We packed our things and left our Gargrave home at 8:00 this morning. I’m usually not one to care about the weather, but once again it was unbeatable.

We drove several hours south to visit an area of England called the Cotswolds. It’s a large area with lots of small villages. They were quite full of tourists, but I think with more time we could have found some quiet streets with hidden gems. It was a beautiful area. There are still so many flowers blooming here!

We walked through the villages of Burford and Stow-on-the-Wold, doing some shopping and eating. Lanita and I shared a bacon, cranberry, + brie toastie. It was delicious and brought back memories of our trip to Scotland three years ago. I bought some candles and a book in a few of the cute little shops.

We hadn’t eaten much since we had decided that today was the day we should have a proper tea. We thought Lucy’s Tearoom looked like it had the best options, and they had a beautiful courtyard to eat in. We had the time of our lives. The scones, heaped with clotted cream and jam were my favorite food on the trip so far. The cream tea, sandwiches, and cake were all delicious as well.

Almost all the pubs, restaurants, and cafes are dog friendly, and even have bowls of water out for them. I can’t decide if I like having a dog lying beside me when I eat or not. It’s kind of cozy and I appreciate that most of them are well-behaved, but we all jump every time one barks, probably because it’s so unexpected.

Yesterday Mom + Ida almost couldn’t stop laughing when a dog barked at another one in the pub. The owner of one dog said to the other “They just wanted to kiss!”

Today the people at the table beside us had two corgis and one was laying up against my legs. They told me that “He’s bein’ a wee bit cheeky.”

We also drove through Bourton-on-the-Water which had a canal or small river running through it that you could walk beside. We saw a duck of some sort crossing a little stone bridge and that was enough to make me want to go back!

After tea, we walked around a bit more before heading to Broadway Tower. It was high on a hill overlooking the Cotswolds region. We saw lots of pheasants on the way there and some local deer. I didn’t get a picture of the stag, but it was quite nice looking. I think I like their antlers better than the ones on the peasant deer we have at home.

We made it to our Airbnb around 7:00 this evening, and since we were still full from our afternoon tea, we didn’t stop for dinner. We made a few toasties with bread and cheese that we bought yesterday, and Lanita and I went to the grocery store for microwave popcorn. It was an 11 minute walk, but we decided to run, and made it there and back in 15 minutes.

My phone says I walked 4.7 miles today.

Tomorrow morning, we need to leave at 7:15 since Dad is running a half-marathon in Carsington Water and needs to be there by 8:30. Lanita decided today that she’s going to run the 10k that’s part of the same event. The rest of us will be finding things to do until they’re finished, then we plan to drive north to Scotland.

Love and goodnight.

x Ella