05 Dec England Road Trip Days 4–7 – Stonehenge, Cotswolds, Shrewsbury & Warwick Castle
As promised in the first part of this article, today I will focus on my 2 days spent driving through England, a day spent in Shrewsbury and the last day of my trip, for which I chose Warwick Castle as my destination.
Day 4
First day driving. Stonehenge, Avebury, Cherhill White Horse, Silbury Hill, Castle Combe and Lacock.
I won’t go into details about Stonehenge because I have a dedicated post that I will publish at a later date, but I will start with Avebury and move from there.
What must be said from the beginning is that even though Avebury is larger than Stonehenge, it is less famous. But less famous does not mean less interesting at all.
At Avebury you have one huge advantage: you can actually touch the stones. That’s right. Unlike Stonehenge, where the circle is protected and you cannot get very close, at Avebury the rocks are free to approach, touch and photograph from up close.
You can walk right through them, observe them closely and see how they align, all from whatever distance you prefer.
With two more short stops you can visit Cherhill White Horse and Silbury Hill. Now I have to be honest, I didn’t get very close to the horse. I just stopped the car on the road, walked a bit, admired the surroundings and took some pictures.
Next, I headed towards Castle Combe and Lacock. Dubbed by many as one of the most beautiful villages in England, Lacock was, for me, a small disappointment because almost the entire village was under construction. So there wasn’t much to see besides workers and a lot of dust.
However, if you got closer to the houses, you could imagine how the place would look once finished and I must say I’m very curious about the final result.
Here in Lacock I also had lunch, but that will be covered in another blog post detailing the meal I had there (hint: English pie).
Castle Combe is another lovely little village. “Village” might be too much said, since the place unfolds on both sides of a small road, so you can easily explore it in 20–30 minutes.
Now, before moving on to day 5, I must mention something. You will notice that I don’t go into too much detail about the Cotswolds and that is intentional. When you look at them, they are simple, small villages that you can easily explore in 30 minutes to an hour per village. However, once you get there, each place feels different. Yes, they are similar in construction and style, but each has something unique that you need to discover for yourself.
Day 5
Chipping Camden, Moreton in Marsh, Stow on the Wold, The Slaughters, Bibury.
Before going into details, I must tell you one simple thing: you need to visit the Cotswolds. This part of England is not as heavily promoted as others, but it is magical. For me, this day felt like stepping into a fairy tale, occasionally interrupted by the sound of cars passing through the villages.
My first stop was Chipping Camden and it was a lovely introduction to the Cotswolds. I managed to park on a back street and walk through the village early in the morning, admiring the old houses and the beautiful flowers.
One thing I love about this area is how beautiful the flowers are. In my opinion, pictures don’t do justice to those plants, whether wild or cultivated, that decorate the entire Cotswolds region.
I didn’t spend much time in Moreton in Marsh because I found it to be the busiest village of them all. I barely managed to find a tight parking spot and noticed traffic starting to build up.
However, if you look past this aspect, you will discover a village just as beautiful as the others, only more crowded.
Stow on the Wold. For me, this was love at first sight. I can’t explain exactly why, but this village resonated the most with me.
It has everything: small beautiful houses, lovely pubs and restaurants, amazing flowers and, to top it all off, I had a delicious baguette here that really made my day.
If I were to return to the Cotswolds, I would definitely stop here again just to walk its streets.
Lower Slaughter. I think this has to be the quietest village I visited. Very few tourists and a peaceful atmosphere, mainly because there were not many cars around. I would definitely include it again in any future visit.
The last stop of the day was Bibury and all I can say is that a picture is worth a thousand words.
This little “street” is simply magical and, to my knowledge, it has been featured in many movies.
As a matter of fact, many films used the Cotswolds as a location. I will just name a few: “The Canterbury Tales” filmed in Chipping Camden, “The Remains of the Day” filmed in various locations, Badminton House used for “Pearl Harbour”, the first Harry Potter movie filmed in this area and scenes from “Die Another Day”. Bridget Jones’s Diary also included scenes from Snowshill, and Crush used Chipping Camden again.
The first two villages I visited on day 4 (Lacock and Castle Combe) were also used in productions such as Harry Potter, The Wolfman, The Other Boleyn Girl, Doctor Dolittle and War Horse.
And last but not least, Bibury was one of the locations used in Stardust, a movie I loved, based on an incredible book by Neil Gaiman.
With all this being said, I hope I convinced you—or at least my pictures did—to consider this area for your next holiday.
Day 6
Shrewsbury.
I reached Shrewsbury by train since I returned the car the previous evening. While many cities and towns can be reached by train or bus, if you plan to visit the Cotswolds or Stonehenge and the other sights from day 4, you either need to book a guided tour or rent a car.
Shrewsbury is nice, already a bigger town, so after two days with very few people, it felt like a wake-up call. I can’t say I was particularly impressed. Yes, it has nice buildings, but something just didn’t click for me. Still, you can spend 2–3 hours walking around and then move on to another destination.
Day 7
Warwick Castle.
I remember taking the train and then a bus to Warwick and thinking that the entrance price was a bit high. But then again, it’s England, so I paid and entered the castle grounds.
And I’m glad I did. The entire castle is impressive, starting with the outer walls you see right after entering, all the way to the vast inner grounds.
If you ever visit this place, take your time. Climb the walls, explore the rooms, spend some time on the grass enjoying the sun (if it’s not raining), maybe catch the arranged tournament show or sit by the water and relax.
One thing I can say is that even if you arrive early, the castle gets quite crowded regardless of the time of day.
Still, it is absolutely worth visiting. As you walk through it or climb its towers, you can really feel the history of the place.
There are many things to see inside and also plenty of places where you can sit, relax and take your time.
If you are nearby or just looking for a half-day trip, definitely consider visiting this castle.
And I guess this is it. My England trip, split by days and locations. When I look back at it, it really feels like a lot of places. And you know what? I’m happy with it and wouldn’t change it.
It can get tiring, but my curiosity and desire to see new places help a lot. And I can always rest afterwards, sitting at home and looking back at the pictures from these amazing places.
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