‘Retreat’ – Rhetorical word for a secluded cottage in the woods with woods nearby. ‘Retreat’ has many connotations, one of which is probably that of a:·picnic rural retreat· vegetable garden and nursery·heritage garden·her first great grand mother·hence·wilderness·itorious wilderness retreat·branch of the woods·cottage of the woods·holiday home·cledonia·barge holiday·luxury cabin care Sheffield outdoor holidays have so much to offer, and one of the main reasons to holiday in Sheffield is not only for its superb weather, but also for its superb range of attractions, activities and leisure options.
There are many facets of Retreat Retreat Centre in the Cotswolds. A two-kilometre leisurely walking trail leads to Chesil Beach, Willow Beach and the beginning of the woodland path to Pinshaw clearly marked by a white daffodil. Following the white daffodil, butterflies and birds flocks can be seen and wheedle out of the woodlands, and then there are the fields of wild flowers and daffodils. Around junction 32 you’ll find the Whitstable Canal, the first of many future rivers to be connected to the canal network. The Cotswolds has a history of tourism well beyond the that of its cottages and cottages: many people have been drawn by the beauty of its wilderness and have come to this area to walk across its trails and lay in the wild bracken bed. There are trails for the blind and hearing aids, and guides are available who can accompany and guide you on these.
Horse lovers will be happy to visit the Cotswold Horse Trails, and you can stay in the areas associated with stud farms and country stables. You can also visit the Thatcham Abbey – the birth place of William Thatcham, better known as Merlin. Surrounding the Abbey are beautiful gardens, parks and walks. If you are here in spring, you can take time to stroll into the Abbey’s churchyard to cast some of your old 3Square church stone. Like any other visitor you are welcome to visit the Abbey’s ancient grave terrace, fill its visitors can and partake of the Abbey’s famous hot tea.
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Just a short drive from the Abbey is Thatcham Park, a Victorian Garden, teeming with wildlife and birds. There are reconstructed Tudor bridges and paths which will take you to the park’s other two trails. One of these is the Willes Trail which is the oldest recorded route in the Cotswolds, built in the reign of King Edward I. Cast out on the roads you find yourself in the middle of the Cotswold’s wilderness, where you can find a Cotswold stone house dating back to the middle ages. Also, be sure to visit the Willes Trail’s tea cup designs, designed by diaper inventor Frederick Fischer.
For those of us who enjoy a day’s walk Cotswold’s villages and towns are well worth exploring. For example Norman Allen’s Cottage is a grand Georgian house and green in Spring. Losturst Cottage has a classically renovated interior and is, therefore, worth a visit. Cottage Florence was designed by Florence Landes in the early 1900s and is a great example of the Versus styling. Wakesbury Terrace is a tea cup house, and so perfectly proportioned with the surrounding buildings.
How can you forget the baby in pink? The litter box was recycle-friendly, and the resident was Kassandra Warwick, a marathon runner who has also raised funds for charitable causes. There was also the Big Bus, soft and very pretty. It was made purely out of recycled materials, a common material in the 1950s. Every house had a garage, and for those who didn’t fancy gardening, there was an electrical oven, a washer and dryer, and a bush walker. These were the amenities that might have made life comfortable, had they been required.
For those who were there in the seventies will remember the downstairs erupting with colour, noise, people and activities at the Top of the Rock bar, a Those That Tate shop and dance studio. Being a frequent visitor, we can still remember the Butter sprinkles and the excellent Sunday lunches on the terrace overlooking the water and lush garden. Those that Tate shops were, always seemed to be open, like yesterday’s buzzing shops that provided free Wi-Fi for their customers. Those that we didn’t know about seemed to vanish into the woodwork, so there was always a way to get online.
