England – Cotswolds – Stow on the wold (En)

As one of the largest towns in the Cotswolds, Stow on the Wold has ancient churches, quaint shops, cosy tea rooms and art galleries, all built from the soft local stone.

Where to stay

We went by car and parked at Fosseway Car Park (A429, Stow-on-the-Wold, Cheltenham GL54 1BX). It’s free and next to the Tesco supermarket. It’s a 5-minute walk from the centre. If you can’t park there because it’s full, you can use the Tesco car park.

What to see

We walked from the car park to the centre, and the first thing you see is the old fountain. From there, you turn and arrive at Market Square, the most important area of ​​the town where most of the shops and cafes are concentrated. We were lucky enough to go on market day, so we walked around and bought one of the best cheeses we have ever tasted!

We then went to see St Edward’s Church which was used as a prison for defeated Royalist troops as it was the only padlocked building in the town. Some of the damage sustained at this time can still be seen today. The church is also famous for its north door flanked by two ancient yew trees, supposedly the inspiration for the ‘Pores of Durin’ in the Lord of the Rings.

We then wandered through the streets with their 16th-century buildings, passing Sheep Street, where Brewery Yard is located, a lovely little shopping area, and St. Edward’s Hall, an example of Gothic architecture built in 1877-78. A wooden tower was added in 1894 as a fire bell for the city. We finished our tour at the old wells in Well Lane where you can see the walls of an Iron Age fort.

Continuing our tour of the Cotswolds, our next stop will be Bibury, a postcard village in the purest English style, which you will be able to see in the next post!