A Delightful Day in Chipping Campden

Our day began with a pretty view from our bedroom window.

We went downstairs for a delicious "full English breakfast" prepared by our B&B hostess, Jill. After consuming scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, broiled tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms, toast, fresh fruit, and coffee, we were glad to get out and walk off some of those calories!

We grabbed our trusty Rick Steves guidebook and headed into town to follow his self-guided tour, which began at Chipping Campden's most famous landmark, the nearly 400-year-old Market Hall. Bill checked the guidebook and verified that we were at the right place.

One of our favorite buildings had black cast iron fixtures that held hay for horses to munch on, right along the main street.

Throughout town, we were constantly amazed by how long ago settlement began here. There were already 350 people living in 60 houses here in the year 1086!!! Local limestone has always been used so there's a continuity to the appearance of all the buildings, no matter their age. Here are some of the sights we saw throughout Chipping Campden:

 

We always thought thatched-roof cottages were small, but then we saw these today:

We had a late lunch at the 14th-century Eight Bells,

then waddled back to our B&B, Wolds End House.

Now we're just keeping our fingers crossed that this sunny weather continues when we begin our walk tomorrow!

 

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