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<p>On Thursday I collected Helène from her home and we headed for Banbury. After a delightful lunch in the Bell Plantation in Towcester we made our way to the Premier Inn Banbury. We were collected by Gary &amp; Caroline and spent the afternoon catching up before heading for Voujon Indian restaurant in the centre of town. It was a great evening and we ate far too much.</p>
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<p>Friday morning we had breakfast at Costa whilst charging the Kia to 100% ready for the week.</p>
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<p>A pleasant drive to Stow on the Wold and afternoon tea in Huffkin's then headed to the barn where the others were waiting.</p>
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<p>After selecting our rooms by taking a number from a hat we settled in for the week. </p>
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<p>As always our first evening meal was fish and chips - Greedy's in Stow on the Wold was perfect.</p>
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<p>Stow on the Wold is famous for it's cutsie shops and cafés and Huffkins was recommended so we had to give it a try. Helène had a scone while I had carrot cake (my first of the holiday).</p>
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<p>As usual when visiting holiday destinations we looked in several estate agent windows and rapidly came to the conclusion that the Cotswolds is far too expensive for us.</p>
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<p>Dinner that night was fish &amp; chips for everyone from Greedy's in Stow.</p>
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<p><strong>Saturday</strong> - the whole crew travelled to <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/gloucestershire-cotswolds/hidcote" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hidcote Manor</a> (National Trust)</p>
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<p>The gardens are set out as if they are rooms spread over 10 acres. Despite it being September and the end of the season there was plenty to see. Each "room" was wonderfully tranquil.</p>
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<p>Lunch in the cafe was pretty good.</p>
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<p><strong>Sunday </strong>- <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/gloucestershire-cotswolds/snowshill-manor-and-garden" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Snowshill Manor &amp; Gardens</a> is another National Trust property (thank goodness we joined the previous week)</p>
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<p>This is a unique collection of odd items. The owner, <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/gloucestershire-cotswolds/snowshill-manor-and-garden/history-of-charles-paget-wade-at-snowshill" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Charles Paget Wade</a>, was an inveterate collector. In modern parlance he was a hoarder and it could be said he had a mental health issue with his hoarding whereas others might describe him as an eccentric. Despite having a multiple bedroomed manor house he lived in a small cottage alongside the manor.</p>
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<p><strong>Monday </strong>- <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/worcestershire-herefordshire/croome" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Croome Estate</a> (National Trust). A wonderful expanse of English landscaped countryside. Originally the house was brick and the stone facade was added much later.</p>
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<p>An interesting visit however the interior was pretty empty with signs of tasteless development in the 1990s and of when it was a Catholic boarding school run by nuns.</p>
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<p><strong>Monday late afternoon</strong> - the barn accommodation is owned by <a href="https://donnington-brewery.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Donnington brewery</a> which was a short walk away. Helène and I decided to take a stroll around the trout lake to the brewery. The evening had the feel of autumn  but it was an excellent end to another busy day. </p>
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<p><strong>Tuesday</strong> - We took another walk to the brewery with the rest of the crew and had an unofficial guided tour. The brewery is still run by the watermill alongside. Lunch at the barn before heading off to <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/gloucestershire-cotswolds/chedworth-roman-villa" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chedworth roman villa</a> which is another National Trust property.</p>
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<p>The star of the show has to be the mosaics.</p>
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<p><strong>Wednesday</strong> - A number of places of interest to visit and we managed them all: Kingham village which is a typical Cotswold hamlet. We had a coffee in the Plough Inn before heading off to the Rollright Stones; and then on to Batsford Arboretum where we struggled to charge the car with their pathetically slow chargers. We had lunch then a stroll around the grounds before heading back to the barn.</p>
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<p><strong>Thursday</strong> - A visit to Sezincote manor modelled on the Taj Mahal... why? The eccentricities of rich never ceases to amaze me.</p>
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<p>Beautifully laid out gardens with an delightful curved orangery on the left of this photo. The tea and cakes were nothing special - served in paper cups with paper plates. Not what we were expecting.</p>
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<p>To end our week in the Cotswolds we were lucky enough to see Guy Tortora performing at a local pub.</p>
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<p>He's a blues guitarist and I used to see him a couple of times a year when I lived in Northampton. He hasn't lost any of his skills and I was impressed enough to buy his latest album. Thankfully Helène enjoyed the evening too.</p>
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<p><strong>Friday</strong> - on the way home we went to Beckworth Emporium for an afternoon tea using a gift voucher a friend of Helène's had given us last Christmas.</p>
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<p>Despite eating well all week we managed to demolish all the sandwiches, scones and cakes. And we had two pots of tea each.</p>
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