Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds

24 June 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

High Street © geograph.org.uk - John H Darch/cc-by-sa-2.0

High Street © geograph.org.uk – John H Darch/cc-by-sa-2.0

Chipping Campden is a market town in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. It is notable for its terraced High Street, dating from the 14th century to the 17th century. (“Chipping” is from Old English cēping, ‘market’, ‘market-place’; the same element is found in other towns such as Chipping Norton, Chipping Sodbury and Chipping (now High Wycombe).   read more…

Biddestone in the Cotswolds

19 June 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  3 minutes

The White Horse © geograph.org.uk - Stuart Logan/cc-by-sa-2.0

The White Horse © geograph.org.uk – Stuart Logan/cc-by-sa-2.0

Biddestone is a village and civil parish in northwest Wiltshire, England, about 3 miles (5 km) west of Chippenham and 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Corsham. The parish includes the smaller settlement of Slaughterford.   read more…

Broadway, jewel of the Cotswolds

26 May 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Living, Working, Building Reading Time:  6 minutes

Row houses of Cotswold stone © Peter K Burian/cc-by-4.0

Row houses of Cotswold stone © Peter K Burian/cc-by-4.0

Broadway is a large village and civil parish in the Cotswolds, England, with a population of 2,540 at the 2011 census. It is in the far southeast of Worcestershire, close to the Gloucestershire border, midway between Evesham and Moreton-in-Marsh. It is sometimes referred to as the “Jewel of the Cotswolds”. The village is overlooked by Broadway Hill, the highest point in the northern Cotswolds at 1,024 ft (312 m) above sea level, which is popular with hill walkers.   read more…

Theme Week Berkshire – Newbury

23 March 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Clock tower © TudorTulok/cc-by-sa-4.0

Clock tower © TudorTulok/cc-by-sa-4.0

Newbury is a market town in the county of Berkshire, England, and is home to the administrative headquarters of West Berkshire Council. The town centre around its large market square retains a rare medieval Cloth Hall, an adjoining half timbered granary, and the 15th-century St Nicolas Church, along with 17th- and 18th-century listed buildings. As well as being home to Newbury Racecourse, it is the headquarters of Vodafone and software company Micro Focus International. In the valley of the River Kennet, 26 mi (42 km) south of Oxford, 25 mi (40 km) north of Winchester, 27 mi (43 km) southeast of Swindon and 20 mi (32 km) west of Reading.   read more…

Theme Week Berkshire – Hungerford

22 March 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Cottages at Leverton © geograph.org.uk - AJD/cc-by-sa-2.0

Cottages at Leverton © geograph.org.uk – AJD/cc-by-sa-2.0

Hungerford is a historic market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 8 miles (13 km) west of Newbury, 9 miles (14 km) east of Marlborough, 27 miles (43 km) northeast of Salisbury and 60 miles (97 km) west of London. The Kennet and Avon Canal passes through the town alongside the River Dun, a major tributary of the River Kennet. The confluence with the Kennet is to the north of the centre whence canal and river both continue east. Amenities include schools, shops, cafés, restaurants, and facilities for the main national sports. Hungerford railway station is a minor stop on the Reading to Taunton Line.   read more…

Woolacombe in Devon

13 April 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Adrian Pingstone

© Adrian Pingstone

Woolacombe is a seaside resort on the coast of North Devon, England, which lies at the mouth of a valley (or ‘combe’) in the parish of Mortehoe. The beach is 2 miles (3.2 km) long, sandy, gently sloping and faces the Atlantic Ocean near the western limit of the Bristol Channel. Woolacombe is a popular destination for surfing and family holidays and is part of the North Devon Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The beach has been managed by Parkin Estates Ltd since the 1970s and has over the years been recognised as one of the best beaches in Europe. It won the title of Britain’s Best Beach in the “Coast Magazine Awards 2012” and was awarded the same prize of Britain’s Best Beach in 2015 by TripAdvisor, also ranking in their polls as 4th in Europe and 13th best in the world. The beach water quality is monitored regularly by the Environment Agency and was rated excellent from 2016 to 2020.   read more…

Cotswolds in England

20 December 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Living, Working, Building, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  9 minutes

Broadway row © Peter K Burian/cc-by-sa-4.0

Broadway row © Peter K Burian/cc-by-sa-4.0

The Cotswolds is an area in south-central, West Midlands and South West England comprising the Cotswold Hills, a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment, known as the Cotswold Edge, above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale. The area is defined by the bedrock of Jurassic limestone that creates a type of grassland habitat rare in the UK and that is quarried for the golden-coloured Cotswold stone. It contains unique features derived from the use of this stone; the predominantly rural landscape contains stone-built villages, historical towns and stately homes and gardens.   read more…

Broadway Tower in the Cotswolds

18 November 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  5 minutes

Picnic © Saffron Blaze/cc-by-sa-3.0

Picnic © Saffron Blaze/cc-by-sa-3.0

Broadway Tower is a folly on Broadway Hill, near the large village of Broadway, in the English county of Worcestershire, at the second-highest point of the Cotswolds (after Cleeve Hill). Broadway Tower’s base is 1,024 feet (312 metres) above sea level. The tower itself stands 65 feet (20 metres) high. The tower is a tourist attraction and the centre of the Broadway Tower Country Park with various exhibitions open to the public at a fee, as well as a gift shop and restaurant. The place is on the Cotswold Way and can be reached by following the Cotswold Way from the A44 road at Fish Hill, or by a steep climb out of Broadway village.   read more…

Castle Combe in England

15 April 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Environment Reading Time:  7 minutes

The Manor House Hotel © Adrian Pingstone

The Manor House Hotel © Adrian Pingstone

Castle Combe is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about 5 miles (8 km) northwest of the town of Chippenham. The village has two parts: one is in the narrow valley of the By Brook, while Upper Castle Combe is on higher ground to the east, on the B4039 road which links Chippenham with Chipping Sodbury. A motor racing circuit is to the south of the upper village. The village takes its name from the 12th-century castle which stood about 1/3 mile (500 m) to the north.   read more…

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