Stow on the Wold and Boughton on the Water

 Wednesday 5th November 2025

Stow turned out to be a great parkup, very quiet overnight and although it rained quite heavily overnight it had stopped by morning.

So we set off on foot to explore stow on the Wold.

It's a typical Cotswold market town with lots of artisan shops and of course the lovely honey coloured stone buildings.

Also here is a church of some international fame.

It's Saint Edwards church and it's fame stems from its unique north doors which are reputed to be the inspiration for J R R Tolkien and the doors of Durin featured in Lord of the Rings.

They are very unusual and give a very atmospheric feel to the church and you can see why they would have such an effect on him.

Saint Edwards church and inspiration for J R R Tolkien
and the Doors of Durin featured in Lord of the Rings.

Next on the visit list was Boughton on the Water, another very pretty town with the river Windrush running parallel to the main street with attractive stone foot bridges spanning the shallow babbling river.

The local British Legion offer parking right next to the village for a donation to their poppy appeal, so that's a great option for visiting the village.

There are lots of bars, restaurants, tea shops and gift shops , all of which appear to be doing well from the many tourists that visit the area.

The river Windrush running through Boughton on the Water

I had hoped to visit Bilbury next, but it appears Thames Water are digging up the main street with road closures and diversions, so that one will have to wait for another day.

So next it was onto Cirencester, a Roman town a few miles to the south.

They conveniently provide free parking in the grounds of what was Saint Mary's Abbey before Henry Vlll decided to destroy it.

It's a good parking area, right next to the town but very quiet and with a large park covering what was the Abbey.

So we walked around both the town and the park grounds before turning in for a quiet night with only a bangs and explosions from distant firework displays.