You used to know where you were with the Cotswolds. Chocolate-box villages,
twee thatched pubs and lots of ageing ramblers marching gamely between them
across an undulating and pretty but relatively untaxing landscape.
For a family like mine, keen on mountain biking, rock-climbing and canoeing,
it seemed the kind of place to leave swiftly behind as we headed for the
mountains of Wales, the Lake District or Scotland.
The Cotswolds, I thought, could wait until I became too old to make it up
steep slopes and too scared to freewheel down them.
Recently, however, I was persuaded to cut short my northern journeying and
spend a few days in that cuddly heart of England. It was a bit of a shock:
the Cotswolds have become rather adventurous.
Take canoeing, for example. One of the Cotswolds’ claims to fame is as the
source of the River Thames. It pops out of the ground in a Gloucestershire
meadow and then meanders down to London.
It’s always been popular for a little gentle boating but that sounded boring,
so we opted for something far more adventurous: canoeing from as close to
the source as we could get, right down to Lechlade. That meant a trip of
about 14 miles, starting near Cricklade, where the river becomes navigable.
Tim Lloyd, owner of the Riverside pub and marina in Lechlade, who has bought a
fleet of tough four-man “KataKanus” especially for the trip, laughed when I
told him I’d be taking my children. Tim, 11, and Eliza, 7, on the trip.
The next day, as he hitched the craft to a trailer to drive us to the launch
site, he introduced me to Lee, his 6ft, heavily muscled boatman. “Here’s
your engine,” he said.
Two hours later, as the current whirled the heavy boat towards another narrow
gap between fallen trees, I could see what he meant. I’d expected a
slow-moving meandering stream but instead there was a strong current.
Few people bring boats this far up river so there was also lots of overhanging
vegetation. I’d have struggled on my own but with two adults it was easily
managed and the kids had a great time fending off, paddling and pushing the
canoe downriver.
Several hours later we arrived back at Lechlade. Apart from a pub-lunch stop
it was the first civilisation we’d seen all day, an amazing tribute to the
rural quality of the journey.
After such an epic trip a touch of refinement seemed well-deserved. The Trout
Inn, also in Lechlade, is just the kind of traditional pub you’d expect to
find in the Cotswolds. Bob Warren, its owner, is concerned at the way the
area is changing and the influx of adventure-seeking tourists (did he mean
us?), but anybody who serves food as good as his has no need to worry.
The Lower Mill Estate, where we stayed, took us even deeper into old-fashioned
Cotswold luxury. It’s a holiday-home development but very traditional in
style. Who, however, would want to relax in a beautiful house with a view
over lakes and a river when there’s more adventure to be had? Well, me, for
one, not to mention my wife. The traditional charms of the Cotswolds were
getting to us.
But it was not to be, not with kids around. Just around the corner lay Keynes
Country Park near Cirencester, and on it an activity that I really never had
expected to find in this area – rock-climbing.
Well, okay, it’s not exactly rocks. Head 4 Heights is actually several 60ft
poles stuck in the ground with hand and foot holds to let you climb them.
Overhead is a set of cables and belay devices so that you can jump and fall
in complete safety.
Reluctantly I tried it, jumping from a tiny platform into thin air. The kids
mocked my terrified face as I fell – safely belayed – to the ground. Then
they rubbed it in by climbing higher and jumping further.
My pride was, however, restored that afternoon with the cable waterskiing at
Watermark Ski in nearby South Cerney, using what appears to be ski-lift
technology to run a rotating cable around a lake. By grabbing a handle
attached to the cable you can water-ski or wakeboard without a boat to tow
you. I took to it straight away, zooming round and round on a kind of
wakeboard and even gaining the confidence to carry my daughter on my back.
However, if that doesn’t grab you, then you can just relax and watch the
action. The Lakeside Brasserie has been set up to overlook an adjacent lake
where there’s real waterskiing. A great meal was only improved by the sight
of fellow newcomers getting a good dousing.
By the end of that, though, I’d had enough. I’ve trekked through most of
Britain’s hills but I’d never come out of two days’ adventure with so many
aching muscles.
You can of, course, still go to the Cotswolds and do nothing more than relax
but if you plan to go there looking for adventure, then get fit first. A
training week in the Alps should do it.
- Riverside, 01367 252 229, www.riverside-lechlade.co.uk.
A day trip down the Thames costs £100, B&B starts at £35 per
person/night; Trout Inn, 01367 252 313, www.thetroutinn.com.
Meals from about £20 a head excluding drinks; Orion Holidays, 01285 861 839, www.orionholidays.com,
arrange accommodation at Lower Mill Estate, near Cirencester, with a variety
of properties around four lakes. Three nights in a grade A property start at
£322; Head 4 Heights, 01285 770 007, www.head4heights.net.
Prices from £5 for a single climb up to £24 for a family package with
several activities; Watermark cable ski, 0845 895 9000, www.wmski.com/cable.html.
Prices from £15 for an hour to £30 for three hours or more; Lakeside
Brasserie, Spring Lake, 01285 860 606, www.watermarkclub.co.uk/leisure/brasserie.htm
www.visitthames.co.uk/familyfun
