eighteenpromises : UK & Canary Islands Travelogue

Moreton-in-Marsh is one of the principal market towns in the northern Cotswolds situated on the Fosse Way and is now served by the main line railway from London Paddington. It grew up in the thirteenth century as a market town with a wide main street, narrow burgage plots and back lanes. (Credit: x)

In Moreton-in-Marsh, personally I felt that there wasn't much to see and do. I did notice a whole stretch of antique shops so if you're into buying some antiques for your home then you should check this place out but besides that, I felt that there really wasn't much to see. Moreton-in-Marsh is well known for their Tuesday Market but since we were there on a Saturday, we didn't manage to catch the market as well.

Our next stop was to Snowshill to see the Manor which is made famous for its amazing lavender fields but we were too early in the year and the lavender fields have yet to bloom so that was a pretty moot decision going to Snowshill.

Even so, we did spend a bit of time strolling through the quaint little village because the weather was just lovely. I can really see why people in the UK enjoy taking walks to either exercise or to just clear their heads. There is so much to see and the weather can be cool enough to do so. In Singapore, everyday it's just hot or humid, or hot AND humid and no one likes to walk around in this weather.

While driving through Broadway, we made a spur of the moment decision to stop at Broadway Tower to take a look and also to have lunch there.

Broadway Tower is a unique Capability Brown Folly Tower open to visitors wanting to experience great English heritage in an inspiring location. It is one of England's outstanding viewpoints and at 1024 feet (312m) above sea level, it is the second highest point on the Cotswold escarpment with unrivalled views. You can survey an expanse of a 62 mile radius and as many as 16 Counties.

Broadway Tower was the brainchild of the great 18th Century landscape designer, Capability Brown. His vision was carried out for George William 6th Earl of Coventry with the help of renowned architect James Wyatt and completed in 1798. The location for the Tower was wisely chosen, a dramatic outlook on a pre-medieval trading route and beacon hill. Wyatt designed his "Saxon Tower" as an eccentric amalgamation of architectural components ranging from turrets, battlements and gargoyles to balconies. (Credit: x)

We had lunch at Morris & Brown at the Tower and we opted for a seat inside because the weather was really chilly and the wind was pretty strong at that point in time. We got a seat near the fireplace and I was soon warm and toasty which felt great. I don't really do well in cold weather and I am a lot more scared of the cold than the heat so being near the fireplace did me a whole lot of good.

For lunch, we had pies and a soup which was just what we needed and I thoroughly enjoyed every single bit of it.

Beef pastry with salad and homemade coleslaw (£6.95)

Homemade shortcrust chicken, leek and ham hock pie with salad (£10.90)

Soup of the moment with crusty bread (£5.50)

Latte

Assam Tea

After lunch, we drove to Chipping Campden which is another really quaint little town with the most beautiful little cottages.

This charming old wool merchants town has so much to offer, varied architecture and the enviable reputation as the most beautiful High Street in England. Due to its central location Campden is also a perfect place to stay with plentiful accommodation. A wide variety of interesting Restaurants, Tea Rooms and Country Inns offering a wide selection of food and drink.

There are numerous walks or for the less energetic a wide variety of specialist shops to browse in with a diverse and interesting selection of goods, many handcrafted and locally produced. You can enjoy the delights not only of this charming old town, but also the nearby surrounding shire counties of Oxfordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. From Blenheim Palace and the Cotswolds to the south, to Worcester and the Malverns to the west plus Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick (with the best medieval castle in Europe) all within an hour's journey. (Credit: x)

The main reason why we found ourselves in Chipping Campden was because my mum really wanted to visit the Market Hall. It was built in 1627 which makes it nearly 400 years old. Although we didn't see any traders doing their business in the market hall it is still quite cool to imagine hundreds of years of trading happening in this very spot.

Our last stop for the day, which was where we spent the night was Bidford-on-Avon and we stayed in Fosbroke House. It was a pretty little house and there was a separate bedroom area for me which was separated from my parents' room.

We wanted to head out to take a look at the shops but most of them closed by 4.30pm so we were ended up in Warner's Budgens where we picked up a couple of drinks and some snacks before heading back to the house for a rest.

What I really like about supermarkets in the UK is that they have wider assortment of juices and healthy drinks, as well as teas. They have so many different types of teas that all sound so delicious and are really affordable. What I would do to have this large a selection of teas in Singapore.

For dinner, we found a Chinese takeaway place that was open and we got a set meal for 2 persons which fed all 3 of us very comfortably. We paid £21 for all 3 of us which was pretty affordable in terms of Chinese food we've had on this trip.