Country novice in the Cotswolds...

My husband and I have been promising to make more time for one another by taking out a weekend once a month to enjoy each other's company. It just so happens the first weekend we decided to follow through on was the dreaded, over-commercialised Valentine's...

Valentine's Roses from my husband...

Ajay (my husband, who's useless at organising trips) told me we were going camping in New Forest... in February - and might I add, during a period of torrential rain and floods. Obviously being the voice of reason, I insisted elsewhere so I got online and began searching for a location that wasn't affected by the wet weather and that was not too far from London.

95 miles away and under 2 hours to get there... I decided on Cirencester described as the centre of the Cotswolds on literally the morning we set off! Our original plan being, where the open road would take us, was very short lived.

In my mind, I dreamed of a place with rolling hills and greenery not found anywhere else in the country. Throw in a windmill overlooking a placid, meandering river and a cottage billowing smoke from its chimney. Thoughts of a beautiful time together, horse riding, strolling through a picturesque village and stopping for a lovely pub lunch by a real log fire, were racing through my mind. I couldn't wait!

...What did we get? Well, Valentine's weekend is apparently a very popular time of year in the Cotswolds... would you ever guess? Team that with half term and we were struggling to find board at a local Premier Inn...

We pulled into Cirencester and walked towards the high street. My nose was running and my husband looked like a little hobo with his woolen hat pulled tightly over his ears. "I'm too cold to enjoy any of this," he moaned. I didn't want to ruin the weekend for us so we hopped back into the car, got onto the wonderful Samsung Note 3, checked out booking.com and found a 4 star hotel called the Cotswold Water Park Four Pillars Hotel.

Swans from the lake surrounding the hotel

The hotel was what you'd expect from any other, but the view, in the morning overlooking the lake, was mesmerising. I stood for a moment and wanted more of this country life.

View from our hotel room

Ajay at the Brewery Arts Centre

Fast forward, The Brewery Arts Centre was interesting but too small to get lost in, the architecture was what I had expected - new with the traditional theme, but the thing that really got me as we drove through a small village road in South Cerney was the runner, who waved at us as we passed her by....

People are actually nice in the country! We were both so taken aback by her effortless wave that it got me thinking. Had we been hardened by city living? Could we ever truly appreciate a place like this? I had wanted to stay there forever (I know, I'm getting carried away).

Ajay's masterful photography skills and impeccable timing at the Cotswold's Country Park! 

Sunday afternoon was a beautiful sunny day. The sky was bluer than in London and the air was fresh.

St John the Baptist's Church 

South Cerney 

We visited the Cotswold Country Park before stopping by the lovely village of Burford. Oh what a treat! St John the Baptist Church was lovely and wrapped in centuries of history. I was really being spoiled. I walked up the hill with a smile on my face and a little bounce in my step when I noticed my husband, checking the time on his phone. "The match is on at four. Let's hit the road and catch the second half..."

Again, not wanting to be completely selfish, we popped in at Maison Blanc, a fancy patisserie, picked up some desserts to go (looked really pretty but didn't taste as fresh as I had hoped) and were home-bound.

When we got in later that evening and prepared for the daily grind the next morning, I wondered how much it would cost to get a second home in the country... My darling husband, who can be my biggest reality check sometimes, reminded me of what I had said in the car on the way home...

The Cotswolds for me is like going to a village in India, it holds a nostalgic view of the past and remnants may still be visible but it isn't home. After three weeks in a place that's so laid back, I start to get itchy feet, need to do something productive and just want to get back to the city.

Lesson learned: City girls may be filled with the romance of the country but a weekend away is usually enough to get her back to reality. Who knows, maybe I will get that second home just for the summer...