Driving through Herefordshire yesterday and the village of Pembridge in particular, some things don't change much.
https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/pembridge-herefordshire
Great Tew in Oxfordshire.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/163363024@N04/albums/72157716431058563/
Stanton in Gloucestershire.
https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/stanton-gloucestershire
We do have loads of wonderfully picturesque places in the UK.
my local bank
https://imgur.com/gallery/mBYQW5I
closed about 100 years or so ago
local citizen
https://imgur.com/gallery/6M9nEdp
dont know her
when i look up my town, all i get are real estate listings and mugshots.
If you are planning a road trip around Britain, here are some handy tips when visiting villages.
Happisburgh in Norfolk is pronounced Haze-bruh.
Stiffkey also in Norfolk is Stew-Key.
Culross in Scotland is Coo-riss.
Milngavie also in Scotland is Mull-guy.
But wait until you go into Wales.
Eglwyswrw is pronounced:
https://www.visitpembrokeshire.com/explore-pembrokeshire/towns-and-villages/Eglwyswrw
Penrhyndeudraeth is pronounced Pen-hrein-dey-drahth
And I still can't say it.
With 58 letters this one requires years of practice:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHxO0UdpoxM
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
Hope to revisit Great Tew later today.
Among others who have lived there it's a holiday and weekend home for the fabulous Bechkams.
Even includes a football pitch.
"Great Tew in the Cotswolds is home to several famous residents, most notably David and Victoria Beckham, who own a property near the village. Other high-profile individuals associated with the Great Tew area include Jeremy Clarkson, and American talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi. The village and surrounding area have become a popular location for the wealthy and famous due to their proximity to the exclusive members' club, Soho Farmhouse."
https://www.sohohouse.com/houses/soho-farmhouse
Great Tew was a bit disappointing with construction noise and a sign outside the Soho Farmhouse saying members and guests only, even though the place is signposted from the road.
So I went to the nearby village of Over Norton where Richard Dawkins lived when he was young.
It's not special, but next to a monument an information board says the Dawkins' family have been there since 1726, and one had fought at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
My Grandad fought in France in World War One and he is now forgotten.
Must revisit this one in Gloucestershire:
https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/bibury
5 miles from the busy tourist trap of Stratford upon Avon is Welford-on-Avon, believed by some to be the prettiest village in England. I was there yesterday. Didn't see any tour buses.
https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/welford-on-avon
Probably the most scenic seaside village in England is Clovelly in 'beautiful Devon'.
The only traffic is human footsteps, sledges and maybe a donkey on the cobbled street leading steeply down to the harbour.
https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/clovelly
It's also situated on a coastal footpath which stretches for 630 miles, starting at Minehead and ending near Bournemouth.
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/north-hill-in-minehead-gm637172500-113501627
Just when the locals in a Cotswold village thought a quiet life was all they wanted, along comes another celebrity couple.
Wigginton is close to Great Tew where the Beckhams and other A-Listers hang out.
https://www.hellomagazine.com/homes/854803/beyonce-garden-centre-uk-move/
Other Costswold residents.
King Charles III: Highgrove House in Tetbury.
Princess Anne: Gatcombe Park, a few miles south of Stroud.
Doing a spot of village-hopping today.
https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/photos/snowshill
https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/chipping-campden
Village visiting yesterday I came to Wickhamford in Worcestershire where according to a guidebook there is a connection to George Washington, first American President which attracted American tourists.
Expected to find information inside the church but it was locked.
Instead I contented myself with the picture postcard villages at the foot of nearby Bredon Hill.
Elmley Castle, Ashton under Hill, Beckford, Bredon and Great Comberton.
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/elmley-castle.html?sortBy=relevant
Villages I would like to re-visit in south west England include:
https://www.visitcornwall.com/destinations/polperro?type=see
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/dunster.html?sortBy=relevant
https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/st-just-in-roseland
Bourton-on-the-Water gets visits from people all over the world.
https://stock.adobe.com/uk/search?k=bourton-on-the-water
Just upstream are 2 villages called the Slaughters.
Nowhere for tourist buses to park.
https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/lower-slaughter
I share your appreciation of English villages, in fact have been to some you've mentioned in this thread. In a little lilac Daihatsu Charade rather than a tourist bus though. Not being from the UK I usually found something interesting or aesthetically pleasing even in what most Brits would consider humdrum villages. A well built lychgate, an old house with crown glass windows turned into a chemist shop, etc.
'England is a Village' is the title of a book published in 1948.
The best ones haven't changed much since.
Originally they needed a source of local food, and water usually from streams.
Their success attracted places of worship and intoxication.
Quite often the church and the pub are close by.
In the case of Shutford the church even looks down on the pub.
https://www.alamy.com/st-martin%60s-church-shutford-oxfordshire-england-uk-image243650027.html?imageid=A38F4620-7FE8-47B0-9CAA-820DD34EBC8B&pn=1&searchId=a410540ab40a33dcddba664246caf37c&searchtype=0
A village church may remind people to keep good morals, as at Kilpeck.
https://paulwestart.co.uk/blog/2024/6/1/meeting-the-sheela-na-gig-and-other-wonders-at-st-mary-and-st-david-church-kilpeck
A church at Great Witley is a little distant from the village itself but what greets you inside is remarkable.
Take the 360 degree view then click up arrow to see the ceiling.
https://peteraustin.co.uk/GreatWitleyChurch/HTML5_Multires/WitleyChurch360_v4.html
Quote from: zorkan on October 24, 2025, 11:22:19 AMIn the case of Shutford the church even looks down on the pub.
There was a time I would have attempted a witty reply to that, ah fuck it, may as well go through the motions.
Quote from: zorkan on October 24, 2025, 11:22:19 AMIn the case of Shutford the church even looks down on the pub.
Don't they all?
What does the collection plate look like now? Can you tap it?
Will suit you as it's a place for comedians.
You will need to navigate tricky twisting single lanes and find a place to park in the village centre.
I recommend a place near the bus stop if possible.
You see it is at the foot of Jesters Hill.
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5513520
Go on Sunday for the best experience.
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g4044561-d2397444-Reviews-The_George_and_Dragon-Shutford_Oxfordshire_England.html
This week's village hop took me to where Warwickshire borders Oxfordshire.
Drove to Whichford then Hook Norton then Wiggington.
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/whichford-warwickshire.html?sortBy=relevant
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/hook-norton-village.html?sortBy=relevant
https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/latest-news/wigginton-oxfordshire-guide-beyonce/
So quiet and peaceful, but for how long?