A Mini Getaway To The Cotswolds

 

Back at the beginning of this year, in the depths of a winter lockdown, we booked a cottage in Cornwall that had a good last-minute cancellation policy. In was a stab of hope in an otherwise pretty grim time and I spent quite a long time refusing to think about it. After three holidays cancelled because of Covid, I struggled to believe we’d be going further than our back garden this summer. 

However, as the lockdown began to ease and other human beings were allowed back into our lives once again, we tentatively started to consider the idea that we might be going on holiday after all and, with a whole two weeks booked off work and Cornwall being very far away, decided we’d make a bit of a thing of it and bookend the trip - therefore also breaking up the journey - with mini breaks. 

With our impending arrival around the corner, we decided to make one of these the opposite of child-friendly whilst we can and booked a luxury foodie break in the Cotswolds based on a recommendation from friends. And then, because of course, less than 48 hours before we were due to arrive, the hotel called and said they had to close due to staff self-isolating. 

Remarkably undeterred (a sign of the last 18 months), I was online with minutes and based on little more than some pretty pictures, one room left and price range, we’d found and booked another hotel in a different part of the Cotswolds less than an hour after our original hotel calling. I’m normally one to check out a place online in detail before parting with cash so this could have potentially been a disaster but we got very, very lucky. 

Based near Witney, an area we’d stayed in last year, Minster Mill sits alongside the River Windrush in a small, very pretty Cotswold village. It is everything you’d want from a hotel nestled in the Cotswolds; picturesque, peaceful and with plenty of good food on offer. Our room was part of a converted barn and had a gorgeous view from the windows running along the length of one of the walls, a huge bed, stylish bathroom complete with L’Occitane products and - always a way to judge a hotel room - top quality biscuits. 

Because we’d booked so last-minute, we hadn’t been able to book ahead for anything else and we were warned on arrival that the spa facilities (yes it had a spa) and restaurant were very busy. Once we’d settled into our room, I thought it was worth chancing our arm so we popped down to the spa and asked if they had any availability to use the facilities during our stay. To which their response was; ‘you could go in now if you want?’ I’d shimmied my pregnant belly into a too-tight swimsuit and was back at the pool entrance within five minutes. They were only allowing up to 6 people to use the spa facilities (pool, sauna and steam room) at any one time and, not going to lie, I very much enjoyed the peacefulness of it. I couldn’t use the sauna or steam room (pregnancy problems) but spent a solid two hours drifting in the pool until I resembled a wrinkled prune. 

We then settled ourselves by the river in the early evening sun, ordering ourselves drinks and some whipped hummus with espelette pepper and flatbreads which was just as tasty (and fancy) as it sounds and gave us good first impressions food wise. We ate dinner in the bar although their ‘bar snack’ menu amused me because I don’t really consider steak and chips to be a snack. The highlight was almost certainly the whipped chocolate mousse with white chocolate crumble & raspberries for pudding which we both had and was so good. After a big downpour, we were also treated to a double rainbow right outside the window; a great dinner-time view. 

Breakfast was included in the price of our room and I gotta say, top marks for a hotel breakfast. We had what can only be described as a ‘posh’ full English on our first morning and French toast with bacon and maple syrup on the second, and they were both delicious. 

Our only full-day was very slow and very much channelled ‘holiday mode’ vibes, which for us is basically napping and eating. We spent our morning wandering around the local village and hotel grounds; it was all incredibly tranquil. Completely by chance, we discovered the Minster Lovell Hall ruins which we didn’t know was there; it was very pretty and peaceful. There were people paddling and swimming in the river which I was all for joining but we had to get back for our afternoon tea reservations.

Afternoon tea was by the river again and, wasps aside, was the perfect way to while away an afternoon in the sunshine. There was a huge selection of tea (they brought out samples beforehand!), the usual sandwich selection plus some gorgeous scones and pastries. And then I read my book in the sun whilst Gary had an afternoon nap. We roused ourselves just a little for dinner at the hotel’s sister pub, The Old Swan, who served up great pub food but specialised in pies and boy were they good. I ate mine faster than Gary (I am a famously slow eater) because I couldn’t help but inhale it. We also indulged in a baked Camembert for starters and everything about it was perfect, from the size (not sickeningly big) to the white fig chutney. 

We headed back to our room with jeans that we couldn’t do up ready for a snooze and a drive to Cornwall in the morning.