september-2018

60 / TRAVEL / Cotswolds
TRAVEL / 61
PLACES TO STAY
The Noel Arms Hotel
Bed down in one of the Cotswolds’ oldest
inns. Some of the 28 rooms have romantic
four-poster beds. Chipping Campden.
bespokehotels.com/noelarmshotel
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2 3
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The Kings Hotel
Another reasonably priced option for oldworld
charm, this honey-stone 18th-century
townhouse with excellent restaurant is close
to the market hall. Chipping Campden.
kingscampden.co.uk
The Fish Hotel
For a quirky stay, book in for a high-inthe-canopy
snooze in the newly opened
treehouses at this boutique hotel in a large
estate just outside Chipping Campden.
Farncombe Estate, Broadway
thefishhotel.co.uk
Dormy House
On the same estate, Dormy House has 38
rooms furnished in “hygge” (Danish for
“cosy”) style by its Danish owners, some
with roll-top baths and jacuzzis. Willersy Hill,
Broadway. dormyhouse.co.uk
Soho Farmhouse
Follow in the footsteps of Kate Moss with a
stay in a luxury wooden cabin, bell tent or
cottage at this cool country retreat with tennis
courts and a cocktail school.
Chipping Norton. sohofarmhouse.com
How to get there
Trains leave from London Paddington to various
stations in the Cotswolds. The most direct and
quickest option is a train to Moreton-in-Marsh,
which takes around 90 minutes.
Alternatively, you can take a coach, which takes
longer but will suit those on a budget.
Hiring a car from a London airport is the most
convenient option for those with more time to
spend.
londontoolkit.com/whattodo/cotswolds.htm
which takes a week to complete. A 6.5-km portion of it – up to Dover’s
Hill – provides a good taster for weekenders. Zigzagging up country
lanes, past a gothic church and stepping over wooden stiles, we ramble
upwards, pausing to breathe in the fresh air. Crossing streams and patches
of chubby lettuces, we reach the hilltop in under an hour. From here we
can see an extensive vista that appears to be a phenomenal patchwork
quilt of emerald-green squares and canary-yellow rapeseed fields –
stitched together by mud pathways – covering a natural amphitheatre.
Dover’s Hill is also a historic site: in 1612 Robert Dover held the first
Olimpick Games here, which included a raft of sporting competitions,
such as running, sledgehammer throwing and horseracing. A precursor
to today’s Olympic Games, it still takes place each spring and, featuring
maypole dances, a torchlit procession and shin-kicking contest, it has a
reputation as one of England’s quirkiest events.
THE REWARD
Our group’s favourite sport is even less conventional: eating and
drinking. After looping back down winding trails to the High Street, our
first stop is The Volunteer Inn. Kicking off muddy shoes, we order gin
and tonics and consume them fireside, with brief visits to the beer garden
to fuss over two adorable Newfoundland dogs that have also been out
walking. On the barmaid’s recommendation, we visit the nearby Red
Lion Inn, which has bright hanging baskets outside and timber-panelled
walls inside. We warm up with mushroom soup and mozzarella sticks.
Also worth a look is the Eight Bells Inn, where friendly staff will happily
guide you through the rotating range of beer on tap: popular local brew
Hooky Bitter shouldn’t be missed.
We have supper back at the Noel Arms. Here, classics such as Cotswold
steak, and beef and ale pie are on offer, but chef Indunil Upatissa’s
famed green pea and cashew nut curry is the most delicious. The Cotswolds’
pace of life is slow, so after eating we retire to the fireside with red
wine and play retro board games. Hours later, with heavy bellies, we
clamber into bed.
The next morning, we take a 20-minute journey by taxi to Daylesford
Organic Farm. Far more than just a farm, there’s also a beautiful farm
shop heaving with rainbow-piles of just-picked fruit and vegetables, a
walk-in cheese room, an airy restaurant, calming spa and cooking school
all rolled into one. It’s English countryside living at its glossiest.
We board the train back to London with wicker baskets brimming
with sprigs of wild garlic, parcels of honey and sage goat’s cheese, and
bunches of tulips. Relaxed and refreshed, we take a slice of the good life
with us back to the big city.
5 6 8
Hollandse Hooghte, Shutterstock, Wild Rabbit, Fish Hotel
Kenya Airways operates daily non-stop
flights to London Heathrow from Nairobi’s
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
1. Castle Combe village with its characteristic bridge 2. Cheese at a farm shop 3. The
Wild Rabbit in Kingham 4. A labrador at The Fish Hotel in Broadway 5. Cotswolds sweets
6. A typical Cotwolds shop front 7. Dover’s Hill near Chipping Campden 8. A farmhouse