Quintessential Villages of England – Chipping Campden

What would one do if they are visa-less, passport-less and jobless? Either you can crib about it or if you are like me then check out all the Instagram feeds and explore the home country.
So after a lot of help from the social media (Google, Instagram), I decided to visit North Cotswolds. After going through the reviews of ten of the prettiest villages I decided to visit the charming old wool town of England, Chipping Campden . Google maps showed me the whole journey from our Northampton home to Chipping Campden will take approximately 3 hours 5 minutes. To sum it up, after three changes (Train-bus-bus) I would reach my final destination.
For me the journey should be as interesting as the destination and so it was.  After snoozing off the alarm thrice, finally my husband woke me around 8:50 AM and I was up and ready by 9. I had to take the cross country train from Northampton to Coventry followed by the X18 bus from the Coventry Bus station to Statford upon Avon. Till this, it should have been quite simple except that the bus station was under renovation and buses were not stopping at their usual place. As a result, I missed the estimated bus but that did not dampen the spirits as I had not seen Coventry. I took the opportunity to explore Coventry and its historical cathedral ruins. After taking a few photos, I decided to save some battery and photo space for the actual destination. Thankfully this time I found the bus stop and reached there before time.

Coventry Cathedral Ruins

I prefer a bus journey to a one on train as it takes you around all the small villages. So got onto the Stagecoach X18 bus, sat by the window and was soaked in the surroundings. I thought I would catch up on my sleep but unfortunately the winding road and the sudden scenic view of the stunning Warwick castle did not allow me to do so. Finally after bypassing Warwick and Leamington Spa, I reached Stratford-upon-Avon after an hour. Since I had already seen the place twice there was hardly any interest to explore it for a third time.
The X18 bus stopped right in front of the McDonalds and opposite to it was the bus stop for the number 1 bus to Chipping Campden. The Number 1 bus route goes all the way from Stradford-upon-Avon to Moreton-in-Marsh stopping in between at Mickleton, Chipping Campden and Blockley. I bought a day rider ticket and the first question I asked the bus driver was when the last bus back from Chipping was. This is all thanks to the number of trips we made and failed to get the last bus or train as we were not aware of the timings. It also meant spending more time, energy and money finding alternate routes.
The route to Chipping Campden was very scenic, stopping in the north most small parish village in Gloucestershire, Mickleton. After ten minutes I saw the scene change to an array of beautifully honey coloured Cotswold stone cottages. The bus stopped at the high street giving me the cue to get down and explore.  Feeling hungry, I decided to grab a few bites at one of the small cafes and then walk around the quintessential village of Chipping Campden. After having a sumptuous meal at the cosy Badgers Hall I headed to have a look around.

High Street

The 400 year old market hall stands in the middle of the high street and 102 miles Cotswold way walking trail stretches from the hall to Bath. This landmark was built by Sir Baptist Hick to provide shelters for traders. Now it is under the National trust. The high street is lined with antique shops, boutiques, tearoom and cute little cafe.

Okay this may seem silly but one of the main motive of coming to Chipping Campden was in search of those beautiful thatched cottages which I often view on Instagram feeds. Being obsessed with the photos, I started searching for the thatched roof cottages. Getting directions from the cafe people, I walked through the winding lanes and finally found the cottage of my dreams. I clicked some photos and headed back to visit other villages as I wanted to utilize the day pass.

Finally when I reached the bus stop, to my utter dismay I found that there were no bus till 3:30 PM. That meant two hours to kill!! Panic struck a bit as I was wondering how to cover all the villages. However, I realized that there was nothing to worry and set off  to explore the beautiful countryside by foot. It was actually a blessing in disguise. I walked around the town centre and then decided to take the small lanes to outside leading to Broad Campden.  If you are a fan of the English cottages I would strongly suggest visit Broad Campden. There were beautiful thatched roof cottages with honey Cotswold stone and hedges growing on the outskirts. I decided at that moment have to return to the place during summer when the flowers are in full bloom. Broad Campden was like cottage dream.


Finally took the 3:30 PM bus which took the route around Broadway, which is a bit larger than Campden . The High street seems much more posh and bigger than those of Campden.  The Broadway Tower is one of the most sought after sightseeing place as you are able to view as many as 16 counties!!  Unfortunately I had no time to walk 18 miles to see the view in the cold weather. After Broadway the bus went onto Blockley and reached Moreton in Marsh station. A much bigger town compared to all the places in North Cotswold. The tea rooms are fascinating there and the shops are much bigger. Since I was running late and had to return to Stratford-upon-Avon to catch the bus back, for which I had been specifically warned to be not to later than 6. The same bus took me back to Stratford-upon-Avon, however the route was slightly different and shorter, and it crossed once again the picturesque and serene Broad Campden. So I was extremely happy and got to click some more snaps.
After forty minutes of travelling, I reached Stratford-upon-Avon. Checked onto Google for the X18 bus timings and voila saw that the 6 PM bus was cancelled. Went to the bus site and there seemed to be a problem as there was no news of the cancelled bus. Weighed my options and saw there was last bus at 7 PM. Prayed that the bus would not cancel and just as I looked up from the screen, saw the previous X18 bus leaving. I was contemplating all my options, worst case scenario would have to take the train back to Coventry. Not wasting my time I went inside the Mc Donald’s to remain warm and to my sheer joy the 7 PM bus was on schedule. One hour of bliss inside the bus and from Coventry back to Northampton by train and then back to my better half who was relieved to see his wife back in one piece.