The Cotswolds

The last leg of our trip involved some of my favorite people in the world, namely, Brian Beazer. I was elated to return to Castle Combe this summer, having last been there in 2007. The manor had undergone extensive renovations and was looking fantastic. We stayed in Lucknam Park, which is one of the nicest hotels I've ever stayed in.

On our way there, our driver stopped at Stonehenge. I have been to Stonehenge before, and I am not dying to go back. Although the new visitor's center is cool, the bus ride to the stones and the massive number of tourists turns me off. 

Once we arrived at Lucknam, we were shown to our 3 rooms. They were unique and gorgeous, and I felt like I was a guest at a Duke's country home. That night we celebrated Amanda's 17th birthday by having a dinner party at Lucknam. It was the fanciest dinner I've ever had! The white-gloved waiters walked into the room in a single-file line and placed our silver-domed plates in front of each of us in total unison. It was crazy!

We visited Castle Combe for breakfast, where I promptly became obsessed with their Aga stove. I need one. We then drove to Bath for lunch, We saw Brian's place of birth, and some classic Bath things from the car.

I loved afternoon tea at Lucknam and pre-dinner drinks and appetizers in the drawing rooms.

The next day we enjoyed the spa and had dinner at an adorable pub. On our final day, Brian came to see us off, and our driver took us to Heathrow (I slept the whole drive). Overall, we were all sad to leave but happy to return to the house (which was in the process of being redone) and the dogs! I can't wait to go back to the UK in just a little over a week. Cheerio!