#uk-countryside

#uk-countryside

My most exulted sighting came as I drove out of upper Dovedale when, from the corner of my eye, I caught a blanket of gold running over the slope. The flowers held the foreground before the eye travelled onwards to Sheen Hill in Staffordshire. We overuse the word carpet, but in this instance it was appropriate. Each bloom was about the same height as all its neighbours, and if you eliminated gaps in colour by getting down face to face with the flower heads, then the whole land was turned into a single glorious sunshine hue.

When my husband and I were deciding where to go on our minimoon, we thought the Cotswolds would be perfect. The rural area to the west of England is known for its quintessential countryside charm: brown stone cottages, cosy pubs, and rolling hills. We'd both visited a few times and enjoyed it. But when we found ourselves struggling to move for tourists with selfie sticks (apparently still a thing) and paying £16 ($22) for a coffee and a very disappointing grilled cheese, we realized the area might have become a victim of its own success.