In spring, hubby and I had a dream-come-true! A trip to England that we had talked about for over 15 years, but never got around to taking. The recent passing of a dear friend prompted us to ‘rethink our priorities’ and we decided we were just going to do it!
Dear hubby got on the internet and checked flights, car rentals, and accommodations. Our daughter’s friend, Lynne, had lived in the Cotswolds area for years. She shared a lot of stories with us and said it was the perfect place for antique-lovers like us. Boy, was she right!
After much researching, we booked our flights, chose a bread & breakfast, made arrangements for the dog and house sitter and poured over numerous books on the U.K. We remembered that you should contact your credit card companies so they are aware of your travel plans. We also checked with our insurance agent regarding car coverage (we had to buy it from the Europcar folks), learned that we would have to pay for any medical expenses in the U.K., then send receipts to our health insurance company for reimbursement, etc.

Knowing what our purpose was (fun, relaxation and hunting for antiques!), hubby emailed a lot of shops that had sites on the net. They confirmed hours of business, helped with directions to their location, some even sent us pamphlets on other places in the vicinity and antique fairs nearby too!
Our main goals was to find some ‘bargains’, both for our home and re-sale. (This was especially tough to do with the exchange rate.) Airline weight limitations meant we could bring back only ‘smaller items’, and we packed lighter than usual. We knew each of us could have a carry-on and two large suitcases. We packed our carry-ons about half full, and only one suitcase was close to the weight restriction. Another was less than half full and the third actually held only a large duffle bag and lots of bubble wrap.
The BIG day arrived. Our flight was long but uneventful. We landed at Heathrow Airport, got in the rental car and started to drive. (Hubby had driven on the opposite side on our trip to St. Kitts, so it was not a big problem.) It took a few hours but then we arrived at our B&B in Blockley.

We were staying at the Arreton House. It turned out to be as wonderful as their site proclaimed and our hosts, John and Gloria Bayliss were fantastic. They were avid collectors too and were so helpful! From the moment we entered the ‘common room’ of this 400 year old house, we saw that they too had a love of the hunt. This B&B was a real step back in time, but up-to-date where you want it! Private bath (in suite), but antique furnishings and décor.

They loaded us up with brochures on shops in the area, gave us tips on negotiating, told us dates and locations of an auction and a few “boot sales.” It was our first time hearing about a “boot sale”, which is similar to our flea markets. The trunks of cars in England were called ‘boots’ and they would just show up in a field, pop open the trunks, display their wares and have a sale!

Our plan was to stay at their delightful B&B for the full two weeks, taking day trips to the small towns and villages. It was an incredible trip and we loved everything about the countryside, its gorgeous scenery, friendly, helpful people and fantastic antiques! More to follow on our adventures in antique hunting!

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 31st, 2007 at 4:55 am and is filed under collecting fyi, decorating, flea market finds. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.