Moreton-in-Marsh - a market town in the Gloucestershire Cotwolds

Moreton is 8 miles from our cottage (www.sansomesomecottage.co.uk) and has a very good rail link to London on the Cotswold Line. Oxford is half an hour away on the train and another hour brings you into Paddington Station which links to Heathrow so you could travel to this area easily by train. However I would strongly recommend that any visitor has a car as it is by far the best way to travel around the area and see as much as possible of the North Cotswolds. We do have a bus four times a day which runs from Moreton to Stratford and passes through Ilmington but really car is best. Of course you can also take a bike on the train (booking this in advance). The railway line travels west, with a direct line to the historical towns of Worcester (famous for last battle of the English Civil War - The Battle of Worcester in 1651) and Hereford and the spa town of Malvern.

The high spot of the year in Moreton is the one day annual Agricultural Show in September. This draws together the afficionados of the country pursuits of hunting, shooting and fishing as well as being a showcase for farm animals in competitions, show jumping for horses and ponies, display and sale of farm machinery and entertainments of various kinds eg. daredevil acrobatic riders displaying their skills.

Moreton is particularly busy on Tuesdays when market traders from all over the country set up their outdoor stalls to sell their wares at one of the oldest street markets in Britain. A market charter was granted in 1227, and the right to have a town fair was added in 1267. Both these continue to this day, albeit in rather different form. For those looking for a craft fair, you would be disappointed as it is a fairly ordinary market selling clothes, cards, animal food, toiletries, fruit and vegetables etc. Craft Fairs are held regularly at the Redesdale Hall. Photo below of Moreton with stocks attributable to Des Blenkinsopp, and photo of Redesdale Hall by Tony Hisgett, both Wikimedia commons as source.

Lying as it does on the Roman Fosse Way (Roman remains have been found at nearby Dorn), and this being one of the main routes North to South in the Cotswolds it tends to get a lot of traffic passing through, which is a pity as there some very interesting and attractive buildings in the town, many dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. In the time of the stage coaches, Moreton was an important staging post. Weary travellers rested at one of the many inns (and there are some excellent ones in the town, to this day) and maybe changed their horses here. There are still many independent and therefore, more unusual/quirky shops in the town.

Points of interest in and around Moreton:

The Wellington Aviation Museum - on the edge of town. Small, but... www.wellingtonaviation.org/docs/index.htm

Batsford Arboretum. www.batsarb.co.uk/ Batsford house, which lies in the arboretum is not open to the public. It was the home of Lord Redesdale, father of the famous Mitford sisters - Deborah, Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Unity and Jessica. The arboretum is a must see if you like trees and parkland. There is also a falconry centre where you can experience flying a bird of prey yourself.

Bourton House Gardens at Bourton on the Hill. Award winning gardens. www.bourtonhouse.com

Sezincote House and Gardens www.sezincote.co.uk/