The Cotswolds/Warwick Castle

On Sunday we travelled up to the Cotswolds, visiting Cirencester and Bourton on the Water. We went to Cirencester first and were a bit disappointed when it started raining as soon as we arrived! We sheltered in a coffee shop (dogs seem to be allowed in every shop/pub/cafe in Cirencester, which I love). We then looked around the church in the town centre (a woman gave Chloe a picture of one of the carvings to find) and then had a picnic lunch in a park behind the church; it had stopped raining at this point but we did get a little soggy! Thankfully it was sunny(ish) for the rest of the day.

We enjoyed looking around Cirencester's little boutique shops. We loved a dining room table and chairs which had been painted in different shades of chalk paint but it's not quite the right time to buy them yet. We also bought the girls sticker books which would come in useful later. I have taken school trips to the museum in Cirencester before and since we had more time to kill, we took a trip there. I thought it would be beyond Chloe but she was really interested and kept asking me questions about the Romans. I was pretty chuffed to share my interest with her. 

Our next destination was Bourton on the Water which had been recommended to us by my mum and dad. It's a really scenic Cotswold village with the traditional yellow stone buildings and a wide but shallow stream running through the centre. It is so popular because the stream is perfect for paddling in and has little bridges straddling it. Fronting the stream are some gorgeous cafes and restaurants. I would really recommend a visit. We paddled and wandered through, had ice creams and finally went for dinner at a restaurant called The Croft. 

We spent the night at a hotel in Warwick and then today we have visited Warwick Castle, which is now owned by the Merlin theme park group. Part of me hates the commercialisation and money-grabbing side of this (a hefty entrance fee plus loads of extras to pay for like parking & other attractions) but I have to admit that they have done a great job of bringing the castle to life. There was so much to do and we spent a good 8 hours there. The highlights were the Princess Tower, a trebuchet demonstration and the Time Tower which told you the history of the castle in really inventive ways. Chloe was pretending to gallop around on her horse and Livia was surprisingly interested too! 

We are currently doing the typical parents-in-a-hotel-room thing where we lie as still as possible and hope the girls go off to sleep. They are very excited by their day but also completely exhausted so I'm hopeful for a good night!