Tag: Cosy

Cosy Cotswolds Pt 2

by CharlRose, posted in Travel

After a delicious cream tea at Lucy’s Tearoom, we decided to head back to the hotel to get showered and ready for a lovely tea at Bourton-On-The-Water. We asked the hotel for a taxi number to get there and back however they quite candidly handed us a piece of paper with two numbers on it for two specific drivers that they use rather than a particular taxi rank. The first driver was out walking his dog and said the wait could be an hour which I found quite amusing and the second driver said he was finishing his tea and would then pick us up. I found this concept so different to back at home in Manchester but made the whole experience a little bit more personal and cute.

When arriving at Bourton-On-the-Water, I was astounded by how busy it was. Families sat waterside enjoying a picnic and groups of friends sharing a bottle of wine enjoying the warm summer evening. The village was beautiful, and it was lovely to see so many people filling the streets again and scattering themselves across the green – even children were enjoying in a splash in the water.

We enjoyed a lovely meal at one of the many restaurants along the waterside and a few/many tipples of wine.

The next day, we surprisingly felt rather fresh and decided to go back into Bourton to have a wander around the shops. There were so many gorgeous hidden gems, I particularly loved this little bookshop we found.

We grabbed some food from The Bakery on the Water, there was quite a queue outside but it was definitely worth the wait. There were so many delicious options and the smell in the bakery was dreamy. Dan had a quiche and I settled for a goats cheese and tomato toasty. At the back of the bakery there is a small terrace next to a stream, perfect location for a coffee and bite to eat.

Later that day, we found an ideal spot for a Sunday Lunch, it was called The Mousetrap Inn . We parked our car down one of the country roads due to how busy the surrounding area was. I’m glad we did park a little distance from the restaurant because the walk was beautiful. The service in the Mousetrap Inn was quick and the staff were friendly and welcoming. The Sunday dinner was fresh tasting and the beef melted in our mouths. Definitely a place you must visit if you’re in the Bourton area.

I was very sad to be leaving the Cotswolds and heading back to the city but I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and would recommend it to anyone who desires a country getaway. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love all things cosy and quaint and the Cotswolds filled me to the brim with both of those things. A truly wholesome trip.

The Cosy Cotswolds pt 1

by CharlRose, posted in Travel

I’m back with another UK travel blog post, this time in the Cotswolds. I have wanted to visit the Cotswolds for as long as a can remember. Everyone that I have spoke to have said that it would be my idea of a dream location. The oldie worldie stone brick houses, toy town villages and the sprightly country air , what more could I ask for?

A few months ago, my boyfriend and I decided to book a little weekend away together. We was both feeling a little bit stressed with work and we needed a break, a change of scenery to relax and escape reality. We set off on a Friday afternoon expecting to hit some traffic, but luckily we completely sailed through and made it to Burford in 2 hours.

We arrived at our hotel The Lambs Inn, it was in a lovely quiet area 2 miles from Bourton-on-the-Water. After the journey, we wanted to freshen up and eat, so we booked a table in the hotel’s restaurant. I was ready for a glass of red wine and some hearty, wholesome food. I had a sirloin steak and Dan went for a traditional fish and chips. The food was very tasty but the great quality red wine was even tastier.

The next day, we came up with a rough agenda of the places that we wanted to visit so that we could fit in as much sightseeing as we could. Bibury was the first place on the agenda. Bibury is a quaint little village with gorgeous scenery and lots of sleepy cottages dotted around the outskirts.

We discovered that we could get free parking for the day if we visited The Trout Farm. The Trout farm was a lovely little spot where you can feed, catch and buy fresh fish from the farmers market every Saturday and Sunday. BBQ’s are available to book and you can have a gathering of up to 12 people. I thought this was a great concept, now that restrictions are lifting, I think it would be a perfect social setting for a warm, sunny day.

After having a little look around The Tout Farm, we wandered into Bibury to have a browse around the village. The cottages were so cute and picturesque, I was ready to pack my bags and move to the country.

We hadn’t eaten breakfast and was feeling a little peckish so we decided to find a little coffee shop/post office to pick up a coffee and a homemade sausage roll, it was delicious!

The market town of Stow-on-the-Wold is one of the best places to visit in the Cotswolds. When we arrived it was very busy so we sat and enjoyed a lovely refreshing drink at the The Bell pub. We sat in these adorable little pods with cushions and blankets, it created the perfect cosy atmosphere for an afternoon tipple.

Stow-on-the-Wold is a great place to do a spot of window shopping there are lots of bakeries, butchers, clothing stores, antique shops and little quirky cosmetics stores.

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We followed our walk with an afternoon tea at Lucy’s Tea Room. The tea room can also get very busy so you might have to be prepared to wait for a table, but the warm scones and extensive choice of cakes are to die for!

Cotswolds blog post part 2 coming soon.

Cosy Homeware Haul

by CharlRose, posted in Homeware, Lifestyle
The festive season is upon us! I love the winter season for its dark nights lit with candle light, cuddly throws and warm woolies. It is no secret that I love Christmas and all the bells and bows to go with it. I thought I would do a haul of a few homeware bits that I have picked up to get me ready for the wintery months ahead, which will be spent predominantly indoors.
Firstly I picked up this cute wooden star decoration from Paperchase. I love anything that is handcrafted or recycled-up into home decor. This Sparkly star decoration is rustic,  quirky and sprinkled in glitter, perfect piece for the season.

 

winter-star

I picked up three beautiful decorative pillows, one from Marks and Spencer and the other from ASDA (yes ASDA!). The first one is a winter wonderland pillow, with a cute reindeer on it and snowflakes falling from the sky. I amazingly later discovered that it also lights up! The second pillow has a  stunning robin red breast on it, simple yet effective. The Last, was a cute little red pillow with a big ‘C’ embossed on the front.

cushions

The next homeware piece is more of a present from me to me. I have wanted one of these for quite a while now and when I saw this particular one on the Urban Outfitters website I had to snatch it up
Its a Record Player!
The moment it arrived in the post, I quickly set it up,  grabbed a bunch of my dads 80s records and got to listening. Undoubtedly the sound isn’t as clear as a CD but I think that a what gives it so much character and makes it an authentic sound.

record-player

The final piece I picked up was this Scandinavian style, rose gold candle holder. I love the simplicity of Scandinavian design and wanted to try and incorporate some of this into my home. This is again a piece homeware that is so minimalistic but so effective. I picked this beauty up from a local coffee house/ gift shop called Nonsense.

candle-holder