Your proximity to civilisation and concrete jungles is inversely proportional to the travel ecstasy you experience at any point of time. The farther you travel, better the experiences and the more you delve into nature, countryside and the untouched and unadulterated beauty, the better you get to taste a slice of the quaint village life.

The medieval towns nestled all along, picturesque villages, dramatic dales, winding country roads and rural escapes- there’s nothing quite like exploring the English countryside and taking a deep dive in history.

Cotswolds

Walking through Cotswolds on a sunny summer afternoon while enjoying a scoop of organic ice cream sounds idyllic, doesn’t it?

Rolling hills, picturesque landscapes, cosy tea rooms and bistros, Cotswolds charmed me with its simplistic beauty and quintessentially English villages, honey-coloured stone cottages and stretches of greens. These landscapes provide a good harvest of local cheese, meats and dairy to prominent gastro pubs and inns in the vicinity.

Bibury-a typical Cotswolds Village, is one of England’s iconic and most photographed sites. The gorgeous honey stone cottages strung across the River Coln have a unique old-world charm and paint an ideal picture of a quaint Cotswolds village.

Bourton-on-the-water

Just a few miles ahead of Bibury, yet another idyllic village awaits you. This place is often described as England’s ‘Little Venice’ and is undeniably one!

The Cotswolds Motoring museum featuring vintage cars and toy collections is worth a quick visit! A quick English tea in one of the cosy tearooms it’s a complete not-to-miss! Besides, you could shop some quick woollens at one of the shops here!

Getting here

The best and most convenient way to get here are day tours. Professional guides, Comfortable coaches and optional vegetarian lunch packs-all part of the tours. Golden tours offers some excellent and informative tours across the UK. Here’s a quick link to their website:

http://m.goldentours.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwkMbaBRBAEiwAlH5v_jopShH4xCzmkWPwwwTq2prLwa9R5Xq1afIELwsVRB-Y2zJT6xLJmxoCGtEQAvD_BwE

However, be choosy while picking tours. Certain tours cover quite a few spots on the same day, avoid these. It’s always good to pick ones which allow you to spend more time
at one or two spots, this way you will be able to enjoy each place better.

Shakespeare’s Stratford

Stratford-upon-Avon, a laid back
Medieval market town set in the West Midlands, is the birth place of William Shakespeare, the connoisseur of English language. It was the eighteenth century actor David Garrick who staged the first major ‘Shakespeare Jubilee’ here and helped attract a lot many tourists. Besides the playwright’s house at the New Place and the Royal Shakespeare theatre, Stratford is a lovely town with some glorious buildings and jolly pubs, worth a day spend.

Anne Hathaway’s Cottage 

This isn’t a cottage in the true sense of the word, it’s much larger! Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare’s beloved wife lived here. Much of this cottage was built prior to the 15th century. Set in the village of Shottery, this place has twelve rooms. The staff here has some amazing facts and information to share and it’s truly delightful to take a tour and delve into history. The Hathaway family was presumably rich as they could afford a bed in those times which is like owning a luxury car in today’s times.

Getting here:

Taking the train is one option to get here. Once you reach, a walking tour of Stratford is the best way to go around and explore this place. However, getting to Shottery may take some time. Hence day tours from London are a good way to get to Stratford as well as Anne Hathaway’s Cottage at Shottery.

Stonehenge

Stopping by at Stonehenge is probably the best way to explore this mysterious pile of rocks which have innumerable theories aliens them as to how they came here. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Stonehenge is good to check out while on your way back from Cotswolds.

Bath

This lazy town with beautiful Georgian architecture, is, in my opinion, worth a day spend. The drive to Bath from London is a little more than two hours. Well-preserved Roman Baths and Hot Springs are a major tourist attraction in Bath. Besides, the picturesque Pulteney Bridge on the River Avon is a cosy place to take a walk around.

Shopping in Bath was something adhoc for me-not included on my itinerary.However, after spending a day here I felt Bath is a good place to pick spa stuff, handcreams and shower gels. Besides, the Pashmina stoles being sold all around Bath looked and felt so soft, cosy and warm that I did pick a couple.

Getting here:

A good way to get here is by train, if you plan to spend a day at Bath only (which is recommended), Take a train from London Paddington (GWR) for the Bath Spa
Stop. The train takes less than two hours to reach Bath Spa. It’s always good to pre book tickets to avail good discounts and offers. Coming to the other option of getting here. There are quite a few tour operators that offer day tours for Bath. In case you wish to club Bath with another spot, it’s better to go with a operator.