I mentioned in my What To Do When You’re Spending A Night In Your Own post that my boyfriend when traveling recently. To cut a long story short, he ended up coming back from Amsterdam a lot sooner than originally planned. Since he came home, it meant he still had over whole week off work, but no plans. So, after a quick look online, we found the most perfect place and decided to book in for two nights away in Chipping Camden.
Where We Stayed
Both Cal and I love staying in Airbnb’s, so we got hunting on the app in hopes to find the best accommodation for our price range and dates. We tend to try to find places £100 and under per night, so we knew we couldn’t be overly picky about what we wanted. However, a few months back, I made a list on Airbnb called ‘Sunday Shenanigans’, filled with maybe places for us to stay in the future, and that when I rediscovered a hidden gem.
Our new home for the next few days was described as a ‘Idyllic Cottage Close To Chipping Camden‘, and that’s exactly what it was. Out of all the places we looked at, this one ticked pretty much every single box for both of us.
Despite there only being the two of us, the cottage had 3 bedrooms (2 king sized beds and also a double). Usually, I tend to look straight past these listings as we really don’t need the space, but I couldn’t say no to this little beauty. The cottage also had a huge bathroom with both a shower and a bath (I can’t resist a bath), a large kitchen and living room, a dining table, and my most favourite part of it all was that it had a log burner. Nothing says cosy and comfort to me like having a log burner to snuggle up to.
Jo (the host) also mentioned that we were welcome to use their tennis court if we liked. We didn’t end up using it, but if we stayed a few days extra, I feel like we definitely would of had a game or two.
Another thing worth mentioning is the fact that this cottage had no Wi-fi. A few years back, I would never had stayed somewhere without Wi-fi, however I was actually quite excited to be able to leave my MacBook at home, and not be on my phone 24/7.
Surrounding the cottage was the most beautiful fields and walks. I live in the Cotswolds, so I’m used to be surrounded by woods and greenery, but the walks around the cottage were something else.
If you fancy having yourself a little break away in Chipping Camden, you can book the cottage HERE. Also, if you’re not signed up to Airbnb yet, you can sign up HERE and get £25 off your first Airbnb booking.
Before We Traveled
A few years back, it would take me a good week or so (and multiple phone notes of packing lists) to make sure that I’ve fully packed everything. I’m someone who always double checks her case over and over again, just to be sure I didn’t miss anything. Back in January, I headed off to London for a blog event, so I ordered myself a sturdy suitcase that would be easy to manoeuvre and would last me a good few years for little breaks away like this one.
When it comes down to the actual packing, I find going through my morning and evening routine in my head really helps me not to forget anything. The first thing in the morning I do is brush my teeth and do my skin care, so I pop all my lotions and potions in my suitcase. Then, I get dressed, so I start to plan out my outfits and pack all those away. After I’ve gotten through my whole daily routine, I then pop in things like medication and chargers, and any other bits that I might like to bring along.
Another thing I always feel like the majority of the time, people often forget that they should be checking that their car is in the best possible state it can be before hitting the road. Don’t get me wrong, things can go wrong with your car at any time, but the best thing to do for your own safety (and future wallet) is to make sure that you’re doing a few simple checks beforehand.
Firstly, making sure your car is insured, taxed, has been MOT’d and has breakdown cover are four major things that are essential. Whilst breakdown cover isn’t a legal requirement, it’s definitely worth getting to have fall back on. The last thing you want to happen is to break down in the middle of nowhere, and wondering how on earth you’re going to manage getting your car to the closest garage. For the insurance, make sure that you’re having a good look around at all the different quotes. Insurance can be very pricey, especially if you’re a new driver, so definitely don’t just go with the first company you find.
Did you know you can sort out your MOT booking online? Kiwk Fit can offer you MOT testing from £27, so if your car is 3 years or older, make sure that your MOT is booked every single year. The test takes around an hour to fully complete, so you don’t have to worry about it taking up any extra time that you could be spending packing.
Lastly, overall car care is a must. Before every long car ride, you need to check your oil, screen wash and tire pressure. Even though my car does tell me if I need more oil and also the pressure in each of my tires, I still double check everything is as it should be. Touch wood, we seem to be getting away from the colder, winter weather, but these are the times it’s crucial to make sure your tire pressure is as it should be. Your stopping distance doubles when the roads are wet, and it takes 10 times longer to come to a stop in icy weather.
What We Did
Honestly, not a lot. Since both Cal and I didn’t have a huge budget for this trip, we knew we’d spend a lot of time in the cottage and the grounds. We packed a few board games and DVD’s (turns out we didn’t need to bring the DVD’s as they had a huge collection by the TV) and got ourselves prepared for a relaxing, restful break.
Sunday 24th February 2019:
Like I mentioned, Callum was already booked off work still, but much to my annoyance, I still had to work. Trying to get a Sunday off of work last minute is near impossible.
I managed to get off work around 6pm, so after I finish, I quickly went home, packed (I’m forever packing on the day) and went to pick up Callum so that we could head off to our new home in Chipping Camden.
When I originally booked the Airbnb, Jo had messaged me to let me know how to get there. Apparently, if you follow the Satnav, it’ll take you to the middle of nowhere.
I’d say I’m 90% fine with driving somewhere I don’t know, as long as I have my Satnav. However, since I wasn’t able to follow it the whole way there, I did have a little bit of a fluster before we headed off.
Turns out, Jo’s directions were spot on and really easy to follow. We didn’t get lost once and made it to the cottage in one piece.
As soon as we parked up, Jo came and introduced herself and welcomed us. Sounds pretty silly, but it was a really nice touch being able to meet her in person. She also told us to let her know if we had any problems or questions, and she’d do her best to help us out.
As soon as we opened the door, we knew we’d struck gold. The cottage was decorated so beautifully, and even though I knew we had a few days there, I already wanted to stay longer.
After getting settled in and unpacked, we headed off to the shops to get some food. We were told that there were some lovely restaurants in the surrounding areas, but trying to spend the least amount of money as possible, we decided we’d be eating in. As soon as we got back to the cottage, shopping bags in hand, we popped dinner in the oven (a very healthy dinner of pizza and spiced potato wedges), had a little dance party in the kitchen, and settled in front of the TV for the rest of the evening.
Monday 25th February 2019:
I’ve never been a morning person, and I find it highly unlikely that I ever will be. However, I woke up at 7:45, and decided to make the most of my morning by getting up, making myself a coffee and reading some more of my current book. If only I could naturally wake up at that time every morning, and not wake up at midday…
After breakfast, we decided to download an App called ‘Geocaching‘. If you haven’t heard of/used it before, I highly recommend downloading it and giving it ago. Geocaching is basically a huge outdoor treasure hunt. The app gives you the location of the ‘cache’, with clues on how to find it. Some of them are super easy to find, whilst other ones had us stumped for a good 20 minutes before we were able to find it.
It definitely kept us busy for the whole day, and made us feel a little less guilty over the amount of junk food we had already consumed.
After walking around for a good 3 hours, we came back and flopped out, playing a few games of Trivial Pursuit and warmed up next to the log burner.
Tuesday 26th February 2019
Check out was at 11am, so I made sure that I set my alarm for 10am, but it turns out I didn’t really need to since I naturally woke up early again.
I’d done most of the packing the night before, so I only had a few bits and pieces to pack away that I knew I’d need in the morning. However, since we were both shattered from yesterdays walk, we’d left the washing up from the night before, so I gave the kitchen a once over and started packing up the car.
The rest of the morning was spent moaning that we had to leave, and wishing we could have stayed longer. Both Cal and I said how we both felt so at home, and wish we could stay there permanently. We can dream, right?
We didn’t get to explore around Chipping Camden, but since it’s only a half hour drive away from me, I’d definitely consider going back and spending the day there, exploring the shops and the area.
Whilst we really didn’t do that much there, I wouldn’t change anything, and we’re already planning on going back with a small group of us. Obviously, the Airbnb wasn’t that far away for us, but every time I stay somewhere on a little trip, it just makes me even more excited for the next one. Come on summer holidays, I need you now!
Have you ever stayed around Chipping Camden? What did you think of the Cotswolds?
~This post is a paid collaboration with Kwik Fit and contains affiliated links.~
