Thursday, April 27th, 2023 London - Cotswolds, UK
Today we checked out of the Paddington Hilton and headed for the Cotswolds. We opted the convenient hotel breakfast buffet and then took the Heathrow Express train back to Terminal 5. Based on my previous reconnaissance we easily found the Hotel Sofitel and the Sixt car rental desk in the lobby. The only vehicle they had that was big enough for all of our luggage was a 9 person VW passenger van – roomy but not the most comfortable conveyance. The rental cars were located in the basement parking garage of the hotel – this has got to be the most convenient way to rent a car from Heathrow, especially if you are in Terminal 5.
Heading out of London the weather was turning a bit iffy, with heavy clouds and rain forecast. We decided to make a stop at Oxford on the way to our final destination for the day, Stow-on-the-Wold. Sandra needed a new hair dryer and we figured there was a good chance of finding a spot that sold the brand she was looking for in Oxford.
I’m fortunate to be able to easily switch to driving on the left-hand side of the road, it’s never really bothered me and find it surprising how quickly it seems “normal”, growing up in the UK may have helped. The UK road system has a well-defined hierarchy; at the top are M roads, equivalent to freeways in the US, then come A roads which can be 2-lane highways but are more often 1-lane (each direction) roads. After A roads we get B and C roads; from A to B to C the roads become narrower and more winding – C roads in very rural areas can be 1-lane for both directions with passing turn-out areas; you can often encounter a flock of sheep on C roads
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By the time we got to Oxford the heavens had opened and the rain was torrential. We had hoped for a walk around Oxford, it’s a beautiful city with lots of quaint alleyways and historic sites – but we settled for a quick lunch in a café adjacent to the market square. The Spires Café was a small, cozy spot – students serving, paninis, good cakes, and great coffee. I did a bit of research and found a few places that looked like they light sell the particular hair dryer Sandra was looking for; after a few fails we found ourselves in a shopping mall and finally located the required device.
From Oxford we followed the A40 all the way to Stow-on-the-Wold in the beautiful Cotswolds region of England, this rural area is characterized by rolling hills and stone villages – many houses have thatched roofs. In recent times the Cotswolds has become a hot property market for Londoners seeking second homes in the country. Stow-on-the-wold (meaning holy place on a hill) is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, at the junction of main roads through the Cotswolds, including the Fosse Way (A429), which is of Roman origin. The town was founded by Norman lords to absorb trade from the roads converging there. Fairs have been held by royal charter since 1330. After a bit of looping around we finally found our Airbnb and met up with our family members who had travelled down from the north of England.
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