Sheep in the Cotswolds

Why don't you go to the Isle of Islay and stay in the Port Charlotte Hotel. You can hear the ocean and, in he morning while driving to Bowmore you can see the cows on the beach. There's eight distilleries on Islay

It used to. 49 years ago, as a child, I lived above a pub in a small village near a Cotswold town. Next door was a farm which, among other things, kept about 30 or 40 dairy cattle. We would walk next door for a couple pints of still warm milk and freshly laid eggs, run them home, walk into the village for the daily bread loaf, and on the way back before we reached the pub we would see the "evidence" that the cows had been moved down the road to their grazing field. We had to be careful not to slip because losing the bread would not be good. We regularly saw sheep being moved to graze on Cleve Hill and would sometimes have to stop to let them by. We also used to get the pub's beer delivery down the same lane, often on the back of a small lorry, but often the brewery sent it out on a horse-drawn dray. But .... its 49 years later now. The pub is now a freehouse, the farm buildings have been turned into houses and flats, there are no local sheep although sheep still graze on Cleve Hill, they are not driven in the road but they get rides in trucks, the brewery has closed, and I haven't heard of a draft horse around there for years. I'm afraid it may be difficult to make that dream come true in the Cotswolds. Two other things ... there is another thread running currently about sheep surrounding cars in Ireland. Apparently it still happens there from time to time. And, it has been my observation that English, especially Cotswold, sheep are pretty stumm most of the time. At lambing time you can hear the lambs plaintive bleat as they try to stay in touch with their mothers but otherwise they are pretty quiet. Cows on the other hand ... are not.

In 2004 we stayed at a B&B just outside Stratford-on-Avon that I believe was also a working farm. They certainly had sheep, but the only time we heard them was when we pulled in to park or came out the front door. There was one sheep in particular that would "call" from the gate whenever he saw us. My sons were in their teens, but they still thought that sheep was so cool and had to have their picture taken with it. We also saw pheasants in the fields in the early mornings. I think that was easily our favorite B&B from the trip.

Having grown up on a farm from the age of 10 until I escaped to college at 17, I cannot understand people's fascination with sheep bleating and cows mooing outside your window. That's the rural equivalent of a train going through your town at 2 in the morning. Go for the scenery, skip the sheep -- and watch your step! Also, bring a fly swatter!

Ha! I guess it does sound quite odd! Oh, well, I guess I will be satisfied with the beautiful scenery and, on one of our walks, perhaps we will see sheep and cows. Nigel, too bad, but things do change over the years as we all know. Thanks for your responses.
Cindy

Ha! Ha! James, you are just too funny! I guess you might call it a fetish, but I aquaint sheep with farms and green country sides which is what the Cotswold area is all about! Thank you for the tip on staying at a working farm!

Darren,
You DO live in one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I love Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park. My son's girlfriend has a job in Boulder this summer. It's an internship that could turn in to a real job after she graduates. I told them if they marry and decide to live there, it wouldn't break my heart. I would visit often!! Yes, I have no doubt that sheep, cows, any livestock for that manner, can be a pain. It just seems idylic to wake up some sunny morning and see sheep being herded down the road.

You can see plenty of sheep on the walk between Upper and Lower Slaughter. We found farmhouse stays on Smooth Hound so you might take a look at some of them. There is Manor Farm near Chipping Campden and sheep farming is their business along with a B&B. Nigel's childhood sounds perfect.

Roy brings up the point that we all share. One man's novelty is another's nightmare. I live in Boulder, CO, one of the most beautiful places in the world, in my opinion. However, many of the teenagers who grow up here CANNOT wait to get out, and into a city. Go figure, the grass is always greener...
On another note, we live in the mountains west of Boulder, so we have some livestock. While I love hearing the roosters crow in the morning, my wife threatens to kill them each and every day. It's all perspective, I suppose. I agree with you Cindy, I'd love to wake up in the quaint Cotswolds to sheep bleating. I hope that you find something. Good Luck!

I'm so disheartened to hear from Nigel that cows can no longer be found walking around villages in the Cotswolds. As a suburban and semi-city girl, I've often dreamed of stepping in the evidence that a cow leaves. Especially an English cow, as I believe their poop is more refined and genteel. What is the quaint English term for cow poop?

It's all perspective I guess. I sleep right through the planes from O'Hare but I like the planes. I can't imagine a cow mooing would keep me up :)

The sound of a cow coughing outside your window on a dark night is spooky, it sounds like a human being. Experienced this in an fairly isolated cottage in rural Essex and thought we had an unwell prowler!

What is the quaint English term for cow poop? The only word recently heard hereabouts for deposits by any animal, human or otherwise, is poo.

But the cute village is called Pooping-on-the-Way.

We always used the phrase "cow pat", but i really don't know if that was local to a particular area or a euphemism. Regarding driving among sheep and cattle, the best place to do this is on what is called common land. Examples are the Long Mynd in Shropshire and the New Forest in Hampshire. The only obvious example I can think of in the Cotswolds is Minchinhampton Common, south of Stroud, but I am sure there are others.

I will never forget one year when we were in England and left Hay-on-Wye to drive through the Brecons to Cardiff. it was so beautiful and along the way we encountered sheep just laying in the middle of the road.

The Cotswolds rare Breeds farm has some exotic looking breeds of sheep. I would guess they still may have some you can pet