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THE COTSWOLD'S AND THE IMMERSION EXPERIENCE Perhaps one of the greatest travel mistakes that most people make is to try to plan too many activities in a short period of time; focusing on the quantity of experience rather than the quality. We at the Vagabond-Hero firmly believe in the "Immersion" concept of travel; to steep yourself in your dream destination as fully as possible, and use this as a base to pursue your vacation goals. Packing in too many events in a short amount of time does not allow one to fully appreciate any of them any more than reading a magazine or watching a television program at home, and can be very stressful. On one trip to the Cotswold's in England, one of our Road Scholars was traveling with a companion who arranged a private tour to race through every town in the British countryside so quickly, that the companion became stressed out from the breakneck pace that she had to pay off the tour guide before her plans were half way finished, and return to London to Recuperate
from a dream trip to the British countryside! Sadly, this comical
account is not uncommon. People often have a limited time for a
holiday or vacation, and have so many interests that they wish to see
that they easily sabbotage a once in a lifetime dream vacation for
themselves and those around them.
When planning an itinerary, if one focuses on the quality of the experience, one will be able to get the most out of any vacation destination. Focusing on the quality of one's travel is what we call the philosophy of the "Immersion" experience. Often, the choice of where one stays can go a long way to fulfill this goal. The Painswick Hotel One
of our favorite travel experiences has been the Painswick Hotel in
Gloucestershire in the English Cotswolds. There are many wonderful
places to stay in the Cotswold's. In fact, none of our Road Scholars
have ever been disappointed with any hotel in any village in the
Cotswolds, but the Painswick Hotel has long been our favorite.
Painswick Hotel is a country styled hotel in a charming village in the
cotswold's. The history of the region goes back to the 10th and 11th
century. For americans like ourselves, to be surrounded by a region
with a history much older than our own nation was a constant source of
facination. A simple walk down the streets of Painswick to a local
store, we were easily recognised as not from the village, but always
welcomed and conversations with local residents were easily initiated.
At times, even light social invitations and information about local
farmers markets, antique fairs and weekend expos, and news of near by
events were easily shared. In addition to learning about the village,
its legends and lore, and making new friends, we learned far more about
life in Great Britain than we could ever have seen from the wrong side
of a tour bus's tinted window. The Proprietor made every effort to meet his guests and there was no shortage of things of interest near by. In Painswick itself, there is St. Mary's Church which dates back to the 15th Century with the spire added in 1632. On the outskirts of Painswick are the Roccoco Gardens which date back to the 18th Century. In the surrounding villages, there are numerous places to explore such as Blenheim Palace, Berkely Castle, Kelmscott Manor, the Roman Baths, Broughton Castle, Snowshill and Owlpen Manor, Warwick Castle, Shakespear's birthplace, Worcester Cathedral, and Sudeley Castle. Finding a proper place to stay in any single village in the Costwolds and making day excursions to any of these places of interests will make a facinating day of travel and allow one to visit the near by villages at your leisure without having to go to London to recuperate from your own travel plans to the British countryside. Here is a complete set of links of what you can find in the Cotswolds' |
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