Day 1 – Idyllic England

As a child, my classmates dreamed of an apartment in Spain, a vineyard in Italy or an second residence in France. But not me. I wanted a cottage in England. Yes, rather a property in rainy England than in the sunny south. A charming honeycomb cottage with thatched roof surrounded by a white fence and a rose garden. In the summer fresh lemonade in the garden. In the winter 'tea' at the fireplace. I find the English countryside the most idyllic. Hiking on the hilly roads, followed by a group of dogs, stopping  for a chat with the neighbors. Or galloping on horseback crossing the countryside with a picnic basket ready. The most beautiful piece of the English countryside to me, is the Cotswolds, located northwest of London in the Midlands, the heart of England. The Cotswolds is not an official marked area, but it is understood to be primarily the triangular area between Bath in the west, Oxford in the east and Stratford-upon-Avon in the north. The latter is the birthplace of Shakespeare but is no longer counted as parts of the Cotswolds. It is a hilly area (old name : wolds) where many sheep were bred at the time. The thin base layer is difficult to cultivate but ideal as a meadow for sheep. A roof in the meadow for the protection of the sheeps was called 'cots'. Hence the name 'Cotswolds'. We Flemish have a special relationship with the Cotswolds. The majority of sheep's wool from this region was exported to Flanders for our textile industry. These economic reasons were, by the way, the reason that the Flemish cities chose the English king's side in his war with the French king although we belonged to the French kingdom.

The Cotswolds are characterized by idyllic villages with typical honey-colored houses with walls and roofs made of limestone, which is extracted from local quarries. The wealth that came out of the medieval wool trade translated into the construction of churches and lush mansions. Without needing a lot of imagination, we see Miss Marple coming out of one of the houses. The region was an inspiration to Agatha Christie, but also for the writers of the Midsomer Murders TV series. Bourton-on-the-Water is one of these typical villages. It is better known as the Venice of the Cotswolds because of the small river Windrush that runs through the village and is spanned by numerous bridges. It sounds more spectacular than it is. The river has a hallucinatory depth of almost 25 cm, ideal for bathing, but nothing more. No fear of drowning here. The biggest danger comes from the ducks on the water. The bridges are built not much higher.

No problem for people with a fear of height like me. No opportunity to commit suicide either. The worst thing that will happen to you is a cold because of the wet feet in the ice cold water. This shallow river brings the creativity out of mankind, like a game of football played between two of these bridges. We finish the day in a typical English pub on the waterfront.