The Slaughter’s Country Inn, Cotswolds, England

Sunrises are a small magic, one I long for throughout the year but never so intently as during the winter when the colours pop and dance more wonderfully than when blue dawn is warm. A Cotswold sunrise, though, embodies a magic beyond even recognition of the word.

Even the faintest whisper of a purple-pink sky will have me throwing on a coat over pyjamas to chase the changing light, so when I pulled back the curtains in our cottage room at The Slaughter’s Country Inn and found the ethereal dance of sunrise playing out over the gardens, you’d best believe I was wading through dewy grass in comfies and a coat the second I could.

Wandering to the gardens behind the Inn itself – and needing to tear myself away from the gentle run of the River Eye, knowing I’d be following its meandering curves later that day – sunrise exploded above the treetops and stone cottage. The dark lawn began to take shape under the brightening day and, as if Alice were waiting in the wings for Wonderland, bunnies flopped their little tails from hiding spots under hedges across the dewy lawns, feeling safe in the quiet of the early morning.

And suddenly there was the light clattering of plates and the general buzz of a world waking up as breakfast in the Inn was being set. Lights in guest bedrooms flicked on in the still dim day, and traffic (albeit very light) hummed along on the village road. And so it goes that the morning took flight before my eyes.

A window seat for breakfast, of course – overlooking the garden that only an hour before had been all shades of purple – we tucked into a classic British breakfast. Porridge with a heart dollop of blackberry jam for me, and a full English for him. Oh, and slices of toast on the side because who could resist the selection of jams and local butter sitting pretty on the table?

The Slaughter’s Country Inn was the most special spot to cosy up in as the sun rose and then dipped again beyond the horizon. From the beautiful beams in our bedroom, to the ornate windows I spent hours writing by, to the generous bath, every detail let us live our cosy Cotswold fantasy. In those between moments, though, we explored Upper and Lower Slaughter, Bibury, Burford, Stow-on-the-Wold, Painswick, Chipping Camden, Burton-on-the-Water, and Snowshill (my personal favourite!). But those stories are for another time…