Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
states that no matter how hard well-meaning gardeners have tried, they've never been
able to grow more than 99 of them.
Painswick Rococo Garden
, on the B4073, a half-mile north of Painswick
(
&
01452/813204;
www.rococogarden.co.uk), is a rare English garden from the
flamboyant rococo period, which dominated art and design in England from 1720 to
1760. Today, the garden is best known for its spectacular display of snowdrops that
appear in the early spring, sometimes when snow is still on the ground. Admission
is £6 for adults, £5 for seniors, £3 for children 5 to 16, and £16 for a family ticket
(two adults, two children); visits are possible from mid-January to October, daily
11am to 5pm.
Bus no. 46 links Cheltenham Promenade and Painswick every hour (reduced ser-
vice Sun), taking around 30 minutes.
Where to Eat & Stay
By far the hippest place to stay around here is
Cotswold 88
, Kemps Lane
(www.cotswolds88hotel.com;
&
01452/813688
), a former vicarage turned stylish
boutique with rooms decorated with works by photo artists David Hiscock and Leigh
Bowery. Its similarly fashionable restaurant and bar serve afternoon tea, modern
English cuisine, and snappy cocktails with a view.
If you're looking for something simpler (and cheaper), opt for the
Royal Oak
,
St. Mary's Street (
&
01452/813129;
www.theroyaloakpainswick.co.uk), which
serves excellent pub food, real ales (including local organic ale from Stroud Brewery),
and Thatcher's Heritage and Black Rat farmhouse ciders.
11
BOURTON-ON-THE-WATER
85 miles NW of London; 36 miles NW of Oxford
The quintessential Cotswold village, Bourton-on-the-Water, tends to be overrun with
tourists and bus tours all year, especially in summer. Get up early enough and you'll
still experience the magic that attracted them in the first place; a dream-like collec-
tion of 15th- and 16th-century stone cottages, willow trees, and five romantic stone
bridges over the River Windrush.
Essentials
Hereford-bound First Great Western trains run hourly from London's Paddington
Station to nearby Moreton-in-Marsh, a trip of 1
1
⁄
2
hours (£29). From here, bus no.
801, operated by
Pulham's Bus Company
(
&
01451/820369;
www.pulhams
coaches.com), travels the 6 miles to Bourton-on-the-Water (40 min.) around nine
times daily. The same bus stops at Stow-on-the-Wold and terminates at Cheltenham
Royal Wells Bus Station (35 min. from Bourton).
If you're driving from Oxford, head west on the A40 to the junction with the A429
(Fosse Way). Take it northeast to Bourton-on-the-Water.
Exploring the Area
Once you've soaked up the bucolic charms of the village (preferably at the crack of
dawn), make time for attractions in the surrounding area, best explored by car. Within
the town itself is a handful of mildly interesting museums, each of which was estab-
lished from idiosyncratic collections amassed over the years by local residents. Kids
might enjoy the
Bourton Model Railway Exhibition & Toy Shop,
High Street
(
&
01451/820686;
www.bourtonmodelrailway.co.uk; £2.50 adults, £2 seniors and
