I have come home at the moment to top up on vaccinations for my upcoming trip to Taiwan in a month! It was almost too late to get the injections (was told by my doctor’s receptionist that I couldn’t get injections less than 8 weeks before I travel! – Luckily turns out this is NOT TRUE!) Anyway, here are a few of my favourite spots to photograph in the Cotswolds, some are obvious ones that will be splashed across any Cotswold Life magazine or Lonely Planet travel guide…… others are local secrets you only know if you live nearby!
Broadway Tower
Definitely not a secret of the Cotswolds! However, I visited for the first time just yesterday haha. Though I visited in the afternoon with a bit of creativity it was still possible to get some shots without people in or at least only a couple! This tower which is privately owned by a family (Not available as an Air B&B unfortunately!) and watched over by a herd of red deer gives you panoramic views of 16 counties! Also beautiful from the ground too, especially if you can find an angle which makes it look even taller!
Chipping Norton (Chippy)
A well known town in the Cotswolds but possibly not for these little gems! The houses in the photo above are alms houses on Church Street. They were once houses especially for the poor but have since become photogenic examples of Cotswold cottages. I would love to see inside one of these houses, I am imagining them to have a kitchen downstairs at the front, a small bathroom attached to the back and a single bedroom upstairs?? (Could be completely wrong haha). If you walk on down the hill towards the church there are a few other beautiful cottages lining the road before you get to the graveyard.
P.S Pop in to Jaffe & Neale cafe and bookshop (before you leave Chippy! To date this is my favourite cafe/library in the world! Oh and have the Tiffin! My mum and I have been trying to work out the recipe for years but haven’t quite got it right…so if you taste it and can guess it TELL US?! Haha
Bliss Mill
Bliss Mill is also in Chipping Norton (about an 8 min walk out of the town) and is especially impressive if you walk towards it across the field which gives you views on to the valley behind the mill as well! The mill originally made tweed but is now a set of private apartments going for around £350,000 each (if you are nosey like me here is the link to Rightmove)
LOWER Slaughter
Lower Slaughter should definitely be on your Cotswold bucket list! Plus it is only 4 miles away from famous Stow-on-the-Wold, so you can easily add it to your day’s itinerary! The tiny village follows the trickling flow of the River Eye which passes underneath miniature footbridges crisscrossing the streets. At the Stow end of the village there is a mill and water wheel (probably the first image that comes up on Instagram when you type in ‘Lower Slaughter’) which makes for a perfect ‘Cotswoldy’ snap!
Great Tew
Great Tew is another great photo opportunity within the Cotswolds for photographers! Though it is not as big as more famous locations like Stow, each little country lane that makes up the village is like something from a film set! (If anyone has seen a film set in Great Tew let me know?!) The lanes and streets are lined with oddly shaped hedges that almost attach themselves to the thatched roofs in some places! If you do go, make sure to walk up the lane to the Church, grab a pint at the Falkland Arms and walk in the direction of Soho Farmhouse ( Luxury estate for Londoners and local celebs who want some privacy :p) to see the traffic sign alerting all drivers to possible ‘kittens in the road’ haha!
Cornwell
This one is a secret gem that I think only local walking groups might have visited! Again on the way to Stow… Cornwell is another small village sitting on the side of the valley. But if you drive to the top of the village as though you are leaving, stop just as you pass the last driveway/house and follow the footpath signs past the orchard. There should be a small field with two horses in, walk across here and you will come to an avenue of trees running along the ridge of the valley which leads you to a miniature church at the end of the walkway. Just before sunset is a particularly good time to go and photography along here! (If you are scared of horses maybe take someone with you to draw their attention – my mum was with me and held out her handbag to keep the horses away but they ended up eating it haha!)
