Welcome Spring time in the Cotswolds

Cotswold Luxury Tours is glad to see the beginning of Spring 2020. We have seen many wild flowers from January to March. Here are some examples to name but a few.

One of my favourite flowers this time of year is the Snowdrop – not to be confused with the Bluebells (they are very similar in shape and size), but above all, they are white!. They grow in huge numbers and can be found all over the Cotswolds.

Another wonderful flower that grows here in large numbers is the Daffodil, the national flower of Wales. My Mother is Welsh and can still speak the language now, and of course it is still her favourite flower!

This year as part of one of my tours, Cotswold Luxury tours is including Wales as part of the itinerary for a lovely family from Atlanta Georgia.

Another wild flower that grows well in February and March is the wild Primrose. These flowers are normally yellow, although white or pink forms can be seen.

One of the most exciting plants that grow at the beginning of April is the wild Garlic. Where I live at Castle Combe they grow in huge numbers up and down the valley – you can smell them before you can see them!

Unlike the French garlic, the Garlic here is the leaf – not the clove -that we eat. When in season I just drive down the valley with my hand out the window and pick a few leafs. My wife Kerry uses them to mix with salads or to cook Lamb with, its delicious! Top chefs in the area even pick the flowers to present on their dishes to eat and to display.

Last but not least is probably one of everyones top favourite, the Bluebell.

I have been a tour guide in the Cotswolds now for eight years, and know all the best places to find blankets of blue in the woods, this being of course the lovely Bluebell. It will last well into May and is always a comfortable reminder that Spring is in the air and that all the trees and hedgerows will soon be bustling with life and green again.

A wonderful time of year!