There is an article on the Cotswolds in the September Travel + Leisure magazine:

Discovering England’s Cotswolds: With its bucolic setting, stylish manor houses, and the influx of a new generation of londoners (rocker turned cheesemaker?), the Cotswolds, one of England’s loveliest areas, is now also one of its most glamorous.

Guide to the Cotswolds

Thanks, Pauline!

Nice that the article is online right away.

The 'rocker turned cheesemaker' featured in this article, Alex James, is currently on a BBC series, Maestro, in which a bunch of 'celebrities' learn how to conduct an orchestra, with the best one conducting the BBC concert Orchestra live at the Proms in the PArk.

I am not usually a fan of these reality/competitive type programmes, but they have an interesting mix of people on this one and it is an insight into the world of conducting. The first show was one of the funniest things I have ever seen, with the orchestra gamely going slower and slower under the oblivious direction of a former newsreader. David Soul (Hutch!)got voted off this week.

Alex James has a quirky charm and is trying very hard - he was jokingly trying to bribe the judges with his cheese!,

quote:

Originally posted by Panda:
...BBC series, Maestro...The first show was one of the funniest things I have ever seen...

Quite agree with you. I normally avoid these things like the plague but I tripped over the first one and was hooked in seconds. (I actually took a conducting course at university and I can attest to it being a very scary experience - like Mickey Mouse with the brooms in Fantasia)

I thought of you right away, Pauline, when I tripped over this edition of Thinking Allowed, a usually interesting radio series on subjects that we used to call Sociology but I see now is being billed as "Social Science". I think it is possible to log on to hear/download the 13th August edition where they talk about the gentrification of the countryside with Joanna Trollope, one writer who is credited with capturing the Cotswold idyll in her aga sagas. The programme deals more with 2nd home owning outsiders vs locals rather than foreign tourists vs locals but I thought it would make you smile to think about what dark murmurings are going on under the surface.

Thanks Beebee, I will listen to the show.

I know the Cotswolds has this "rich second home owners" situation - but so does Santa Fe where I live. I thought that article made the Cotswolds sound too posh. There is definately a posh side, but there is also a very charming down-to-earth side. We met many friendly locals on our January/February trip - people who live there full time and love the area. The posh element brings in more gastro pubs and nice restaurants (which are fun to go to), but there are still lots of good tea rooms and pubs that are not fancy.

And, I think, the Cotswolds has the best walking/hiking in England. Miles and miles of well marked trails through gentle and beautiful countryside. Walking in other areas of England may be more dramatic, but for "easy walking" you can't beat the Cotswolds (I will agree that many other areas are a close second).