NOVEMBER 13TH into the Cotswolds

Today we left Oxford at 7am in very cold and wet conditions, rained nearly all day. After negotiating the morning traffic our first stop was Woodstock and Blenheim Palace. Blenheim Palace is gorgeous but because we were too early we couldnt go in but we did poke our heads through the gate and I took some photos. Nothing over here opens before 9.30am or 10am, most shops dont open till then..very frustrating. After leaving Woodstock we wound our way through lots of back roads and beautiful villages mainly beacause i'm terrified of driving on motorways etc but at least this way we are seeing a lot of the country side and its just like the picture books..Most of it doesnt look real, more like a painting. My gear changing skills are improving, only stalled the car twice and usually at those times when you dont want to stall...like when 400 cars are bearing down on you and I let the clutch out too soon , you get the picture. We drove from Oxford to Woodstock then over to Bourton On The Water where we stopped and walked around the village. Bourton On The Water is hard to describe, its just beautiful. We walked all over and bought some homemade pastries for lunch. Riley went through the Motor Museum while Mia and I hunted for a loo. Mia was thrilled to discover that it cost 20p to pee ! We found a secondhand shop where she bought me a lovely tiny plate and pottery jug, 2 minutes later I dropped the bag and broke the plate ! Oh well. After leaving Bourton we drove to Salisbury, again via back roads but after fighting my way through the evening traffic of Salisbury I got cranky and decided we would spend the night at the next town which was Amesbury. We eventually arrived at a Holiday Inn built in what can only be described as a wind tunnel. 40Klm an hour winds blowing constantly. We checked in for 2 nights. The price of this room is the same as the YHA at Oxford !! this is much better. Rained on and off all day, at times quiet heavy. It's hard to understand the road rules here, like you'll be going down a road and suddenly the car in front decides to park, right in front of you which means everybody just waits until there are no cars coming the other way then you drive around him, there are signs saying that cars may be on your side of the road..be careful !! Riley is my navigator and at night I study the maps and out line a route for the next day, sometimes its not possible to go the way I planned so he guides me around on different roads. He is getting better after a few mishaps.