Stow On The Wold

In amongst the inevitable chaos that descends in the run up to Christmas there’s nothing quite like a long festive weekend travelling across the country to see friends and family. Last weekend was exactly that (as was the one before…and, erm, as the next one will be…) and we centred it around a friend’s party on the Saturday in Herefordshire that had been in our diaries for months. After breaking up the journey and staying with my parents on the Friday we all ventured out for a Saturday afternoon in one of my favourite Cotswold Towns- Stow On The Wold.

Now growing up in Wiltshire I took living in relatively close proximity to these towns for granted when I was younger so it’s completely refreshing to revisit them out of choice as an adult and out-tourist every genuine tourist with my eagerness for all things quaint and British. If you’ve never visited the Cotswolds I highly recommend it. From traditional tea rooms to country pubs and the kind of shops you could spend hours in discovering things you never knew you needed; they’re certainly up there with some ideal weekend activities out of the big cities.

Luckily for us Saturday was a perfectly clear, crisp winter’s day which made walking around the small streets much more pleasant than it would have been in the wind and rain. The chocolate and cheese shops are two of my favourites in the town. I’m still regretting not buying the incredible mango vinegar that was on offer in the latter.

Considering the relatively small size of the town there’s a pretty good selection of places on offer to eat. We couldn’t get in to The Porch House which was the first place we tried but luckily our second option was a perfectly good choice with cosy, traditional interiors and well prepared, warming food. I’d definitely recommend The Kings Arms if you’re in the area.

One day I will own a house as cute as these ones. Until then I will continue to stalk them.

There are lots of “pretty shops” to look in but this one wins solely for its name.

A perfect pre-party Saturday afternoon if ever there was one.

Stow On The Wold