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'The Bear of Rodborough', an inn near Stroud, was where we we would spend our two nights in the Cotswolds. The old part of the inn was very quaint, with low ceilings, exposed dark beams, and two large stuffed bears standing on their hind legs in the reception! Our room was small but perfectly formed, with a canopied bed, cute cottage curtains, and a view out over the green countryside. Back downstairs we found a table at the cosy bar and ordered beer and the steak special.
Our exploration of the Cotswolds began in Tewkesbury. A cute little village with lots of Tudor buildings, medieval banners hanging along the main street, and strings of coloured flags put up for the jubilee. In the middle of the wee town was a lovely cathedral which we had planned to go and visit, but when we arrived there was a hearse parked outside and a funeral about to get underway. We sidestepped the tophat-wearing pallbearers and contented ourselves with viewing the building from the outside.
From Tewkesbury we trundled through the green rolling hills to the village of Moreton in Marsh. The buildings here were mainly built of yellowy Cotswold stone and many were a little crumbly at the edges, looking like they had been there for many, many years. The wide main street had plenty of cafes, pubs, gift stores, and an antique shop or two. The weather was once again a bit iffy, so we escaped the spits of rain inside a busy pub offering half-price haddock and chips.
Stow on the wold was another cute village that we made it to, but by that stage Dale was bored with admiring pretty buildings and window shopping so we headed back to the Bear. On the way we passed signs with warnings about deer crossings. I wasn't sure whether there were really deer running about the farmland, until we passed by a field with the stalks of harvested crops and a doe gracefully nibbling away. I was delighted. Dale merely commented "easy hunting". More delightful to my dear husband was the discovery of a golf course a couple of hundred metres from our inn! Unfortunately the clubhouse requires 48 notice if club rental is required, so alas, Dale was not able to fit in a round during our stay.
The following morning we set off bright and early to the Stroud farmer's market. I had read that the Saturday market is a must see when visiting the Cotswolds. All produce sold there comes from within a 50 mile radius of Stroud and it is one of the largest farmers markets in the UK. The receptionist at the Bear told us that the market began at 6:30am and had recommended to us that it was a good idea to go early. However, at 8:15am when we walked into the heart of Stroud we found that only a handful of stalls were set up and the marketplace was virtually deserted! With an All Blacks game about to start we couldn't wait around for things to get going. Instead we returned to the Bear's empty bar and pulled up chairs to watch the rugby.
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