Jay and Lily are big fans of the series Clarkson’s Farm. If you haven’t seen it, it’s hilarious. Jeremy Clarkson buys a farm in the British countryside and faces all sorts of trials and tribulations. Working in the Ag industry, it is eye opening to see how difficult it is to be a British farmer. Jeremy tries to put a positive spin on every potential setback. The kids had a 4-day weekend so we decided to hop a quick flight to London for a weekend in the country.

Show me you are in the UK without telling me you are in the UK
First stop, a random pub. I thought I would go for the fish & chips, but went for a Shepherd’s Pie instead.
It was yummy.
We wandered around Oxford, hoping to absorb some brainpower- and maybe spark an interest in the kids to try to go to college there. I mean, how cool would that be? I don’t think we were successful on either, but it was a really neat city that I could have spent more time in.
We found our little home away from home – The Chestnuts AirBNb in Shilton, UK. So stinking cute!!
It has been fun to try to figure out all of the additions, and to think about how old each section is.
We think this was the original part of the home. Look at those stone steps…. I immediately felt at home here. Jay and Ty lit a fire and I snuggled up under the fuzzy blanket with a book – and fell asleep.
Jay thinks I like the room so much because I feel tall in it. If the boys leave here without a concussion I will be impressed.
Living room #2 is probably the newest section. It’s a beautiful sunroom with wooden beams, with views of the English garden, a meadow, and a few stone cottages in the distance.
After trying for MONTHS to get reservations at The Farmers Dog, Jay got lucky the day before we flew to London and scored a table for 4!!! The food was fresh and delicious – and the atmosphere was excellent.
The tractor is the wrong color, but still a fun focal point.
Jay and I went for a walk around the village while the kids were getting ready for the day. This is the Shilton Ford (not a place that sells pickup trucks). The water goes over the road – I think we need to drive through it before we leave.
This church and very old cemetery sits on a hilltop with views of the countryside. Most of the stones were indecipherable but I saw one from the 1700s.
Such a great use of the old telephone booths!
I love all of the stacked stone fences that are EVERYWHERE
This little cottage would be all right to own…. Gorgeous!
This house was built in 1678. Goodness.
On Saturday we made our way over to the Diddly Squat Farm Shop. We picked up a few goodies, then had a beer and loaded fries in the lambing shed.
We spent the afternoon wandering the shops in Burford. If only I wasn’t already worried about having too much stuff to ship home in 3 weeks….
Saturday was random road trip day. I let Microsoft Co-Pilot take over navigation duties. It did a great job of showing us a bunch of different adorable villages. Bibury Trout Farm.
Arlington Row – one of the most photographed sites in the UK. Rumor has it that Henry Ford tried to purchase the row of homes and relocate them to his estate in Michigan….
We stumbled across a classic car shop and museum. Ty wants this for Christmas if anyone is still looking for a gift idea.

Bourton-on-the-Water was a cute village that was, you guessed it, on a peaceful little stream. We had lunch there and did a bit of shopping.

Then we drove through Upper & Lower Slaughter. We didn’t stop and walk around here.

Lily has added the Upper Slaughter Manor to her Christmas list.

Our final stop was Stow-on-the-Wold. There was a big town square full of shops.

Jay and Lily found St Edward’s Church, which is said to be an inspiration for Tolkien.

Our plan for dinner Saturday night was to walk across the street to the Shilton Rose & Crown pub. When we walked in at 7:00 the place was packed. The kitchen was closed, unfortunately, due to live music. As we were walking out, a lady who worked at one the shops recognized me and we started talking. I was then pulled into lots of conversations and ended up spending the evening drinking pints and chatting with Jayne, Eugene, and Stephanie. It was so much fun! Completely did not expect the evening to go in that direction, but it was a lovely turn of events.

All good things must come to an end, and so that’s a wrap on not only our Cotswalds vacation, but also our European holidays. The next 3 weeks will be chaos and stress and packing and purging and goodbyes. Ready or not….