Slough … That is where we stayed for our first night. Okay, so this may not be significant for all of you but for those who don’t know, it is the location of the English and original sitcom of “The Office” starring Ricky Gervais … Not that we spent much time there but I was on the look out for David Brent the “paper mogul” as we left the Holiday Inn Express at 8.30am this morning. Yes, I am embarrassed to say that I didn’t know it was a real place! 

Straight down the M4 , Cotswolds bond… Our first touristy stop is the gorgeous Burford, in the shire of Oxfordshire. It is one of those towns straight out of an English murder mystery, I am thinking we will have a few of these on our travels. The Main Street meanders down the hill with a beautiful old church just off the main drag that was built in the 1200’s. In 1649 a group of Cromwell mutineers were captured and imprisioned in the church, three of the ringleaders were executed  in the church grounds, whilst the others were made to watch with the bullets lodging in the church walls. I searched high and low looking for the bullets but didn’t find them, but am told that there is certainly still the evidence of the executions today in the outside walls of the church.

   
 From Burford to Stow in the Wold in the shire of Gloucestershire, a very different market down which has a wonderful market square. Stow in the Wold  is a junction point for seven major roads including Fosse Way which was built by the Romans 2000 years ago, I know right ! The pub was built in 947 and the church in 1180..whilst this is all very impressive , another key fact is that Stow in the Wold is the location for our first star spotting of the trip (if you discount the former AFL footballers in our midst) Alan Rickman (aka Snape and the baddy from Die Hard, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves), one of the girls on the bus has photographic evidence that I will of course share upon my return.

   
 All of this before lunch, yes another big day. However the highlight of the day was still to come for me it was spending time in the village of Guiting Power, shire of Gloucestershire, Michael our tour leader lives in this little place, which he obviously adores, so hearing him talk about the town as we drove to it and then through it was just lovely. We had lunch at one of the two local pubs “the Hollow Bottom”  and then as the boys had their first training session we walked through the village proper. A beautiful church from the 12th century is a key landmark in the town,made of limestone the Church was built by the  Knights  Templar, in fact it was a meeting place for Knights as they made their way to and from the Crusades.

   
Well fed and watered, the boys having had a run around and our heads full of the history of this marvellous part of the world we reboard the buses for our next port of call, tonight we are staying in Droitwich Spa in the Shire of Worcestershire. An early night for a reasonably early get away tomorrow as we head toward Wales – can’t wait !