Did you ever wish you could travel back in time to the days of Jane Eyre, Pride & Prejudice or Downton Abbey? Well, you don't need Michael J. Fox's Delorean. Just a regular plane, train or automobile can take you to a world that will make you think you've walked into a Jane Austen novel.
Located about two hours by train or car northwest from London, Cheltenham is one of the best places to start on your trip back through time, crossing through an English countryside where sheep dot the hills, penned in by fences built from stone.
Known as the Cotswolds, the region has been designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Britain, and a conservation board established in 2004 ensures it will stay that way. The result is small villages that look like they've come straight off the pages of a Jane Austen book.
The Ellenborough Park is a prime example. Just 10 minutes outside Cheltenham, this luxury Cotswolds destination hotel's main house dates back to the 1500s. Refurbished in 2011, it won the U.K.'s Leading Country House Hotel and Leading Spa Hotel awards at the World Travel Awards.
Inside, the 62 rooms and suites have all been individually designed by Nina Campbell and the spa has seven different treatment rooms, as well as a sauna, steam room and whirlpool. I opt for the aromatherapy back, neck and shoulder massage. Other treatments, such as a wide variety of facials and body wraps, are available as well as a full list of massages including deep tissue massage.
Heading out of the hotel, looking for something different, I am intrigued by a combination I'm sure you won't find anywhere else. Near the small village of Bourton on the Water, the Guns and Roses Experience, as its name suggests, combines the skill of shooting clay pigeons and the art of arranging flowers.
Owner Shelley Spencer has found a way to combine her two loves - skeet shooting and floral design, and as odd as the combination sounds, it makes for a unique and fun adventure.
Those of us who have never fired a rifle before are happy for the instructions we're given and the mood takes on an air of seriousness. Realizing we're dealing with potentially lethal firearms, we take turns cheering each other on. As the only vegan in the group, I get teased mercilessly for having the best shot and the others joke about leaving the job of hunting for dinner up to me.
As for the flower arranging, that becomes a real bonding experience for our group as we laugh at each other's attempts to come up with the best floral display.
Having never tried to do more than assemble a backyard bouquet, I spent a rather comical afternoon as we took turns stuffing roses, hydrangeas, ferns and other assorted greenery into the specially designed base.
Dinner in downtown Cheltenham that night was at the Daffodil, a refurbished old movie theatre with dishes that incorporate local produce. The restaurant's ability to cater to vegan diets isn't quite as good as the Ellenborough's, but it did win points for the great decor and fun ambience.
Driving through the Cotswolds the next day, we stop in small villages with names such as Lower Slaughter, Stow-in-the-Wold and Bourton-on-the-Hill.
Visiting sites such as Sude-ley Castle, Stanway House and the old mill at Lower Slaughter, it really does feel like we've slipped through time to land in a world of cobblestone streets, stone mason-crafted shops, pubs and the kind of houses you could imagine Jane Austen writing about.
One of the highlights of the trip was a stop at the Feathered Nest Country Inn in Nether Westcote. Director Sam Mendes and ex-wife Kate Winslet bought a large house on the edge of the village a few years ago and Mendes is still an active member of the village cricket team, so you never know who you might find dining beside you.
With only four rooms at the inn, it's extremely quaint and the restaurant/pub takes the presentation and taste of food to a whole new level. As a vegan, this was truly the culinary highlight of my trip. The eatery won the AA Pub of the Year award in England in 2011 and 2012.
Wandering through the Feathered Nest, you'll find bookshelves filled with original volumes of classics, a treasure of an old piano just waiting to be played and a couple of saddles for bar stools in the pub.
Our trip was timed to catch the Cheltenham Literary Festival, where guest speakers included Roger Moore and J.K. Rowling. Founded in 1949, the festival is the longest running of its kind.
Other cultural activities in the area include the Cheltenham Concert Series, which features such delights as the Philharmo-nia Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra during the coming season.
Sitting inside the beautiful Cheltenham Town Hall, listening to the music of Mozart, Beethoven and Bach, you might just believe you did indeed fall through time.
IF YOU GO
Getting there: Air Canada offers non-stop flights to London from Vancouver.
SITES AND ACTIVITIES:
- Ellenborough Park, ellenboroughpark.com
- The Feathered Nest Inn, thefeatherednestinn.co.uk
- Guns and Roses Experience, gunsandrosesexperience.co.uk
- The Daffodil, daffodil.com
- The Cotswolds region, costwolds.com
- Cheltenham Literary Festival, chelthenhamfestivals.com/ literature
-Cheltenham Concert Series, cheltenhamtownhall.org.uk
