When planning a vacation to Europe, some of the first destinations that come to mind will be the teeming cities of Paris, London or Rome. Each of these metropolises is incredible, but they are far from all that Europe has to offer.
By exploring some of the smaller towns across the continent, it is possible to see a more authentic, traditional side to Europe. If you’re planning an upcoming getaway to the continent, here are just a few of the most beautiful small towns in Europe.
Ablington is a village in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is located in the Coln Valley and is part of the Bibury civil parish, 6 miles north-east of Cirencester. Ablington is in the Cotswolds which has been designated by Natural England as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Here, the book ‘A Cotswold Village’ was written, by J. Arthur Gibbs in the early 1900s. We explore the manor house he lived in, and compare the book to how times have changed.
The Cotswolds is a rural area of south central England covering parts of 6 counties, notably Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. Its rolling hills and grassland harbour thatched medieval villages, churches and stately homes built of distinctive local yellow limestone. The 102-mile Cotswold Way walking trail follows the Cotswold Edge escarpment from Bath in the south to Chipping Campden in the north.
Left The Painswick after a fine British breakfast (highlighted by fabulous, freshly made crumpets and a berry compote), we drove into a heavy rain toward Cirencester and the on to Bibury for a 3-night stay at The Swan Hotel.
The rain let up a bit so a walk of the village after checking in was next.
The rain resumed so we ducked into the Bibury Trout Farm cafe for a bottle of Rose wine and baked trout (directly across from The Swan.
Road trip time at 1:30 and a trip to Burford, “Gateway to the Cotswolds”.
Forbes has Burford listed as #6 best place to live in Europe.
The next stop was Stow-On-The-Wold, an ancient tub dating back to the Stone Age.
The finest brownie in the world (layered peanut butter, chocolate fudge) was waiting for us at Huffkins Bakery. That and an iced coffee is worth a flight to London and the drive to Stow.
A quick pull at The Porch House, which claims to be the oldest pub in England (dating to 947 AD), was an experience with beams that bang foreheads at 5’10”.
Bourton-On-The-Water was next up on the way back to Bibury.
A ten mile trip back to The Swan was directed through rolling countryside by the GPS. Lovely.
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