Today we went from Bath through the Cotswolds to Stow-on-the-Wold and to Stratford-upon-Avon. I have never seen so many sheep. The fields are full. Stow-on the-Wold is the highest of the Cotswold towns standing exposed on 800 foot high Stow Hill at a junction of seven major roads, including the Roman Fosse Way.
The vast Market Square testifies to the town’s former importance. At one end stands the ancient cross, and at the other the town stocks, shaded between an old elm tree. Around the square is an elegant array of Cotswold town houses and shops.
Then it was on to Moreton-in-the-Marsh, another market town. Moreton-in-Marsh is a historic market town in Gloucestershire, England, featuring an 800-year-old Tuesday market, a wide High Street lined with 17th-century stone buildings, and direct train access from London. Interestingly, the Bell Inn is widely cited as the inspiration for the “Prancing Pony” inn in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Curfew Tower is a 6th-century landmark on the High Street whose bell was rung nightly until 1860.
We arrived at Stratford-upon-Avon for a late lunch. In the courtyard of Shakespeare’s birthplace, actors were performing scenes. It was fun to watch. They would pull children out of the crowd, put a shawl on them and they would act. We strolled through town and ate lunch at the Pen & Parchment Pub on the Avon. Then we wandered down to the theater. The engraving on the Jester Statue states ” The fool doth think he is wise. But the wise man knows himself to be a fool. (As You Like It).
Next we headed for Llangollen, Wales, our only taste of Wales.
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