When you close your eyes and picture the English countryside, it's impossible not to imagine those dreamlike villages surrounded by gentle hills, limestone houses, slate roofs and beautiful gardens. The Cotswolds capture that image perfectly.
This area of great natural beauty stretches across six counties in southwest England: Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, South Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Wiltshire, and Bath & North East Somerset. It's ideal for a weekend getaway to visit beautiful locations, castles, country houses and small medieval markets.
Among this collection of dreamlike villages, Stow-on-the-Wold stands out — a town that, in its origins, held the honor of being named a market town. That title was reserved only for towns able to guarantee the "pax mercatoria" to merchants, whether through the shelter offered by their walls, the facilities offered by their banks, or the freedom guaranteed to the trade of goods carried out within them.
Without a doubt, the back door of St Edward's Church is Stow-on-the-Wold's biggest attraction. Standing in front of it, it's impossible not to let your imagination run and feel as though you've traveled several centuries back in time. Two centuries-old trees flank the doorway and blend with the ancient stone walls, giving the entrance a mythical air. This door may well have been the inspiration behind J.R.R. Tolkien's description of the entrance to Moria in The Lord of the Rings.
