Author Archives: WolfeStreetTravel
Protected: Cotswolds & Wales Road Trip: Pembroke Castle
Protected: Cotswolds & Wales Road Trip: Caerphilly Castle
Protected: Cotswolds & Wales Road Trip: The Baths of Bath
Protected: Cotswolds & Wales Road Trip: Stonehenge
Cotswolds & Wales Road Trip: From Southrop to Bibury
We spent our last couple of days in the Cotswolds (Part 2, with Wales in between the two parts) poking around the hiking-distance villages of Southrop, Fyfields, and Eastleach, and driving one day to Bibury. As you’ll note below, “village” is a bit overblown of a descriptor for the first three settlements. Even “hamlet” is stretching it a bit. They were all tiny. But super charming. Bibury shares some of the small stature with the others, but, as you’ll see, it’s recognized nationally for its utter cuteness and so draws visitors in a way that the other three absolutely do not.
Our first hike the morning after we arrived in Southrop from Bath, via the unplanned stop in Stonehenge:
The UK trail system and access across fields continued to reward us with beautiful bucolic views and the occasional livestock encounter.
This way to Eastleach:
A picturesque row of cottages in Eastleach built in 1875:
The last one of which is topped by a clock tower – the architect apparently simply thought it would be a nice addition:
We agree.
The village’s tiny war memorial:
Back in Southrop, the 12th-century St. Peter’s church one morning on the way to a hike:
It’s got an unusually grand Norman arch over the north entrance for a tiny little church:
But the herringbone stonework clearly identifies the structure as late Saxon (of which not many remain in England) – predating the Norman adornments:
Pretty cool church graveyard, including an unusual casket-shaped stone ornamentation on one of the tombs:
Poking around Fyfields:
And a day trip to Bibury to see what the fuss is all about and also to grab some lunch. Here, you can mail a package AND pick up presents!
Bibury dates as far back as the Domesday Book (1086) and was once described by William Morris (one of the founders / originators / champions / whatever of the Arts and Crafts movement) as “the most beautiful village in England.”
And THIS is what all the fuss is about – Arlington Row:
Originally built in the 14th century as a wool store. . .
the row of structure later was converted into weavers’ cottages in the 17th century.
More Thomas Kinkade-y cottages elsewhere in town (which was, indeed, super charming – its reputation is definitely well-earned).
And lunch – and for Cod’s sake it’s finally not fish and chips!
Back in Southrop, we were ensconced at a village-within-a-village: Thyme (which scored it a Top 20 lodging location for WolfeStreetTravel):
And after 2 weeks of charming English cottages, finally one of our own to stay in at Thyme:
Pretty awesome (and huge) barn converted to a restaurant:
Our last evening to hang out before heading to London:
Our cottage came with a pretty essential feature:
One to London and then home!
Protected: Cotswolds & Wales Road Trip: London
2022 UCI Cyclocross World Championships
A convergence of the UCI Cyclocross World Championships in Fayetteville and some family in Bentonville resulted in our latest trip: to Arkansas, for the first time (for one of us, anyway). Bentonville is the home of Walmart, and two of the Walton sons are determined to make Northwest Arkansas the country’s premier mountain biking, cyclocross, and gravel riding region. They appear to be succeeding.
The Walton brothers invested in the development of this course in a bid to nab the 2022 cyclocross world championships. It worked.
Men under 23 Division racing when we arrived on Saturday:
The main portage point of the race – 29 steps followed by the biggest drop on the course:
The Belgians swept the podium in the Men under 23 Division – maybe not too surprising, considering the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix?
Start of the Elite Women’s Division race in the VIP section, courtesy of Mike:
A distinctly lower caliber of bikers at Crystal Bridges:
And later at The Hub at the top of the Coler Mountainbike Preserve:
A little air show entertainment on Sunday, while waiting for the Elite Men’s race to start:
Freakin’ hilarious sign on the course for the Elite Mens race:
If you don’t know the reference, consult the picture below and the resulting aftermath from the jackass holding the original version of the sign on the route of the first stage of last year’s Tour de France:
Transitioning from riding to portaging up the stairs like salmon swimming up a fish ladder – freakin’ amazing athletes (British winner Tom Pidcock in the lead):
Last night in Bentonville:
Great trip and great town – we’ll be back!
Mappy Hour: A Cartographic History of Ukraine
As Russia continues their belligerent posturing along the Ukraine eastern border (and now on Ukraine’s northern border with Belorussia, where Putin has begun positioning even more troops), it’s helpful to understand the history of Ukraine’s borders in the political and cultural fluidity that characterizes central Europe. (Let’s be serious – fluidity across all of Europe, which is why the place is so freaking interesting from a historical and cartographic perspective.)
Our buddy, Jim, who also follows WolfeStreetTravel, recently recommended this really compelling Washington Post article from 2015 on the evolution of Ukraine’s territory and borders. This article was published when Putin was previously taking aggressive actions to absorb Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula into mother Russia. Definitely recommended reading for anyone following the crisis unfolding around Ukraine.
The Washington Post’s resident cartographer, Gene Thorp, developed for the article several really helpful and really compelling maps depicting how Ukraine’s territory transformed over the centuries as empires, warring factions, and treaty agreements changed. To wit:
Catherine the Great’s encroachment into what previously was either sovereign Ukrainian territory or land ruled by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 17th century. (WolfeStreetTravel previously included latter in another Mappy Hour post on the evolution of Europe during the Brexit buildup.)
Or, a severed Ukraine after the post-WW I Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, where Poland wound up with most of western Ukraine, including the major city of Lviv, but lost the territory during the Russian civil war, after which Ukraine joined the USSR as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic within the union.
The body of the article includes more maps and some really great context for how and why Ukraine looked like it did at different times during the last 1000+ years, as well as how the native people of Ukraine changed due to Soviet actions. Good stuff!
F.W. de Klerk
So, as most of you probably saw in the news this morning, former South African president F.W. de Klerk has died.
Here’s why it’s appearing on WolfeStreetTravel: Because F.W. de Klerk’s grandson turned out to be our guide on safari in South Africa in 2018. From our post on that segment of the trip:
“Our guide on the right below introduced himself as F.W.
During sundowners our first night, we asked him: ‘Like, F.W. de Klerk?’ He said, ‘Yeah. Like that.’
So we poked at this, and he acknowledged that he was, indeed, former South African president F.W. de Klerk’s grandson and namesake. F.W. de Klerk (the president, not our guide) presided over the end of apartheid, which F.W. (our guide) said earned him many fans and many more detractors in the white population.”
Crazy, man.
WolfeStreetTravel 