Sleek elegance in the Cotswolds
There's something typically English about the Cotswolds. Known for its gentle hills and pretty villages, visiting there is a bit like stepping back in time
I love the Cotswolds. There's something very old-fashioned about it, with its pretty honey-coloured villages and tea shops. In summer, the villages can be overflowing with tourists, but if you time your visit right, you'll enter a quiet world where village life predominates, with ducks to be fed and cream teas to be had!
When my sister Joanna and I visited Stow-on-the-Wold in March, the weather was not at its best. True, the rolling mists did add an atmospheric touch, making the views over the hills, or wolds, seem almost magical when the sun burst through. But the steady drizzle that fell as we wandered around the town, peering into antique shops and delicatessens selling local produce, reminded us that it was only just spring.
Stow-on-the-Wold is the highest of the Cotswolds' towns and there has been a settlement there since the Iron Age. It was an important town during the Middle Ages, when Cotswold wool enjoyed a heyday. Local sheep were famous for their heavy fleeces and the quality of their wool. Wool traders could command high prices, and many used their new fortunes to build sturdy houses and churches in the area. These 'wool churches' are famous throughout the Cotswolds.
As the drizzle persisted, we decided to check in to our hotel, wyckhillhouse, and get settled in before heading to the spa for a facial. wyckhillhouse is an 18th century mansion house set in a 100-acre private estate at the top of a hill just outside Stow-on-the-Wold. Originally the family home to a feudal lord, it has recently undergone a £3.5 million refurbishment, and now belongs to the nichehotels group.
Understated grandeur
Stepping through the front door, you are immediately transported back into a world of cavernous rooms and huge, dark furniture. The entrance hall boasts an enormous fireplace with several sofas and armchairs arranged invitingly in front of it. You can linger here drinking coffee and reading the papers, or just admire the giant proportions favoured by 18th century architects. The stately home feel continues with an imposing dark wooden staircase and balcony, but the atmosphere inside the hotel is chilled and relaxed.
The walls are painted in muted colours and decorated with black and white photos of the Cotswolds, and while much of the furniture is huge, it's all very comfy and inviting. The hotel is not stuffy or formal and many of the guests were curled up on sofas or chatting with the friendly staff.
Our room was in the renovated part of the hotel and was on the lower ground floor. Because the building is on the side of a hill, this didn't mean we were in the basement, and we still had our own patio area outside the French doors. The room was huge, with high ceilings and a contemporary feel (more muted colours on the walls added to this feeling). wyckhillhouse prides itself on the quality and comfort of its beds, and I don't know if that was down to the handmade hypnos pocket sprung bed or the 100 per cent Egyptian percale cotton bed linen, but I had one of the best night's sleep I'd had in ages.
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