Day 4 - Cosy in the Cotswolds

Close your eyes. Imagine you're walking a narrow road meandering through rolling countryside. The sun is shining. You pass recently harvested fields of grain, catch glimpses of yonder hills, and are occasionally greeted by the gentle noise of cattle pulling at grass to eat.

You take a sharp bend past a large green field laid to lawn on which two local teams are enjoying a Saturday afternoon football match. You take the path round the playing field and a churchyard comes into view, the grass mowed close so as to respectfully display the perfectly lined up rows of tombstones that surround the old village church. The gate to the churchyard lies open, but you resist the temptation to step under the protection of the lychgate to read the local announcement board. Instead, you continue round the next bend and into the village.

The houses, whether manor or workers cottages, are all built of a warm golden stone, simple in design. They have sharp-peaked stone or thatched roofs, tall chimneys, and doors and windows that are symmetrically placed to give a sense of proportion and balance. Despite the simplicity of design, no two houses look the same.

Across from the church sits a collection of row houses designed to take in the curve of the road. You can see into the houses: a reading lamp sits on a desk under a window; you see a dining room being readied for an evening meal; and in another you see straight to the garden in the back, a mass of seemingly random flower beds. Next to the church, you pass what was once an old manor house being restored to its former glory, and next to this a large rectory.

People are enjoying a late lunch or drinking glasses of wine on the patio of The Wild Rabbit Inn.

You turn down the lane next to the inn, dodging small puddles in the gravel made by an earlier rain shower. The trunk of an apple tree leftover from what was once an orchard bends so much that what was once the top of the tree now touches the ground. Despite this, it is laden with large, ripe fruit.

As you pass more houses, you round an 's' curve. And suddenly, there it is: Keen's Cottage, your home for the next week.

You pass the main door, and instead open a small rounded door painted a gentle green that leads to a passageway between your cottage and the one next door. Here you gather the key, head back out the passage and use the key to enter through the main door and into the living room. A large open fireplace covers the entire expanse of one wall, and you can see the grate for a bread oven nestled into one of its sides. A door to the back leads into a large, sunny conservatory. After removing your coat and boots, you walk through the conservatory, and enter the kitchen. You boil the kettle, warm the teapot, and make a pot of Yorkshire Tea.

After pouring it into a large mug, you open the biscuit jar and pull yourself out a dark chocolate covered digestive. Then you walk back into the living room where you grab a book from the shelf-lined nook, and nestle into a chair next to the fireplace.

Later that evening, you put on a warm sweater then head out into the darkness. Lights glow from the deep recesses of the windows of each house you pass. You look up and you can see the Milky Way glowing through a mass of familiar constellations. You round a bend. To your left lies the village green, but ahead to your right you can see a light beckoning you and hear the sound of laughter. You enter a narrow doorway and enter the cosy candlelight atmosphere of The Kingham Plough pub.

Michal greets you warmly and seats you at a cosy table for two. After a relaxing drink of the local bitter or Prosecco Rose (whatever your preference), you are soon savouring a beautiful meal of the freshest local meats, fruits and vegetables, all prepared by Great British Menu winner, Emily Watkins.

Now open your eyes. Welcome to Kingham in the Cotswolds.