Cotswolds: Travel diary #5

Today marks the end of our time in Cambridge. We leave this charming little town behind us and head for the Cotswolds. Alongside Cornwall, this is my absolute favourite region and just how you imagine England to be in a picture book. With fields, small roads and typical manor houses with long driveways.

Accordingly, we had to leave relatively early, not only because we had to vacate the flat, but also because we had already reserved a table for lunch at 2 p.m. at a small inn called The Jack Russell, where we are also staying, about three hours away from Cambridge. So, after eagerly packing and cleaning up, we set off. The journey was a bit of an adventure. Not only the drive on the busy motorway, but especially the last 20 minutes through the aforementioned small roads. These were exactly as wide as our car and framed by 2-metre-high bushes that blocked our view of the rest of the road. Apart from a few isolated cars, we also encountered small birds that looked like chickens. We had to be really careful not to run them over.

When we finally arrived, we were able to check straight into our room. In keeping with the inn's theme, it had been named after a breed of dog: Chihuahua. Unfortunately, this is the only breed of dog we are not particularly fond of. Well, our room was very cute and, for once, the bed was a little wider. It's important to remember that double beds in England are not very wide. So I was very happy to have a little more space to myself again.

After quickly settling in and freshening up, we headed down to the restaurant where, as already mentioned, we had reserved a table for lunch. And since it was still pouring rain outside, we took our time eating. We both had a fish dish and a spinach salad with avocado and corn. The food was delicious overall, and the dessert in particular was not to be missed. To finish off, we ordered an apple tart with vanilla ice cream, which was truly sensational.

After our extensive rest, we had to take another look at the surroundings of the small inn. Although the roads leading to the small village, and I really mean small village, are very rough, other people do indeed live there. Among other things, a very large mansion adorns the village of Fatcombe. When you walk past it, the estate seems endless, and there are two long driveways leading to the entrance of the country house. The other houses are very nice, but rather inconspicuous in comparison.

If the weather hadn't been so bad, it would have been perfect for walking through the surrounding fields along small paths, because the countryside around Farcombe is really worth a stroll. However, we preferred to go back to our room and read for a while before setting off for the circus without any stress.

That's why we originally planned this detour. For several years now, we have been visiting the small Gifford Circus, which travels through the Cotswolds and performs its shows there. And in my opinion, this circus is not like any ordinary circus: although they don't have any unusual animals or performers, they always manage to win over the audience. So that they, like us, keep coming back to see the whole show. How they do this is actually relatively simple: the shows don't consist of individual performers performing tricks one after the other, but tell a whole story.

Each season has a different theme on which the entire show is based. This year it was Laguna Bay. The whole thing is then tied together with a lot of humour and some artistic performances to create an overall picture. One highlight is always the clown. He really manages to make young and old laugh and keeps sneaking into the show. In addition, a live band plays and sings throughout the evening, creating a very special atmosphere. All in all, the Gifford Circus is always worth a visit.

Food and drink are of course provided, and souvenirs are also available. But we already had enough of both :)

After the circus, we just had to find our way back home somehow. And this time, that was a real adventure. The narrow streets, which were already very confusing in daylight, were even worse at night.

I was really glad to finally be in bed and have a restful night ahead of me.