We’ve been living in England for six months now and have been on a number of excursions outside of London. Although we’ve enjoyed all our getaways, we’ve been absolutely charmed by our latest…a visit to the Cotswolds, about an hour train ride west of London.

People go to the Cotswolds to see the English countryside at it’s best….green pastures dotted with grazing sheep, cozy thatch-roofed homes and quaint villages that haven’t changed much in 300 years. Some villages in the Cotswolds can be very busy with tourists, but in the dead of winter, we enjoyed having the whole place to ourselves.

Since the villages are within close proximity to one another, you can just hop in your rental car and drive from one cute village to another (or hike!) oohing and aahing as you go. I don’t think you could say “how cute” any more times on one trip than we did in the Cotswolds (even Brent may have said it a time or two). Get a load of the names of the villages we visited: Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water, Moreton-in-Marsh, Bourton-on-the-Hill, Shipston-on-Stour, Stratford-Upon-Avon. Even reading the map of this area is a joy.

In Stratford-Upon-Avon we visited Shakespeare’s birthplace and toured the nearby family home of Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare’s wife. Since we were virtually the only visitors, the tour guides spent loads of time talking to us and sharing their knowledge. We also visited Daylesford organic farm, our local grocer back in London and had a delicious lunch in the farm shop.

We didn’t have any big plans for New Year’s Eve, just a quiet dinner for two back at the restaurant of our B&B. But things took a turn when a group of rowdy, older Brits were seated next to us. We couldn’t help but enjoy their spirit, and next thing we knew, we were fully ingratiated with the group. Katie is still recovering from the festivities.

We definitely plan to revisit the Cotswolds!