If you ignore the title of the post which you have read by now, this would be the quiz to guess this place:
- A famous filming location. Hint : Harry Potter
- Birthplace of photography
- An abbey since 1200s
- A postcard perfect 1000 year old village
No marks for guessing it, its Lacock!
I planned my annual Cotswold trip last year end of November. Had lots of extra leaves. Having explored few villages in North Cotswolds few years back, this time I wanted to explore South side.
Booked a lovely room in a cottage in a village called Potterne in Devizes. Not exactly in Cotswolds but just on the edge. However in Wiltshire. The stay at Blount Count Farm was fabulous. And to top it up we were treated by snowfall due to Storm Arwen. What was meant to be a cold winter trip turned to be an absolute picturesque and delightful weekend break.
So you know now if you see specks of snow in my pictures against grey dreary skies.
So Lacock is near to Bath. And the best way to reach here is to drive. Its hard to get here through public transport. If you wish to do so, try options from Bath. I drove here with a friend and as I mentioned we stayed in Devizes. From there it was about a 20 minute drive to Lacock. We parked in the street, it was all very empty as it was snowing.
To start your walk, park and head to the city center of the Lacock village; Or just stroll around the narrow streets, eventually you will end up in the main square. Its just so small.
Lacock village is lost in time, so retro. The picturesque honey colored cottages, not affected by the urban greed; a village bakery, butchers, english pubs, people still have time to catch a pint and talk. I love slow life. And Lacock village was everything that a tired city dweller needs.
My only one recommendation, spend a lot of time walking the streets, exploring the local boutiques and cafes, breathe in the earthy smells and absorb the slow paced life.
Lacock Bakery which is my feature picture of this post is probably the most instagrammable spot in Lacock village. A village bakery which has all sorts of patisserie and some amazing coffee. It just felt like a downton abbey setting.
If you are fan of Harry Potter movies, you will be in love with what I am going to tell you.
The cloisters of Lacock Abbey are one of those Hogwarts classroom corridors you have seen in the film.
Isn’t it exciting to visit a place you have loved in your favourite movies? Lacock Abbey is a must visit. Found in 1200, it has undergone various transformations. This was also the home to Henry Talbot, founder of photography. I visited near Christmas and the Abbey was all decked up. There is an entry charge for Non-members but members of National Trust go free. I will write a separate post on Lacock Abbey soon.
The visitor center of the Abbey has Fox Talbot museum. You can visit this before heading to the Abbey. Lots of exhibits on photography and astronomy. Cameras which are centuries old. I loved the pictures of the galaxies. As I have mentioned before Henry Fox Talbot is considered the founder of photography and lived here in Lacock.
There are a couple of pubs I came across here. I popped into Red Lion which is right in the center. There are few more around. National Trust has a small cafe with some lovely views of the Abbey and the lush green meadows with carefree roaming sheep.
So you can spend just an hour and see everything OR you can spend days and not get enough of Lacock. It’s not about how many places it has for you to see, it’s about the slow, quiet and tranquil atmosphere it has. Such a soothing effect on your senses. I just couldn’t have enough of it. Being a London city girl, this was so welcome and I loved every inch of this small village steeped in history and beauty.
Further from here?
An obvious answer is head to Castle Combe which is about 15-20 min drive. And if you already have visited Castle Combe then you can head to Bath or check the world heritage site of Stonehenge or visit the stone circles in Avebury.
