burford, we wandered around for an hour before deciding we were hungry and then it was off to Bibury. Lunch in the Swan Hotel was very welcome after a long drive so we sat in the sunshine and had a lovely meal sat outside in the sunny courtyard. It’s easy to see why William Morris called Bibury ‘The most beautiful village in England’ with it’s famously picturesque cottages of Arlington Row, built in 1380 and owned by the National Trust. It was such a sunny day, we spent a couple of hours walking around the village, had some much needed icecream and wandered up Awkward Hill.

Bourton on the Water was next, a mile from the campsite and often referred to as the Venice of the Cotswolds. This pretty village is situated on the river Windrush, with tiny bridges arching over the river it’s the perfect place to sit and cool off under the trees while people watching. We had a look around the model village before checking in to The Wildings to set up our beds. To finish off our day we drove to the Slaughters, the lower and upper villages are just pure prettiness! I loved the cottage gardens in full bloom and being near the river, the old water mill looked interesting but was unfortunately closed as it was getting quite late. I took loads of photos!

The next day we managed to fit in a bit more exploring. Breakfast in Bourton watching the world go by followed by escaping the Dragonfly Maze, definitely worth checking out if you can (it has a fun twist.) There is a bird park in the village too which we didn’t visit but apparently a long time ago when my dad moved overseas they took in his African Grey parrot Phillip.

We survived the maze and headed to Winchcomb for lunch and a walk around the grounds of Sudeley Castle, taking in the pretty surroundings and taking more photos. In Stow on the Wold we had cake and coffees in Lucys Tea Room, which was a bit of a shambles due to the social distancing rules, the town had some interesting shops and we visited the famous doors of St Edwards Church which have been said to have inspired Tolkein in the lord of the Rings.

Trying to fit loads of things in we decided to find the Cotswolds lavender fields in Snowshill, it looked really busy because it was such a lovely day so we just parked up away from the tourists and enjoyed the view of pretty purple fields before a long drive home.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about all the pretty places, there’s so much to see and do. It was a lovely mini weekend away with loads of walking and sunshine and I can’t wait to go back!

{All photos taken with my 24-70 lens. }