From Savannah to the Cotswolds, Part 8: Broadway

After leaving Chipping Campden, our next stop was Broadway. Mom and I spent some time wandering in and out of shops, strolling along side streets, and admiring even more thatched cottages (because apparently, I can never get enough of those). Eventually, we found ourselves in a wide-open park area where we sat for a little rest and people-watching before heading back to the car.

Somewhere along the way, one of the girls in our group decided to follow a little trail. She ended up stumbling across sheep and the most stunning countryside views—but also lost track of time and got a little turned around. What made it hilarious, though, was the play-by-play group text that followed. We were all dropping pins, trying to send directions, and the entire thing had us laughing so hard I was literally crying until she finally found us again.

From Broadway, we headed toward Broadway Tower, which we could see in the distance beyond the town. Along the way, though, something magical happened.

SHEEP.

Y’all, I had been waiting the entire trip to see sheep in the English countryside. Like, I needed this moment. You know those classic movie scenes where sheep are just grazing on rolling green hills? That’s what I wanted. So when I finally spotted them, I shouted “SHEEP!” at the top of my lungs, and we immediately pulled the car over.

Did people driving by think we were total idiots? Probably. Did I care? Not one bit.

We all piled out to get a closer look, and one sheep and I actually locked eyes. No joke—this sheep walked right up to me and posed. I have an embarrassing number of photos and videos of this encounter (which I will not be sharing, because I have at least a shred of dignity left). To make it even better, I noticed a deer grazing right in the middle of the flock like it was no big deal. It was one of those pinch-me moments where I thought, “This is exactly what I pictured when I dreamed about visiting the Cotswolds.”

Once we reluctantly tore ourselves away from the sheep, we finally made it to Broadway Tower. The tower itself was closing for the day by the time we arrived, so we just walked up to take in the views. The wind was whipping and it was cold, but goodness—it was stunning. My mom, who isn’t a fan of heights, decided to skip the walk to the actual tower, but I braved it. 😉 At one point we looked over the fence and saw a whole herd of red deer just lounging like it was the most normal thing in the world. They barely acknowledged us, completely unbothered. Majestic and totally unfazed—goals, really.

As the sun set, we realized we had run out of time to visit Upper and Lower Slaughter. Honestly, I wasn’t even disappointed. Between the sheep, the deer, the views, and everything else we’d seen that day, my heart (and my camera roll) were more than full. We grabbed dinner somewhere—I wish I could remember where—and I had a traditional meat pie. Let’s just say I’m glad I tried it, but it’s not something I need to eat on a regular basis. 🙃

After dinner, we headed back to Stow to pack up for our train ride back to London the next morning in preparation for our departure home the day after that. Our Cotswolds adventure was nearly at an end, but I still had one more day of exploring before heading home.

If you liked reading this blog, you may also enjoy:

• From Savannah to the Cotswolds, Part 1: Bibury
• From Savannah to the Cotswolds, Part 2: Castle Combe
• From Savannah to the Cotswolds, Part 3: Bath
• From Savannah to the Cotswolds, Part 4: Stow-on-the-Wold
• From Savannah to the Cotswolds, Part 5: Bourton-on-the-Water
• From Savannah to the Cotswolds, Part 6: Burford
• From Savannah to the Cotswolds, Part 7: Chipping Campden

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