A Wander Down Broadway

Broadway is one of those iconic Cotswold towns that you see in pictures time and time again but oddly enough, I’ve only ever been there once. It’s been on my list to go back to for ages but for some reason I always seem to pass it up in favour of somewhere else. But not today, today we went!

There is something about the Cotswolds at Christmas time that is just ludicrously magic. There are not many places that look better in the Winter months but pretty little Cotswold villages definitely fall into that minority. There’s something about those old stone cottages that lends itself to that cozy feeling that we crave at Christmas. 

I’m just going to lay it flat out, Broadway is beautiful. If you love pretty English towns, particularly Cotswold ones then you will not be disappointed with this one. It has everything you’d want from such a place - a lovely high street with features like red pillar boxes and old fashioned street lights, tiny little independent shops sharing wares from local merchants and makers that you won’t find anywhere else, an array of eateries offering scrummy food using local produce and most importantly, oodles and oodles of Cotswold charm. I was in heaven.

Like so many other gorgeous places that I've visited, I made a note to come back again when it’s quieter so that I can explore and snap away in peace without too many people in my way. But for today, I embraced the bustle and happy weekend atmosphere that was in the air. 

 

My friend and I pottled up the street enjoying the Christmas window displays and cooing over the goodies on offer. We went in a few shops that took our fancy and were happy to find really nice gifts to buy, not lots of your standard tacky souvenir tat. Then it was time for a spot of lunch.

We found ourselves a nice looking cafe and where I enjoyed a blimming marvellous bowl of parsnip soup. Just what I’d needed to warm me up as the biting wind had really got under my skin. We sat and chatted and then just listened to the hubbub around us, taking in other people’s conversations and enjoying a quiet Sunday lunchtime. 

 Then we made our way back down past the remainder of the shops, stopping finally at the Broadway Deli. Now this was a treat. If you’re ever in Broadway, please go in. It’s a higglety pigglety building with creaking stairs and low ceiling rooms full of unique, yummy treats. It’s got such character that you really just have to experience it for yourself. I love finding places like that.

 The light was already fading and it wasn’t even 3pm as we made our way back to the car. We headed through this cute little shopping centre with quaint, white-framed windows and even though there were actually a few high street brands in this part like Seasalt and Weirdfish, the shops were still tastefully incorporated into the feel of the town.

And so that was our little trip to Broadway. Seeing at it’s not even forty-five minutes from my home I can see me going back in the warmer weather for sure.

Sudeley Castle Grounds near Winchcombe

I decided to take a Tuesday off. There was no real reason for it really, just a whimsical fancy that I indulged. Unfortunately it was a pretty grey, dank day but I still went out for a wander. I wanted to go somewhere a little different, not just one of the usual haunts I go to when a quick dog walk is needed, so I ventured over the hill to Winchcombe to walk around the grounds near Sudeley Castle.

It’s a walk I’d done a handful of times before but not recently so it fit the “somewhere different” bill. I had the pup with me which always makes for a slightly different walk where I have to be on alert and training her the whole time as she has a few issues with her behaviour which we’re still working on. So it wasn’t my usual leisurely stroll, snapping away but I did still manage to get in a few pics. Luckily Luna pup has learnt that fighting against me whilst there’s something I want to snap is a futile game and she generally sits and waits very nicely. 

 We walked down the long sloping entrance driveway towards the castle and then around some of the surrounding fields. Apart from a few other walkers it was relatively quiet. The place had that off-season feeling where staff were probably inside winding down from the summer and prepping for the festival period ahead. We made our way along the edge of the castle passing the children’s play area to the right of us. Now when I say play area, I don’t mean a couple of swings and a slide, er no, this is a full on Mecca of wood and ropes galore and much more akin to an adventure playground. It looks fab and one summer eve I have the full intention of sneaking in there and having a little play.

Unfortunately the rest of the grounds had sheep grazing on them which made things a little difficult with a dog with hunting instincts in tow but we managed to go a little ways to take some photos of the front of the castle before heading back. There is something about the views around these grounds which I’ve always thought seemed very “English”. You know, like a typical English countryside scene, something you’d think of when you thought of picturesque postcards. It’s a lovely spot with quite a unique vibe to it that I always enjoy.

Hestercombe Gardens

I’ve been venturing out lately with my old Nikon D40 which is about ten years old. I was about to sell it or trade it in and put the money towards a new lens for my Canon so a couple of weeks ago I thought I’d take it out for one last spin and an unlikely thing happened. I found myself absolutely loving using it. Now, don’t get me wrong here, the quality of the photos of the D40 are nowhere near as good at my 6D but, there’s just something about using that camera that I really enjoyed. Perhaps is was the old familiarity, I mean, I did take at least 10,000 shots on that thing. Maybe it’s the slightly hazy, warmer tones it produces, or even just the quality of the photos or using a zoom lens (me and my 50mm prime have been inseparable for a couple years now). Who knows, I don’t even really need to know why, I am just enjoying using this old friend of mine again.

Sunday morning just past I took the D40 (and only the D40) along to one of my favourite spots. I was down in Somerset for the weekend visiting family and I managed to sneak a precious hour on Sunday morning to visit one of my most favouritist places - Hestercombe Gardens. 

I’ve been a member of Hestercombe for a couple of years now and I love it there. It’s a little bit like this secret place that’s always so incredibly peaceful and I’ve come to think of it as somewhat of a sanctuary for me. Even in the thick of winter when all the flowers have gone it’s still a pretty little land to wander around. But hey, we’re not quite in winter yet and so I was greeted by a most marvellous sight of golden autumn leaves through the beech woodlands. Now, anyone who’s been following me on Instagram for a while will know that I have a bit of a thing for trees, and beech trees are hands down my favourite. Wandering about under their canopies as there burnt orange leaves fell down around me reinforced that adoration even more. 

The thing about Hestercombe is that actually, it’s not really a secret place at all, in fact it’s a very well known spot and so there are generally always people around but that’s ok. One of my favourite things is watching kids run around spots like this tearing about with the sheer joy of playing in the outdoors. And there were quite a few families there doing just that on Sunday. In fact, it’s pretty rare to see someone else on their lonesome ambling around. I often feel like a bit of an outsider being there on my own but at the same time I have a sort of sense of belonging and authority when I’m there too, like I’ve got special permission to be walking about with my camera snapping away. 

I did the usual route that I do when I don’t have a great deal of time. Up the high path towards the waterfall, up the woodlands a little way, back down past the lakes (always with a “hello” to Hester the resident swam, across the lawn in from of the Orangery and then finishing with a lingering wander through the gardens. I have visited this place umpteen times now and I love that there is still always something new to see, or something to see again in a different way because the seasons have changed it. Every time I visit this place it gives me something that perhaps only someone who experiences the same thing when they visit their special place can understand. And it keeps me going back there, time and time again.

A Halloween walk around Snowshill Village

Sometimes things just don’t go to plan do they? My original idea for today was to take a little lunchtime jolly up to Snowshill Manor, a National Trust property in the Cotswolds. They have really lovely fairytale gardens and I wanted to take a last wander round before all of the flowers were gone. But when I got there I was greeted by a sign saying “Closed today”. Cue sad harp strong music. Oddly enough though a little bit of me was relieved because actually, as I’d driven towards the Manor the idea had popped into my head to have a wander round the pretty little village of Snowshill afterwards to take a few piccies but I wasn’t going to have enough time. So there we go, lemons out of lemonade. I got to wander round the village which turned out to be even more fun… you’ll see why.

Even at this time of year and on a dreary day there was still quite a few clusters of tourists ambling about, taking in the picturesque little place, snapping away much like myself. There is no denying that it is an idyllic little spot and I’m quite sure that it must have been used as a film or TV set at some point. The hazy weather and smoke in the air from a nearby bonfire gave the place a wonderfully atmospheric feel. For sure it would be a super spot for trick or treaters later on.

I had a little wander round, marvelling at the quintessential features like the red telephone box, village hall and church. Heck, there was even a couple of vintage cars pulled up outside the pub.

Now when I had originally driven down to the free car park on the outskirts of the village I had spotted some huge fake cobwebs spayed onto bushes in the front gardens of the houses. Nothing to be alarmed about, it was Halloween after all. But what I hadn’t somehow seen was a awesome Halloween spectacle just waiting to scare any unsuspecting souls as the walked by. I wondered just how many people had come just to see this sight. I imagine it had ended up on quite a few Instagram feeds! 

As I was standing there admiring the scene I was joined by a couple of fellows and their cameras who too thought it was an impressive effort. They were such lovely chaps, talking to me easily about cameras and other places nearby to visit. (Broadway Tower is now on the list with high recommendations for their cafe - marvellous.) I love moments like that, it’s one of the plus points of the fact that there are zillions of photographer enthusiasts these days. It’s a bit like the social side of having a dog and meeting other dog owners. You spot someone sporting a camera strap around their neck and it’s an ice breaker. A common interest I guess, something to chat about. 

I was only there for about forty minutes but I thoroughly enjoyed my little stroll around Snowshill village. I’ll be heading back for sure, most likely in the Spring to visit the Manor, the nearby Lavender Farm (an absolute must see) and the village once more.

Sunday Morning Strolls at Croome Court

Sunday mornings are my favourite time of the week. There’s just something about the peacefulness of them that I love. I love those moments of quiet before the world has woken up and on this particular Sunday, because of the clocks changing I had an extra hour to play with. I was in the mood for heading out somewhere with my camera and I’d narrowed it down to either Croome Court or Snowshill Manor. After checking the opening times for both it seemed that Snowshill wasn’t open until 11am and I wanted to get on out to play so Croome it was.

I took the A38 route up and it was a pretty wonderful drive through the Worcestershire countryside. It’s just so rare for me to drive up the country, even a little bit. In fact, this was the third time in an entire year that I’d be out of the South West region, well, if you don’t include my daily commute to Ross-on-Wye that it. I’m not even going to apologise for it really. I like to stay close to home. Me and travelling just don’t get on and besides there so much to see right where I am. 

I was kinda hoping that as I was arriving just before 10am that it would be relatively quiet but the car park was chocca. Seems like plenty of other people had hit upon the same idea. But once I was through the entrance and into the park there were only a sprinkling of people here and there. I made my way down the hill to the main house and I have to say, standing at the top of that valley by the church looking down across that vista is pretty darn amazing. The sight across that landscape with the Malvern Hills to the right and Croome Court down to the left is stunning indeed.

I’d actually brought along my own Nikon D40 as well at my Canon to play with a zoom lens alongside my trusty 50mm and I was loving it. I’d forgotten how nice it is to shoot landscape with a wide angle lens and this place definitely warranted it. I wandered around snapping away enjoying the freedom of being there on my own and only feeling a smidge guilty about leaving Luna pup behind. 

I made my way down to the house but didn’t fancy going in today, I was happy just to enjoy it from the outside. I wanted a good amount of time to explore the house itself so just bookmarked that for another time. Instead I made my way over to the stream and across the river up to the lakes. As I reached the lake area it suddenly got a lot busier and to my utter delight, the sunshine broke through and beamed it’s lovely golden light down on us. And that light, oh that light, it was splendid. Magic, crystal clear, saturated goodness. The way it played through the trees was an utter delight.

I stayed a little while taking in the atmosphere and enjoying watching the families play but the crowding was starting to bother me so I decided it was time to head on back up. I made me way back on up the hill and to the church, taking a good few long moments to linger once again on that view before ambling back to the car.