The 5th Day in London

April 8th. Today we took a day trip to the Cotswolds. My daughter had made the reservation in advance, and the tour departed from in front of Gloucester Road Station. It also happened to be the day I checked out of my hotel and moved to a new one. The new hotel was on the south side of Victoria Station, along the Thames—close to the river, just as I wanted for my final days before returning to Japan. So I slung my 65‑liter rucksack over my shoulder and headed to Gloucester Road Station.

There were only three Japanese participants: my daughter, myself, and a young woman who was on her way to Ireland for a working‑holiday program. Our guide was also Japanese. With just four people in total, the vehicle wasn’t a bus but a van.

We drove west through London’s busy rush‑hour traffic. Once we left the city, the scenery quickly became rustic and peaceful—sheep farms, barley fields, and wide open countryside. Strangely, there were no toll gates on the motorway. Even the service area felt very similar to those in Japan.

The direct distance from London was about 130 kilometers. After driving through the countryside, we arrived first in Bibury. After returning to Japan, I realized that my elder daughter had taken photos of the exact same scenery during her honeymoon. She had visited Bibury as well.

Bibury

Before noon, we reached Bourton‑on‑the‑Water. The village was lively and full of tourists. Cafés, pubs, and souvenir shops lined the streets. My daughter and I had lunch—actually a breakfast menu—at an outdoor terrace of a nice pub along the stream.

Bourton-on-the-Water

Bourton-on-the-water

We wandered around Stow‑on‑the‑Wold for a while. It’s a small village, so we could explore it at a relaxed pace. Finally, around 2:30 p.m., we arrived in Chipping Campden. The temperature had risen, and it was quite hot. We enjoyed the scenery and visited a church. After that, my daughter and I had coffee at a small, antique café in front of the Market Hall.