Image taken on 2008-07-07 10:58:53 by UGArdener.

Technorati Tags: Cotswolds, Lower, Oddington

Image taken on 2008-07-07 12:23:28 by UGArdener.

Technorati Tags: Cotswolds, Cycling, Rain, Through

Just not sure if renting a car is our best ooption or if there is a train to take us to the Cotswolds. We only have 3 full days and then we have to head back to Heathrow to go home. Also, any can’t misses or places to stay/eat in the Cotswolds would be appreciated.

You don’t say which part of the Cotswolds or which town you’re travelling to. There are two rail lines from London Paddington serving the Cotswolds area: London-Oxford-Moreton in the Marsh-Worcester and London-Swindon-Kemble-Stroud-Gloucester-Cheltenham. Both run every 2 hours and Cheltenham would be a good town to base yourself in. The rail operator is First Great Western
www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk
From Dover to London catch a South Eastern train from Dover Priory Station to London Charing Cross; they run every 30 minutes and the fastest trains take 90 minutes. From Charing Cross Station an Underground Bakerloo Line train will take you to Paddington Station for trains to the Cotswolds.
Returning to Heathrow, trains from all destinations in the Cotswolds stop at Reading on their way into London. From Reading Station a rail to air link bus runs regularly to Heathrow Airport.
You might find a Britrail Pass is cheaper for these journeys than conventional tickets
www.britail.com
www.nationalrail.co.uk
(I’m sorry I know nothing about renting cars. I am sure other answers will cover this)

The meeting of the North Cotswolds Hunt in the beautiful Cotswolds village of Broadway on Boxing Day 2007

Duration : 0:7:4

Read the rest of this entry

Technorati Tags: Broadway, Cotswolds, destination, england, events, fox, hounds, hunt, traditional, Travel

I had a first this week.

A bit of background: We are currently putting together our Christmas catalogue and generally we like to meet our prospective new suppliers before we do business with them. This is normal for many of you – and I employ 5 sales people who do the same for us i.e. drive round the country visiting customers and prospective customers.

Well, one of these potential new suppliers said that they didn’t want to come to Henley-on-Thames for a meeting as they were trying to reduce their carbon footprint! I haven’t heard this one before! Whilst his aims are admirable, it didn’t provoke a great sense in me of wanting to do business with this company. I then started to question myself and think how much of our travelling around the UK is necessary? The trouble is that business works essentially due to relationships. Everything is to do with relationships. You might have the greatest products in the world, but unless you build relationships with customers and suppliers and other third parties, you won’t make your millions!

This particular company has products that we will probably only do as part of our Christmas catalogue, so as a one-off we will probably go ahead without a meeting, but with our suppliers for the bulk of our business from our all-year-round range it would be impossible to take on a new supplier without a face-to-face meeting. Our supplier relationships are all about partnership and I don’t think this is possible without a face-to-face meeting. Do correct me if I am wrong!

Sure, there are ways of reducing our business miles. We don’t use enough the technologies that are now available – e.g. video conferencing. We are just introducing a weekly “conference call” for our sales team of 6, which will reduce the frequency of physical sales meetings in our office. However, there really is no substitute for meeting and eating together.

I’m off to Mexico now for a trade show – oooops!

Cotswold Fayre is wholesale supplier of gourmet fine food specialising in organic food, gluten free food and deli wholesale.

Link to original article: http://www.cotswold-fayre.co.uk/specialitybites/2010/03/carbonfootprint/

Technorati Tags: Carbon, Footprint, Less, Mean, Meetings, Reducing

Why are some of the biggest names in architecture queuing up to build on flooded Cotswolds gravel pits?

By Steve Rose

Home to roost … Sarah Featherstone’s design for the Lower Mills Estate

As proprietor of Britain’s first residential nature reserve, Jeremy Paxton has worked wonders with the wildlife: “We’ve been able to attract 11 pairs of breeding nightingales, we’ve got two families of otters. We’ve just hatched five barn owls, before that four tawny owls. We’ve got 14 roe deer, the largest bat project in the country, the largest housemartin project in country, breeding kingfishers, grebes, ringed plovers, oystercatchers, egrets and the bittern, which is Britain’s rarest breeding bird.”

No less remarkable, though, have been Paxton’s achievements with a breed even harder to spot in the English countryside: the cutting-edge architect. So far he’s got Richard Meier, Will Alsop, Piers Gough, Eva Jiricna, Roger Sherman, Sarah Wigglesworth, Sarah Featherstone and many more, all signed up to build luxury houses on his land.  How did Paxton entice these architects? By letting them design whatever they wanted – and in an idyllic setting to boot. Lower Mill Estate, a 550-acre development on the edge of the Cotswolds, was formerly scarred with gravel pits, which have now flooded to form a picturesque landscape of lakes, waterways, woodland and meadows. And, apart from a few farm buildings, it was as near to a blank slate as any architect could wish for.

As a result, the architects seem to be eating out of Paxton’s hand. “You just dream,” says Piers Gough on the promotional video. “There are no constraints. There’s nothing to stop you building the very, very best house you can possibly imagine, and it must be the only place in the world you get that opportunity.” Richard Meier, high priest of hygienic modernism, sent Paxton a one-sentence email: “When do I get started?” “It’s their chance to do something a little crazy,” says Paxton. “I probably get two or three architects a day saying they’d like to be involved.”

If all goes to plan, 46 architects will be realising their bluest-sky designs, officially termed “Landmark homes”, on Paxton’s field of dreams. Twenty-two have already been commissioned, not all of whom are strictly household names – more a mix of rising stars and old masters. Eight of the designs have been completed, and they’re striking stuff:  Gough’s is a three-storey coil of overlapping loops, clad in weathered cedar and culminating in a rooftop swimming pool. Featherstone’s camouflaged Orchid House is modeled on a rare local flower, and unfolds in a series of petal forms to a lakeside deck. Alsop goes even further, with a vast timber-clad arch from which bedroom “pods” will be suspended. The whole ground floor can slide out into an adjoining “winter garden”, or, on a really fine day, it can be extended even further, so the sitting room is hovering over a lake. Similarly, California’s Roger Sherman opts for a houseboat-like bungalow with bedrooms that can slide out like piers over the water. Prices should be between £2m and £5m, Paxton says.

These Landmark houses are not the only structures on the site. They will sit among some 530 more modest nest boxes, from one-bedroom cottages under £100,000 to five-bedroom, £2m mansions. About 130 houses have been completed. They’re strictly second homes, though, and the emphasis of the project is firmly on leisure. A host of supporting facilities are either in operation or in the pipeline: an organic farm, a restaurant, a spa resort, sports facilities, luxury wildlife hides. “It’s a similar sense of community to what you’d get in a marina,” Paxton says. “It’s somewhere you don’t just exist, a contrast to your normal life; somewhere you can build memories. You might want to go into a hide and drink wine with your friends and spend all night there watching what’s going on. It’s very therapeutic stuff. Better than a week at the Priory.”

All of this suggests that he stands to make a mint, but 45-year-old Paxton is no fast-buck property tycoon: “The nature side came first. I’m not a developer tolerating nature conservation because it’s been forced on me. All of it has been undertaken because I wanted to. My investment now is well over £1m in nature conservation.”

Added to which, he doesn’t really need the money: Paxton already made a mint in magazine publishing. Born in Hackney, he grew up in the New Forest (his grandfather was a poacher, he says) before getting into water-skiing and becoming a “beach bum” in Florida. That led to him starting a series of water-sports magazine titles, which he sold to United Newspapers aged 28. With the proceeds, he developed some luxury properties, including a marina, before snapping up the Lower Mill land in 1996. “I lived here for 18 months, which I didn’t enjoy as much as I thought I would,” he says. “You can get pretty bored. The biodiversity is very interesting but it’s a more fascinating experiment to see how you can combine wildlife, people, architecture and countryside, as a sort of thing that hasn’t been done before. I’m quite interested in doing things for the first time. I’m a bit project-motivated I guess.”

Considering this is the heart of Gloucestershire, with Prince Charles’s Highgrove estate just five miles up the road, you’d have expected the green welly brigade to be up in arms at such untraditional fare, but Paxton has had unanimous support from the planners, he says. This is, after all, a brownfield site, not a historic village. Still, seeing as he laid out his own model village of Poundbury as a monument to architectural nostalgia, you can imagine Prince Charles choking on a Duchy Original when he saw what was going up in his own back yard. Paxton is more sympathetic to HRH than appearances suggest. “What he’s doing with Poundbury is a step in the right direction,” he says. “He’s completely not in the position that I am. I’m a private figure, strutting my own funky stuff on a piece of land that I own. He’s using more trust-type funding, I think, in a development that has to make money. He doesn’t have a building company like I do, so it has to be carved up between six or seven hairy-arsed house builders, and they’ll all pop down to the builder’s merchants. They don’t want to look at concave structures with suspended bedroom pods.”

The first “village” of 80 homes at Lower Mill, which was completed three years ago, is possibly closer to Prince Charles’s tastes than the cutting-edge modern flagships planned later. To put it bluntly, they are postcard pastiche; the type of new builds you might find trying to blend in with any of the surrounding villages, clad in still-new Cotswold stone, with pitched and even some thatched roofs. Paxton has clearly gone through something of an architectural learning curve since, though. The second, current, phase is a more design-conscious fusion of reassuring traditional housing types with more contemporary interventions, such as large, punched-through windows, full-height sliding glass doors and fully glazed gable ends. Externally, they come in a variety of finishes, from timber boarding to coloured render. This second phase was designed by Richard Reid, an academic-turned-architect who is now master planning the rest of the project, and whom Paxton describes as “an inspiration”.

“While it’s very tempting to get a standard house and make some money on it, we realised if we did do that we’d make it look like a housing estate,” Reid explains. “And we wanted to make it something other than that. We wanted to have it animated in a way that you imagine places that have developed over a period of time are.”

Reid has clearly been an influence on Paxton’s vision. His expansion of one of these “standard” houses, at the request of the client, resulted in what became the fi rst Landmark house, a generous, three-storey modernist box perched over the water. From there, Reid helped Paxton draw up a list of architects they should approach.

Reid’s Sundance Villa is also one of the eight Landmark designs on the slate: a circular, 1960s-looking modernist eyrie, whose entire top storey will be able to rotate 360 degrees. “We believe these are the equivalents of the mansions of the old traditional village,” says Reid of the Landmark homes. “Or the big boats in the marina. They create a sense of changefulness that is part of the character of the English village in a way. Of course, it isn’t a village, but it is a community.”

Which raises the question: if Lower Mill Estates isn’t a village, then what is it? If you were feeling uncharitable, you could describe it as a rural gated community, that’s tailored to the weekend migration patterns of city types. Or even an idealised rural theme park – all the benefi ts of the countryside but none of that awkward interaction with the people who actually live and work there. Then again, developments like this could be a solution to the problem of second-home buyers pricing up and killing off rural villages, or a way of balancing the demands of farmers and conservationists. However it turns out, in architectural terms, Paxton is taking a bolder leap than possibly any other property developer in the country, and the risks are entirely his. Perhaps one day, Lower Mill Estate will be a pilgrimage site for Britain’s architecture fans, as well as its birdwatchers.

Lower Mill Estate, 01285 869 489, www.lowermillestate.com

Technorati Tags: waterfront

Around the end of April. Loads of em!!

You don’t always need to go on a long holiday to recharge your batteries, and you don’t need to go abroad either. Just imagine booking a short trip somewhere in the UK and getting away from it all for a few days – you’ll be able to relax and take in the sights just as you would if you went abroad.

Take the Cotswolds, for example. This delightful part of the country is very close to Wales, and it benefits from rolling countryside and breathtaking views that no one could find to be dull. The Cotswolds are dotted with pretty villages and quiet, laid back locations that are ideal for visiting if you want some peace and quiet. Bourton on the Water and Stow on the Wold are just two of the villages that await you.

If you’d prefer a slightly busier break away from home, it’s not far to get to Bath from the Cotswolds. You could visit both in the same trip if you planned it just right. One of the best things about this city is that it is very compact, which makes it a pleasure to explore on foot, as nothing is too far for you to reach.

Of course, the main attraction here is the Roman Baths – these take you back in time and you can sit by the same baths that the Romans used to use. Make sure you don’t miss out on seeing Bath from the river though. You can choose anything from a proper boat trip along the river, to hiring a rowing boat – if you have the strength for it!

Lazing around on a river in the centre of Bath might be your perfect idea of a break away, but for some people nothing less than a bustling, vibrant city will do. If this is the case then you would do well to choose Glasgow as your destination.

This is the biggest Scottish city of all, so you know there will be plenty to see and do during your stay. There are some must see sights though, such as the Glasgow Necropolis, for example. Far from being eerie, this cemetery draws many visitors each day, who soak up the quiet atmosphere in the location where thousands of souls are buried. The People’s Palace is also well worth a visit as it tells you much more about the history of the city.

Short breaks are a great way to get some time away and explore somewhere new. No matter what your interests are or what you enjoy doing, a short break away to such locations mentioned above are sure to surprise and delight you.

Technorati Tags: Away, Days, Ideas, Need, Some

No matter where you live in the United Kingdom, from the southeast of England to the north of Scotland and everywhere in between, there are thousands of caravan resorts where you can enjoy a well deserved break.

On the south coast of England there are several top spots to choose from. Devon and Cornwall are firm favourites and with more than 350 kilometres of coastline there are plenty of activities to keep those of all ages amused. With more than 400 beaches you can indulge your aquatic side, from wind surfing to swimming, and you can try your hand at whatever you wish.

One of the best ways to enjoy the Cornwall and Devon area is by walking the South West Coast Path, Britain’s longest National Trail. You will pass through historic fishing villages as well as sophisticated resort towns and can sample local delights such as Cornish ice cream and the well loved Devon cream tea.

Further north, the Cotswolds is another popular holiday destination for caravanners and campers alike. A quintessentially English destination, the Cotswolds are best known for their gentle rolling hills and sleepy villages. The Cotswolds are home to cities such as Bath as well as picturesque towns like Cheltenham, and hundreds of delightful villages such as Burford and Castle Combe.

In the north of England, Cumbria is home to the Lake District and is one of the best known areas for all types of holiday makers. There’s plenty to do for all the family with events, attractions and outdoor activities all set against a magnificent backdrop.

In Scotland the southeast coast is made for outdoor holidays. Popular spots like Pease Bay and Gullen attract surfers, especially during sunnier weather, and there is plenty to do asides from take to the sea.

The surrounding countryside makes for interesting walks and people of all ages come here to wile away summer weekends.

Across the water in Ireland, the northeast coast has its fair share of caravanning spots too. Portrush is an ever popular location and it’s easy to see why; a world renowned golf course, attractions like the Giants Causeway and quaint seaside villages make this a destination not to be forgotten.

Wales also has an amazing variety of scenic caravan and camping sites. Take your pick between cliff top sites or beachside resorts. North Wales has an accolade of family attractions; zoos and farm parks, steam trains and leisure centres and fun family days out make this a popular place to come for holidays.

When you are organising your caravan holiday make sure you find parks that have connections to water, drainage and electricity. Some even provide TV aerial connections so you can catch up with the news whilst away from home.

Caravan insurance is another important consideration as motor homes and caravans are not always covered by standard home or car insurance policies.

Technorati Tags: 2010, Caravanning, Spots

We will be staying in the Cotswolds for a week or so in September. I have several tourist brochures and it is looking like everytime we do something it is going to cost us heaps. We will have a car and I am wondering if anyone can recommend any things to do that are free (or pretty close to it!). Are there any castles that have free entry? We are interested in doing walks and checking out the small villages (are any museums free entry) and their parks, etc. Please help.

Go to Bourton on the water, upper and lower Slaughter, Bibury and Burford.

They are very typical and beautiful Cotswold villages, you could try Stow on the Wold, there is a horse fair every year not sure of the date. Prinknash abbey free to look around, also Painswick pretty little village. Cheese rolling at Coopers Hill again not sure of the date.

Good luck.