The sun was shining (for once!) as we set off out into the Cotwolds to the north of Bristol. Our first stop was Chedworth Roman Villa which was a really impressive example of a Romano-British villa from the 4th Century AD. We could see the remains of beautiful mosaics that covered the floors, Roman bath houses with rooms for steaming yourself before jumping into cold water, Roman toilets and the very clever under-floor central heating that warmed the house in winter. The view down the valley must have been just as beautiful when this place was inhabited by an upper class family so long ago. We also enjoyed a very informative video presentation that really helped you to picture what it probably looked like originally.We then drove on further to the village of Bourton-on-the-Water, with Elvyn giving us a very interesting commentary on the way about the scenery and history of the Cotswolds area. We had plenty of time to get some lunch and wander leisurely around the village and some people popped into some of the little tourist attractions there too.
When it was time to move on again, we all piled back in the coach and headed to Broadway, another typical, pretty, little English village where we enjoyed a generous cream tea together in the Horse and Hound pub before having a walk up and down the main street in the evening sunshine.
In all, it was a lovely day, as I think you can see from the smiles in the photographs!
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