On our last day in The Cotswolds we awoke to the sound of birdsong drifting through the window, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee wafting up the stairs.
It didn’t take long for us to leap out of bed and find a cup!
If you’ve ever dreamed of slipping out of satin soft sheets and padding down through your country mansion, onto the sun soaked lawn, cuppa in hand, The Painswick has got you covered!
Round basket bag // Gingham sandals
We soaked up the morning sun while waiting for breakfast to be served.
After a couple rounds of eggs, a few pastries and just a smattering of sausages, we set off to explore the pretty village of Painswick.
A quintessential English village, complete with wibbly houses, tea shops and one of the prettiest church yards you’ll ever come across.
Just to add to our utter delight, we ran into a litter of puppies out for their morning walk!
Yep, I was about ready to move in!
We had the deserted village streets all to ourselves, free to roam as we wished.
Strolling through streets bursting with fragrant lavender and tumbling roses.
It didn’t take us too long to comb every inch of Painswick, so we jumped into the car in search of new adventures.
Jumping out for a leg stretch as we reached Miserden.
Delighting in the rolling hills, stone walls, fresh breeze and the occasional sheep.
It felt good to get back to my roots…
We ventured into the Miserden Estate.
Where we found the newly opened Nursery Café.
Where a very nervous barista (her and the cafe’s first day, you see) served us two particularly excellent cappuccinos and raced off to find us a slice of cake.
We sipped and nibbled among the greenhouses, surrounded by roses, lupins, fox gloves and daisies.
I may have had a slight chuckle to myself about how this blog (and I) have changed throughout the years.
I used to write about parties on yachts, dancing the night away and disastrous dates… now I’m thrilled by the prospect of a National Trust garden!
The fact you’re still here with me means we must have grown up together, when did that happen?! Must have been when I wasn’t looking.
Just to really hammer the point home, I’m about to tell you that Miserden has some of the finest herbaceous borders you’ll find in the uk!
Sorry, I’m chuckling far too much now. I might have to go and get a cup of tea and a nice calming biscuit, while you look around the gardens.
They’re quite the place for a spot of frolicking.
You’re never too grown up for a spot of that!
I particularly loved the gates to nowhere dotted around the estate.
You have to wonder if they’re a bit like the doors in Labyrinth.
Open them one way and they go nowhere, open them another and they open up something altogether different.
^ That’s me!
Having worked up quite the hunger with all that frolicking, we set off to find a pub.
Settling on The Bell at Sapperton.
A sleepy little place in a sleepy little village, with a pretty garden and “English Garden Mojitos” on the menu.
Just what the doctor ordered!
We on British classics, like Prawn Cocktail.
And a beast of a Sunday Roast, pork for me, chicken for him (he likes the bread sauce).
Followed by another Great British classic.
A snooze.
Bring on retirement, I’m ready!
