While I was driving around the tiny villages in the Cotswolds including Great Tew, Broadway, Stow on the Wold and Bibury, I saw a little brown sign indicating a National Trust property so I thought hells bells why not stop and explore Snowshill Manor as I’m a National Trust member.
I didn’t know what to expect when I pulled into the car park so I was happy to receive the information booklet on the property which proved to be a fascinating read.
To get to the manor you need to walk past fields of sheep…well it is the Cotswolds isn’t it! Thankfully it was a rather warm day so of the sheep were sitting under a tree keeping cool or scoffing grass…rather than getting frisky and trying to scare a certain Kiwi.
Snowshill Manor is a large manor that was purchased by Charles Wade to house his treasures from around the globe, kinda like a shoe room but just bigger and it was never lived in…
…the treasures are slightly eccentric…
…but a total feast for the eyes…
…and something new to discover in every room.
Leaving the house to discover the gardens which included a cute little honesty box for the lillies in the garden…
…to hidden gardens…
…rambling roses…
…men in tights, seriously it’s not a proper English garden until someone either puts on this tightest tights or gets totally naked…
…to the sweetest smelling flowers…
…to some prickly customers…
…and gorgeous views over the Cotswolds.
After exploring Snowshill Manor I decided to head to Cotswold Lavender after an earlier tip off on instagram and I wasn’t disappointed!
Rows upon rows of beautiful lavender…
…but the best bit was watching the tourists going mad with their lavender photos and posing; seriously how sweet are these two! I took photos of them together a bit later on with their own camera…they were super cute little couple.
As much as I love lavender, the wild flowers were the winner of the day…
…I…
…just…
…couldn’t…
….get enough of them; to the point that I may have become slightly obsessed!
Sometimes the greatest pleasure in life is just taking time to sniff the lavender. We all rush around in this world and I personally feel that we don’t take the time to really enjoy people’s company properly anymore (this is where quality and quantity go hand in hand…I would never double book myself or jam in three catch ups in one day…I want to savour my time with a loved one), we don’t really appreciate our gorgeous surroundings or just simply take the time to relax as we suffer from the “fear of missing out” syndrome…I’m happy to miss out on things now if it means that I get to spend quality time with the people that I love….time is something that you will never get back!
Travel Tips for Snowshill Manor and Gardens
- Snowshill Manor and Gardens is a National Trust property so it’s free entry if you’re a member otherwise it’s £10.40 per adult – you can read more here about joining up. Post Code – WR12 7JU
- There is a bit of a walk to the manor house however they do offer a buggy for those with less mobility, you will still need to walk through the orchard and gardens to get to the manor.
- It’s a lovely spot for a picnic…something that I’ve found out recently is that National Trust properties rock especially Woolsthorpe Manor in Lincolnshire.
- Cotswold Lavender is close by the Snowshill Manor, entry is payable in cash and there is a cafe on site…it is now closed for the summer but check out their opening times on the website.
- A perfect day trip would be to combine the above two activities with a visit to Broadway…it would make a lovely day trip in the Cotwolds
- Snowshill featured in the first Bridget Jones’s Diary movie…the church scene…I didn’t get a photo…bugger but I did see it as I drove around slightly lost.
- You will need to have a car to visit Snowshill Manor and Cotswold Lavender however there are so many lovely walks in the area.
- All the photos were taken on my Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II
xx
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