Surprises at every turn...

One of the neatest things about being located in Stow-on-the-Wold is that we can hop in the car and drive in any direction and within 15 minutes or less be in another village. Fifty one towns and villages make up the Cotswolds, and each seems to have its own unique personality. Consequently, there are endless "discoveries" (and photo ops) as we drive the back roads of the area!

any direction you choose!

However, stopping to take photos is easier said than done. The narrow 2-lane "highways" of the Cotswolds have no shoulder, so stopping on one is out of the question. Once we turn off of a "main" highway, it's tempting to breathe a sigh of relief, but the single lane back roads are treacherous in their own way. These roads can only accommodate one car at a time, with one having to pull off the road in order to allow another to pass. Some people tend to drive aggressively on them so finding a place to pull over without getting hit can still be quite challenging.

these are the "highways" - 2 lanes

Ronnie is wonderful about turning around, finding a place to stop and waiting patiently for me to shoot yet another flower, sheep or grave yard. ha! There's nothing I enjoy more than romping around the countryside, trying to capture the beauty of the Cotswolds through the lens of my camera. I've had to learn the hard way to watch where I'm stepping in order to avoid the dreaded stinging nettle that grows so prolifically here!

the beautiful Cotswold countryside

The other day we were in the countryside somewhere near Moreton-in-Marsh when I was fortunate to have stumbled upon 3 photo ops at the same time! I stopped to photograph the sheep but soon discovered St Mary's church and the Chastleton House just a short walk away.

dovecote - inscription reads THOMAS/FOTHERGILL/Esq./JUNE EY 2/1762

St Marys parish church, Chastleton

According to "wiki" St Marys of Chastleton was built around AD 1100 and enlarged in 1320. The present bell tower was added in 1689. Like all Church of England parish churches, it has an interesting history. For more about St Marys history click here.

St Marys sits next to Chastleton House

rose hips flank side doors

beautiful architecture, St Marys

ewe lookin' at me?

who me?  yeah, ewe.

Chastleton House

Across the stone fence and next to church sits an old Jacobean home, now a National Trust. As you see from the photo, it was closed but I hope to return on Apple Day in early October. This home has been in the same family for 400 years but because of lack of funds, it was not maintained and left to the ravages of time. From what I understand, the necessary maintenance was done but all furnishing were left just as it looked when the family moved away.