Stow on the Wold

Welshie Big Adventure - England

Cotswolds countryside

Arrival in Stow on the Wold

I breathed a sigh of relief as we entered the English countryside on Friday.  Brian, too, was relieved that the roads to Stow on the Wold were primarily wide and free from narrow hedgerows.  And Maisie reclined in the back, while Winston sat facing backwards staring at his seat.

A peaceful Cotswolds view.

Mature trees lined the roads as we drove into the Cotswolds. The newly unfurled leaves were pale green against the yellow Cotswold stone walls and houses.   Dotting the landscape were houses with wisteria climbing towards their roofs and endless miles of cared for stone walls. 

As we approached our next home, I perched on the seat to get the first glimpse.

Our Stow on the Wold home

The cottage, with trailing flowers along the eaves, has a lovely red leaved tree in front with a stacked stone wall and small wooden gate.  Zach, one of our hosts, was there to greet us even though the website said it was contactless.

Piling out of the car we shook hands and wagged tails, before we were shown inside.  I couldn't wait to explore the similarities and differences between our Welsh and English homes.

This home is remarkably different from our Welsh home.  The cottage footprint is square rather than rectangular, and it gives off a more homey cottage vibe.

Maisie keeping an eye on everything.

Winston curled up like a lamb.

Don’t take this as a criticism of Yr Hen Beudy in Wales.  The living room here is smaller and it doesn’t offer the snug sheep skinned rug window spots for the dogs to sit and look out. 

Our Stow on the Wold living room

But it does have a nice small square garden with a wood pergola, a large dining table, and hydrangeas that are not yet in bloom.

Our Cotswolds patio

Similar to Yr Hen Beudy, there is one bedroom on the ground floor and two on the second.  The bedrooms are warm and inviting which is nice after a long day of walking and driving through the countryside.

Visiting the Town

Stow on the Wold is a busy market town that attracts many tourists.  We are lucky that our lodgings are within walking distance of the town’s center so the car can stay parked for longer periods of time. 

Warm yellow Cotswold stone houses

Tea shops, a butcher, a cheese monger, and a large Tesco are all within walking distance of us.  This location reminds me of an English version of Old Town, Alexandria where we live in the States.

Our first town pub lunch

Winston enjoying Only Dog status

We’ve been here for a few days now and I've enjoyed taking the dogs on walks around town. Each dog has also explored footpaths near our house. 

In fact, there are so many footpaths to explore both with the dogs and on my own that I don’t feel the need to leave in order to go exploring.

Maisie walking a local footpath.

Maisie can't take my photo so I did!

Walking path and directional signs.

Just yesterday, Winston and I walked on part of the Monarch’s Way.  According to a Google search, Monarch’s Way is “a ~615–625 mile (approx. 1,000 km) long-distance footpath in England, tracing the escape route of King Charles II in 1651 after his defeat at the Battle of Worcester.”

Monarch's Way walk with Winston

Winston is Happy

Winston is really enjoying his stay in the UK with all the chill dogs and thoughtful owners.  We met several dogs along our exploration and everyone walked past each other without a fuss.  I wish more dogs owners in the States would be mindful when passing other dogs.

Winston is happy to be on the second floor again

Here, even dogs on retractible leashes are kept on short leads when in public spaces.  No one, since I've been here, lets their dog run out the length of a retractible leash while the owner focused elsewhere. 

Dogs are restrained just like a parent would hold the hand of a small child when in a city.  American dog owners could learn a lot from visiting here with their pets.

Maisie Visits the Vet

No Fisher family trip can pass without at least one medical emergency popping up.  When the girls were little it would be one of them.  I got hit twice with violent illnesses in Peru and Germany, and of course Brian had a Pulmonary Embolism while driving across the United States.

Maisie and Fernanda posing in front of St. Edward's Church

Before we left Alexandria, I purchased some crunchy treats for the dogs to munch on in the UK.  I was unaware of just how crunchy the dried cod skins were, until about four days ago when Maisie started chattering her teeth.

Maisie at The Well

Teeth chattering isn't always a sign of a problem.  If a dog smells something really good they might chatter.  If a dog is anxious, or scared, they might chatter as well.  At first, I thought Maisie was anxious because of the change in location.

But the chattering escalated when we got to Stow on the Wold and it made Brian and me nervous.  So, I posted on the UK Welsh Terrier group asking for advice on vets in the area.  Thankfully Frank replied back with the name of a 24 hour vet in town. 

I called the after-hours service describing my problem and the vet said "Come in now please."  It was ten o’clock at night!

It turns out that Maisie likely broke a tooth on the crunchy cod skin and has an exposed root pulp.  The guilt I feel for serving my sweet girl this treat is tremendous.  It wasn’t my fault, but if you have a pet in your life, you know the feeling of regret that hits you when they get ill from something you gave them.

Maisie resting

Maisie is scheduled for a surgery tomorrow.  I will be able to walk her to the vet instead of driving.  We will spend the day close to home so that when the surgery is over we will zip over to get her (in the car of course).

New Place New Routine

With Maisie under the weather we will forego driving and hiking with the dogs until she feels better.  There are plenty of historic homes and museums to explore that do not allow dogs and they are all much closer to home than when we drove places in Wales.

I promise to keep everyone posted on Maisie’s surgery and appreciate your positive vibes over the next couple of days.