Today was our last day in the Cotswolds, the week that we have spent here has gone by all too quickly. We drove to Tetbury in the morning and went on a garden tour of Highgrove House, Prince Charles’ gaff, where he lived with Diana and their boys in the 1980s. And he still lives there now, as well as his many other homes. According to a recent complaint by one of his team of gardeners, he walks around inspecting the gardens and giving them notes about changes / improvements written in red ink! It all looked very familiar from photoshoots that they did then with tiny William and Harry. However I couldn’t take photos around the gardens because at the beginning of the tour we were told firmly that we were not allowed to! This was a pity because there were many gorgeous flowers in bloom, and the fruit was being grown on trellises on the wall of the vegetable garden, there were tree shaded paths, sculptures and fountains, so it was very photogenic. Charles has tried to use all natural methods of gardening rather than chemicals, and I was interested in the wildflower meadow where they have increased the amount of flower varieties every year. Some parts of the garden I thought were a bit overdone; just a bit too planned. I did like that all of their ponds and fountains have wee bridges leading out of them so that animals who may fall in can use them to climb out. One of the fountains was very top heavy with moss and plants, with the water dripping through, and our ancient (and very posh) guide explained that this was so that insects and butterflies would not be disturbed. However I couldn’t help thinking that it looks ready to topple over and could have done with a vigorous trim and still have left plenty of vegetation for the insects! After our tour we went into the restaurant for a late lunch which I have to say was absolutely delicious in delightful surroundings.
In the afternoon, we went to the village of Moreton in Marsh, where the nice nurse from Cirencester Hospital had recommended the Bell Inn, allegedly Tolkien’s inspiration for the Prancing Pony pub in Lord of the Rings. It is indeed a pleasant and old-fashioned pub and we had a drink there. Onwards to Stow-on-the-Wold to see Saint Edward’s, a beautiful Norman church, parts of which date from the 11th or 12th to the 14th century, and which stands on the site of an earlier wooden Saxon church. Its north door is flanked by two yew trees which have grown into the structure of the church. It looks like something out of a fairytale and is rumoured to be another inspiration for Tolkien, this time for the Doors of Durin, which are the entrance to the Mines of Moria. This is however unsubstantiated.
Then we headed to The Farmer’s Dog near Burford for dinner. I booked this a few weeks ago while watching Jeremy Clarkson getting it renovated and opening it for business during the latest series of Clarkson’s Farm. We enjoy the series so thought it would be fun to visit. I was impressed; the bucolic setting overlooking fields is lovely. The food was very good too, and the service was friendly and efficient. We chose to sit outdoors under the awnings for which Jeremy was outraged to have to pay £40,000. It is a huge amount of money, however the umbrellas are huge and substantial, with gutters to divert rainwater. They also have heaters which was useful as the evening cooled down. It was really fascinating to visit the place that we have recently watched being done up; it must have been filmed last summer when it was all rather chaotic; it’s good to see that the place is running well now.
In the afternoon, we went to the village of Moreton in Marsh, where the nice nurse from Cirencester Hospital had recommended the Bell Inn, allegedly Tolkien’s inspiration for the Prancing Pony pub in Lord of the Rings. It is indeed a pleasant and old-fashioned pub and we had a drink there. Onwards to Stow-on-the-Wold to see Saint Edward’s, a beautiful Norman church, parts of which date from the 11th or 12th to the 14th century, and which stands on the site of an earlier wooden Saxon church. Its north door is flanked by two yew trees which have grown into the structure of the church. It looks like something out of a fairytale and is rumoured to be another inspiration for Tolkien, this time for the Doors of Durin, which are the entrance to the Mines of Moria. This is however unsubstantiated.
Then we headed to The Farmer’s Dog near Burford for dinner. I booked this a few weeks ago while watching Jeremy Clarkson getting it renovated and opening it for business during the latest series of Clarkson’s Farm. We enjoy the series so thought it would be fun to visit. I was impressed; the bucolic setting overlooking fields is lovely. The food was very good too, and the service was friendly and efficient. We chose to sit outdoors under the awnings for which Jeremy was outraged to have to pay £40,000. It is a huge amount of money, however the umbrellas are huge and substantial, with gutters to divert rainwater. They also have heaters which was useful as the evening cooled down. It was really fascinating to visit the place that we have recently watched being done up; it must have been filmed last summer when it was all rather chaotic; it’s good to see that the place is running well now.
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