The United Kingdom will always have a special place in my heart as I studied my Bachelor degree in university there and later worked for the UK market in a former company which allowed me to frequently travel there. I have met some of the best people there, most of them who are still great friends nowadays. Furthermore, it is also a country that I have always loved for the great amount of history, culture and beautiful villages that you can find all over the country. It is thus always a pleasure to visit friends there and discover new parts of the UK.

I spent 3 days last week visiting a very good friend in Leighton Buzzard. During this time, I got to visit this lovely town located between London and Milton Keynes. I also got to marvel at the beauty of the Cotswold region and enjoyed an afternoon tea in London. Let me share with you the amazing places which I have visited during my trip.

THE ITINERARY

• DAY 1 – Day trip to the Cotswold: Broadway & Snowhill lavender fields
• DAY 2 – Stroll along the Linslade Canal & Flying kites at Dunstable Downs
• DAY 3 – Visiting the Ascott Estate & Afternoon tea in London

DAY 1: DISCOVERING THE COTSWOLD

The Cotswold is a region located to the North-West of London. It could be described as the epitome of the British countryside. This region is constituted of lots of small villages with typical cottages (all of them reminiscent of the cottage in the movie The Holiday although the movie was not shot there). All these cottages are really well-preserved and you can tell the love that its owners take in caring for them as most of them even have beautiful flowers planted in front of them. If you dream of lush countryside and historical villages, this is the place to go!

To get to Broadway, one of the most characteristic and touristic village of the Cotswold, you need to drive 1H45 min approx. from Leighton Buzzard. However, before entering the town, we stopped just outside the neighbouring hamlet of Snowhill to visit its lavender fields.

Getting lost in a sea of flowers at Cotswold Lavender

To visit the Cotswold Lavender field, you will first have to time well your trip to the UK as they are only open to the public between June and August. For the most picturesque landscape and pictures, make sure to come in July which is the peak flowering season. I recommend this visit as you will feel as though you just arrived in the French Provence region but with much cooler and more enjoyable weather in summer.

The entrance to the Cotswold Lavender fields cost 5,5 £ (around 6,5 €) if you go in June or August and 7,5 £ (around 8,8 €) if you visit in July.

WHAT TO DO AT COSTWOLD LAVENDER FIELDS?

• Visit the various fields of lavender: Walk around them and take some wonderful pictures in this marveling sea of purple. Next to the booth where you can buy food and to the picnic tables at the entrance of the precinct, you will also find rows of lavender with the name of each variety presented so you can learn more about the different types of lavender that exist.

• Explore the wildflower meadow: Apart from the beautiful lavender fields, you will also get access to a wildflower meadow. You will feel like you are in an impressionist painting while visiting this field of multi-colour flowers. For the professional photographers or Instagrammers out there, it also makes for a great photo spot!
• Try their lavender scones or ice cream at the café: At the entrance of the field, you will find booths where you will be able to buy lavender-flavoured scones, lavender ice cream and local fuzzy soft drinks. We tried the lavender scones. Although I remain unconvinced about putting lavender in my food, it is definitely an experience to try!
• Visit the lavender distillery: You will be able to learn how the lavender essential oil is extracted from the plant to integrated it in soaps and many more products.
• Shop for lavender products and souvenirs: Before exiting the precinct, make sure to buy some souvenirs. I bought some lavender soaps and postcard to send to my family.

I honestly fell in love with this place so do not miss it!

Exploring the village of Broadway

Broadway is a small village in the Costwold known mostly for its high street made of traditional stone houses and for its tower on top of a hill.

WHAT TO DO IN BROADWAY?

• Stop for tea time at Tisanes Tea Rooms: Apart from being your traditional cosy tea room, this place also has a back garden as a bonus so you can enjoy your tea in the fresh air on sunny days!
• Check out The Green shopping gallery: Conveniently located with its entrance on Broadway’s high street, this shopping gallery is home to lots of cute shops: a sweets shop, an alcohol shop, a cooking supply shop,…
• Explore the small shops on high street: The benefit from this town becoming quite touristic is that you will find there many cute independent shops: There really are some hidden gems there! The most famous shop is surely the Broadway Deli, a convenience store where you will find gastronomical delicacies from all over the world. The shop’s lovely decoration won’t disappoint you either!

• Go up the hill to the Broadway tower: To reach the Broadway tower, you will have to take a right at a specific point on the High Street to join the Cotswold Way, a footpath, very steep at points that will take you straight up the hill. Wear comfortable shoes and beware where you step as some parts of the trail are directly passing through fields with sheep. On your way up, make sure to stop at the viewpoint in the middle where you will find a bench. This is the best view you will get onto Broadway and the neighbouring villages. Once at the top, you have to pay if you will to access the grounds where the tower stand. You also should find deers, however there did not seem to have any when we went up.

DAY 2: THE BEST SPOTS TO ENJOY NATURE AROUND LEIGHTON BUZZARD

For this 2nd day, we stayed around Leighton Buzzard to visit some of the prettiest places in the town and neighbouring it.

A stroll along Linslade Canal

I got lucky to be in the town for the Linslade Canal Festival, an event comprising a small market with lots of local artists and shops selling things, food trucks and live music with the participation of the local choir as well as local bands.

However, you do not need to wait for the Linslade Canal Festival to go have a lovely stroll along the canal and observe all the houseboats parked along its banks. Furthermore, if you are a lover of Little Venice in London, I have heard that this is the same canal that runs in Little Venice so you get to visit a less known section of it.

Flying kites in Dunstable Downs

Dunstable Downs is a place located at only an 18-minute car ride from Leighton Buzzard. Located on top of a hill, Dunstable Downs is a place reknown in the locality for wind-related fun activities. Next to the car park, you will find find a café and shop next to a field dedicated to kite flying. If you forgot your kite, do not worry. The shop sells various and even very small ones costing only 5,5 £ (around 6,5 €) if you want to only get an initiation to kite-flying or if you simply want one that will fit for sure in your cabin bag.

Although I have a clear lack of ability when it comes to kite flying, I had surprisingly a huge amount of fun taking part in this activity. It is definitely something that I plan on doing again.

However, Dunstable Downs offer many more activities apart from kite flying. You have various hike paths starting there. Additionally, you will see many people paragliding there. Finally, at the bottom of the hill is a small airport for amateur plane drivers and for flying gliders.

DAY 3: A RELAXING SUNDAY IN ENGLAND

From a hearty English breakfast to visiting a beautiful historical mansion with a vast and lush park before having an afternoon tea a street away from Buckingham palace, could there be a better way to spend a Sunday in England? I don’t think so!

Starting the day with breakfast at a local farm

Eating in the sun an English breakfast made with local products sounds like a great way to start a Sunday morning, if you ask me. Right next to Leighton Buzzard, that is possible at The Baa Tearoom and Farm shop. Indeed, this farm shop allows you to buy local products in their shop as well as to taste them in their tearoom. Should you come on a sunny day, this tearoom also has a large back garden.

Visiting an historical estate

After breakfast, we headed to an historical estate located right at the exit of Leighton Buzzard’s town. This estate, called Ascott House & Gardens, used to belong to the famous Rothschild family. It comprises a huge house, parts of which date back from the 17th century, and which houses some of the items collected by the Rothschild family. We did not get the time to visit inside the house but you will see that the outside alone is impressive with its Victorian-style of architecture.

Apart from the House, the estate is also home to a cafe and an enormous park. In this park, you will find fields with sheep and horses, a pond reminiscent of the famous one painted by Monet in Giverny, and some interesting landscape gardening displays. Do not expect many flowers as the park is more like an arboretum than a very flourished French garden. It is, however, a lovely place to have a relaxing Sunday walk.

The entrance to the estate costs 11,9 £ (around 14 €) per person if you wish to visit only the gardens and 18,7 £ (around 22 €) if you wish to visit both the house and the gardens. You should book your tickets online before getting to the estate as entrances are limited.

An afternoon tea in London

After our visit of the Ascott estate, we headed to London to experience a typical afternoon tea. Doing your research online, you will surely find that afternoon teas in London can be quite pricey. Some of them can cost you up to 80 £ (around 94 €) per person. Luckily, we found one reasonably priced and conveniently located in the heart of London, close to Buckingham Palace.

Our afternoon tea location was the Bbar, an African-themed restaurant where the decoration is inspired by the wildlife of the African savanna. Despite this unusual theme for a place serving afternoon tea, the food there is absolutely delicious. If you are feeling like more unusual mixes and a more adventurous experience, they also have a menu including both fish & chips and afternoon tea. We chose to stay only with the afternoon tea which costs 34,5 £ (around 40,5 €) as it was a hot day and could not have possibly eaten both a full meal and an afternoon tea.

The Bbar’s afternoon tea includes (see picture above) little buns filled with salty fillings, the traditional scones with jam and clotted cream and an array of small pastries for dessert. You will also be served a hot drink of your choosing. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience although it is definitely better done in winter as it is a lot of food for a warm summer day.

This afternoon tea could also be a great option if you are on a city trip to London and want to experience a traditional afternoon tea after visiting Buckingham Palace or other touristic sights around it.

After this afternoon tea, we headed to go have a look at Buckingham Palace from the outside before having to go back to the airport to catch my flight back to Spain.

WHERE TO EAT IN LEIGHTON BUZZARD?

• The Globe Inn – https://maps.app.goo.gl/KVVm3thgsTFbf7qs5: This traditional pub located right on the banks of Linslade canal is a perfect place to eat or drink next to the canal on a summer day. The pub is also very cosy inside if you decide to go on a rainy or winter day. I recommend their delicious Feta, Pear & Hot Honey Sandwich (8,49 £ – around 10 €). They also have Pimm’s which I really find to be the best British summer drink.
• The Oliver & Hare – https://maps.app.goo.gl/mDgtffzAfTJHM7UZ7: A traditional British restaurant. They make meat pies which are always a good option. When I went there, I chose one of their specials which was a vegetarian lasagna for around 14 £ / 16,4 €.
• The Baa Tearoom and Farm Shop – https://maps.app.goo.gl/YU1vCZNZdmCcqSYn7: I’ve mentionned it before in this article. Perfect place to get a good English breakfast, avocado toast or scrambled eggs on toast!

WHERE TO GO OUT FOR DRINKS IN LEIGHTON BUZZARD?

• The Pantry – https://maps.app.goo.gl/YU1vCZNZdmCcqSYn7: Originally a coffee shop, they open a terrace outside in the summer where they have a bar and organize fun events. Do not miss their boozy bingo on Thursdays (see image above)!
• Ollie Vees Tiki Lounge – https://maps.app.goo.gl/CKjUHPfrve2vJ1ML7: A tiki lounge serving great cocktails and with a cool decoration. Their daiquiris (some with original flavours too) are only 2 for 12£ – around 14 €. Check out their website or social media pages to find out about their happy hours too.