A model village in & of Bourton-on-the-Water

Tuesday May 8, 2012

Glenn and I enjoyed visiting the miniature world in Madurodam, Holland. He would have liked this too - a 1/9th scale replica of Bourton-on-the-Water in the 1930s. Located at The Old New Inn, it is very well done.



General scenes

Entrance

Down low, you could almost believe you were walking in a real village.

'The Croft Restaurant'

'The Edinburgh Woollen Mill', 'Small Talk Tea Rooms',
and 'Bits and Bobs'.

'The Dial House Hotel & Restaurant'

'The Chestnut Gallery' in front,
'Dial House' behind.

Two churches

I didn't check to see if the time on the clock was correct.

Overview

A day trip to Bourton-on-the-Water

Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire

Tuesday May 8, 2012

The village of Bourton-on-the-Water is only about 10 miles NW of Burford.

The drive there was pleasant - one of my least stressful, from Oxfordshire into Gloucestershire through a pretty little place and lovely countryside with sheep. Parking was easy because the lot (pay parking if I remember correctly) was situated before the village.

A shallow river runs through it making it picturesque. I ruled it out as a place to stay because I'd read it was very touristy, and it is. It may be splitting hairs but my impression was that Burford is a town with a lot of tourists, but Bourton-on-the-Water is a tourist town (village). Unlike Burford, it is flat so there were many elderly visitors, some in wheelchairs. Shopping and eating are main events. There are attractions too such as Birdland, a model railway (which I passed on - it would have been a little too strange without Glenn) and a maze which, believe it or not, I didn't visit either. Perhaps that was the main difference. Burford doesn't have such attractions.

It seemed less hoity-toity than Burford and maybe a bit friendlier. I was happy though with my choice of place to stay. I was also happy that the weather had taken a turn for the better and the sun was making an appearance.

The Windrush river again. Here, its average depth is just ten inches.

It's a pleasant stroll along the river.

Charming. The place has a good feeling to it, but then, it is in the Cotswolds.

Someone commented that the bridges have no railings. It makes for a nice look, I think, and there is something refreshing about trusting that people will have sense to not fall off... though they wouldn't have far to go if they did. Even I wouldn't drown in 10 inches of water.

At last I found out what staddle stones were for. These small ornaments were in a shop. The sign in front of them reads: Virtually unchanged in design for hundreds of years, staddle stones were originally used to raise tithe barns and granaries off the ground. This was to prevent vermin and moisture from reaching the produce. Now extremely popular as garden ornaments.

Here, they (staddle stones) are used as fence posts.

I stopped for cream tea - two scones with Cornwall cream and jam - but can't remember where exactly. It might have been at the cafe pictured directly below. Wish I'd had room for an ice-cream cone. Glenn would have had one of those.

I wrote then that there must be an airport nearby as lots of planes were flying around. There are probably a few, including RAF airfields.

Jousting at Blenheim Palace - May 7, 2012

Bank holiday Monday May 7

This was the day that I'd be moving across the courtyard at the B&B to the larger room with ensuite bathroom. I thought I'd buy some postcards and have a relaxing afternoon in but first decided to drive back to Summertown to email from Starbucks. That was one of the easier drives. At a fair-sized, well-marked roundabout, the turnoff onto Woodstock Road takes you straight down to the Summertown shopping area in no time.

I had heard about a jousting match at Blenheim Palace but it was cold and pouring rain. I considered driving up to Chipping Norton, just to stay in the warm car.

But after emailing from Starbucks in Summertown I drove north toward Woodstock and though I hadn't really decided on whether or not to go to Blenheim Palace, there it was. You can't miss it.

I drove through the gates into the huge grounds, parked the car and walked across the muddy field. Perhaps I could have taken the train.

There were pheasants - tamer than ours, not that I've seen one for several years.

My purple umbrella that I would later leave in the gift shop and never see again. There was some uncertainly about the jousting taking take place because the ground might have been too slippery for the horses. But someone in the gift shop - white building on the right - did some checking and reported that it was going ahead.

I did one tour of the palace and saved the other for later because the jousting was about to begin. It involved another long walk down a wet, sometimes muddy path to get to a field with a roped off ring area.

Let the jousting begin

A photo shoot.

The four horses and riders gathered...

Then went charging into the ring one by one. It was hilarious good fun with lots of banter between riders and announcer. Horses were fast and very agile, like polo ponies.

Some 'casualties' happened at ground level.

Some final laps... 

... then the crowd herded back to the palace. I enjoyed that immensely even in the rain. It was probably the first time I laughed since Winslow.

On a nice day one could spend hours exploring the 2000+ acre property.

I should have written more about Blenheim Palace, home of the Churchill family. Apparently photography wasn't allowed because I have no photos of the interior. 

At the front steps, if you look up, you see a bunch of eyeballs looking at you.

It doesn't appear to have stopped raining but it must have if I left without my umbrella.

Back in Burford I had fish and chips for supper.

An early morning walk around Burford

Bank holiday Monday, May 7th

After suppertime each evening when the town had quieted down, I would move the car from the parking lot to High Street and park across from the B&B.

Breakfast at the B&B didn't start until 9:00. I was out walking the back streets at 7:30 am - this time exploring the left side (facing down the hill) of High Street.

It was overcast and chilly. Not many people were out. A fellow exercising his dog in a field said hello. A woman drove up and asked directions. It was funny how often people asked me for directions, but I suppose it's easier to look like a local in England than in some other countries.

People here seem well-heeled, and they probably are if they live in the Cotswolds. I wish I'd been more brazen and taken pictures of some of the stylishly dressed women in town. Even svelte elderly ladies could be seen in leggings and boots.

The Lamb and Bay Tree inns are sister hotels both on Sheep Street. 

Beautiful wisteria. I was always surprised to see it in this chilly weather.

I concluded that there were no ugly buildings in Burford...

... or no ugly anything for that matter.



Back in town, there are a fair number of bakeries and eateries.

This was probably lunch the day before - some sort of tomato tart and the kind of green salad I like but Glenn didn't.

Despite its small size, Burford is quite a good place for shopping. I would have loved that colour of riding hat. 

I bought only two items for myself in England, other than stationery, and both were in Burford - a pair of Rieker shoes and this scarf.