July 20, 2016. Cotswold trip, Plan B

LOCATION:  House-sitting in Oxford, England

WEATHER:  Still hot at 85. Sunny.  

Today's plan was to visit Stratford Upon Avon.  We rode the bus to Chpping Norton, called "Chippie" by locals.  Most of the buses are double-decker so we rode up top to see better.  We rode through beautiful country, mostly hay fields.

After a 45-minute ride, at 11:00 AM, we found ourselves in Chippie looking at the bus schedule to go on to Stratford Upon Avon.  The next bus wasn't until 4:00 pm, then there wasn't a return one!  So, with those plans dashed, we went with Plan B.

We took a walking tour of Chippie, a market town with a market going on today.  Lots of people out and about.  This used to be an almshouse, sort of a women's shelter, one of the first established in the world.  Hollyhocks are in season and are so pretty.

 

This town used to be a big woolen market town.  Lots of beautiful old houses and lanes. We waited at the bus stop to go back towards Oxford.  Still a lot of farming....

We stopped in Woodstock, another cute Cotswold village for lunch.  Beautiful flowers everywhere.

This restaurant has gobs of herbs in their window boxes.

We checked out several pubs with outdoor gardens, looking for the best lunch menu and venue.  (My only requirement was shade!). 

This pub has beautiful ivy growing on it.

We finally settled on this one and shared a curried squash pie.

We dropped in at Chippie's little museum (air-conditioned) and learned that aspirin was invented here.  

Back on the 110-degree bus, it was too hot to sit upstairs.  The British don't tolerate the heat very well, either.   I saw a lot of pink faces.  We returned to Oxford.  There was a farmers' market finishing up near the bus station, so we picked up some good deals on veg.  

We will do our bus homework better, and try to get to Stratford Upon Avon another day, on another route.  

DINNER:  Pork and mushrooms in a wine sauce, over garlic couscous.