The Adventure that Almost Didn't Happen: Touring the Cotswolds

It all happened so fast but almost didn't happen at all. The tour I was taking today to the Cotswolds, a series of cute cottage villages on the outskirts of Bath, started at 8:45am. I had 20 minutes to eat a quick breakfast before I had to leave.

While I ate, I retraced my steps from yesterday going from the B&B to the tour meeting point. I purposefully went by so I knew how to get there in case I was short on time like this morning. After eating as much as time would allow, I ran up the stairs to my room, grabbed my things and headed at a fast pace towards the Abbey, about a 10 minute walk. I would just make it if all went well.

The sun was shining and the city was quiet magnifying the swishing of my pant legs as they hit each other. The sound stopped when I realized I didn't know where I was. I thought I came the same way but the street looked different without people on it. I was one of the few people walking about this morning. I thought the sign said to go this way. I pondered which way to go and went right. I came to the next major street and found it on my map. Darn it! I'm going the wrong way!

I started to do a walk/ jog, the kind you do when you know you're in a hurry but you don't want others to know you're in a hurry. I took the next street thinking it would take me in the direction I needed to go. No. Now I'm by the river. I started looking around for the Abbey spire but I couldn't see it. It's a tall spire! It's supposed to stick out. I should be able to see it. That's what they're there for, right - to be seen! I checked my phone for the time. It's 8:47am! I'm late! They're going to leave without me. I started thinking about what I would do today if I missed the tour. I didn't want to miss the tour! Ah! I see the bridge I crossed yesterday. Frustrated but with last chance hope, I prayed the van would still be there.

I began jogging at a steady pace holding my over- the- shoulder purse and my stomach so nothing would come out of either places. Remember I just ate. Still no spire to be seen but I turned left thinking it would take me in the correct direction. Still nothing's looking familiar. Now sheer stubbornness had kicked in. I was not going to be defeated by wandering feet.

A 20-something girl with her headphones on was strolling in front of me. I quickly asked her where the Abbey was. Yes! I'm going in the right direction! There it was, the Abbey. I welcomed it like a concerned parent who lost sight of their child.

I ran past it, went around the corner and saw two white vans loaded with people. Yes! My tour van was there waiting for me. I apologized to the tour guide and the group, joking about wanting to make an entrance. This was on ongoing joke for the rest of the day at my expense.

It's amazing the adventures our feet take us on especially when they go the wrong way. It wasn't the excitement I was looking for but it did get me a front seat in the van which proved to be good for seeing the beautiful countryside of the Cotswolds.

On this day tour, we stopped at the following villages:

Castle Combe
Maimesbury
Bibury
Northleach
Bourton-on-the-Water
The Slaughters
Stow-on-the-Wold
Tetbury

These villages were just like a picture pop-up book of the 1600's come to life complete with small windows, rustic, wooden doors, aged stone, and some with thatched roofs all unique, making shabby-chic not so shabby. The daffodils were out in abundance intermingled with purple wild flowers and thickets of trees. These in the midst of rolling green hills with sheep and horses made them so cute I just wanted to pinch their cheeks and squeeze them!

We stopped for lunch at Stow-on-the -Wold at the Queen's Head Inn where I had fish and chips with mushy peas. The portion was huge and I finally surrendered. The mushy peas were not as bad as I thought. I also tried my first half pint of beer, a local brew called BB. Since I'm not a beer drinker, I was pleasantly surprised.

What I enjoyed was sitting at a table with a few of the others from the tour and hearing their travel stories. They were from all over - Japan, Germany, and even the US. I spoke to a lady in her late 50's who was traveling by herself and told me of the places she had been. She wished she had started traveling when she was younger because her joints aren't what they use to be, but she perseveres. All had their stories and different agendas but it was this tour, these moments we had in common.

When the tour ended, I talked for a while with a couple other gentlemen from the tour - one from Edinburgh and the other from Germany - Lucas. I was in search of coffee so Lucas showed me a fun place to go I wasn't aware of, but when we got there, it had just closed. Lucas, a 20-something student was living in England for a few months teaching German and getting many practice opportunities for his English, which sounded quite good. We ended up walking to the Royal Crescent since he hadn't seen it and my B&B is in that direction. We had a lovely chat and parted ways.

I went back to my B&B but it was still lovely outside, the weather being in the high 60's, so I ventured out again with two goals in mind: to find the direct path to the tour meeting location since I have another tour tomorrow and to get coffee.

Most shops and restaurants close on Sunday evenings but I found an ice cream shop open that served coffee. I treated myself to a cafe mocha along with mango ice cream, took them to a bench outside the Abbey, listened to the choir singing during their Sunday service, and watched people react to the huge and somewhat scary sculptures of a rabbit and ram. They're like a car accident - you don't want to look but can't help it. I must say sitting there at the foot of the Abbey allowed the Abbey and I to mend our differences from this morning's game of hide and seek.

It proved to be a lovely day albeit with quite an exciting start. I have high hopes tomorrow will be smoother as long as my feet don't have a mind of their own.