The King’s Head Inn, Cotswolds: Has Anything Changed?

Here’s the King’s Head back in 2010

Every now and then you find something that makes you stop and look at a place you know very well in a completely different way. We are still looking for video archives from the early 1600s, but alas, our search still goes on!!!

What we can show you, however, is this video from 2010, made during a visit to The King’s Head Inn in Bledington by travel writer Heather Cowper. Her stay was also written about on her travel blog, Heather on her Travels.

Watching it now is a rather lovely little time capsule. So we thought we would ask the obvious question:

Has anything changed?

We can certainly point to a few things that have changed along the way.

Back in 2010, getting online meant the unmistakable screech, screech, screech of a dial-up internet connection through the telephone line, followed by what seemed like 20 minutes waiting for an email to arrive. It was enough to drive you quackers. Thankfully, we now have fibre broadband from Gigaclear, so these days the Bledington ducks are the only quackers.

We also have something that definitely wasn’t part of the weekend-away experience back then: electric vehicle charging points.

And perhaps the summers seem to be a little warmer these days.

But then you look at the video and Heather’s original review and realise that some things haven’t changed at all.

The Cotswolds are still the Cotswolds

Bledington is still gathered around its village green. The surrounding countryside is still full of rolling fields, footpaths, stone villages and those familiar Cotswold views.

Photo by Colin Watts on Unsplash

The hills haven’t moved, the lanes are still there and, of course, the ducks are still here.

Heather described arriving at the King’s Head as being in a scene of “quintessential Englishness”, with the inn sitting beside the village green, its streams and little wooden bridges.

Heather described arriving at the King’s Head as being in a scene of “quintessential Englishness”, with the inn sitting beside the village green and its streams and little wooden bridges.

It is rather pleasing to think that, all these years later, that description still makes perfect sense.

The King’s Head in 2010

Heather’s video gives us a chance to see the King’s Head as it looked when she visited. It is not a carefully produced historical film; it is simply a traveler’s record of a stay at a Cotswold country inn.

The video and original review are the work of Heather Cowper. You can read her full account of her stay in Heather’s original review of the King’s Head Inn at Bledington.

Her review describes the King’s Head as a country inn on the village green, with traditional character, courtyard accommodation, country walks and seasonal food. She also made the walk from Bledington to Stow-on-the-Wold, taking around an hour and a half to reach the Cotswold market town.

A walk from Bledington to Stow-on-the-Wold

One of the nicest things about Heather’s visit is that she didn’t simply arrive, eat and leave. She put on her walking shoes and headed out into the countryside.

Her destination was Stow-on-the-Wold, reached by walking across the fields and lanes from Bledington. Today, the countryside between the two places is still here waiting to be explored.

In fact, walking is one of the reasons Bledington makes such a good base for a Cotswolds break. There are walks directly from the King’s Head, from gentle riverside routes beside the River Evenlode to longer walks through villages such as Westcote and Icomb.

Read our guide to walking in the Cotswolds from the King’s Head

Then and now: staying at the King’s Head

Heather stayed in one of the Courtyard rooms, describing the traditional-style accommodation, the views towards the village green and the peaceful setting away from the main road.

The King’s Head still offers accommodation in both the inn and the Courtyard, making Bledington a particularly convenient place to stay if you want to spend a few days exploring the Cotswolds rather than simply passing through.

See our Cotswolds accommodation

And there is another change that is worth mentioning.

Some of the people who were here when Heather visited in 2010 are still here today.

That might be one of the best measures of what has and hasn’t changed. Buildings can be redecorated, technology can move on and cars can become electric, but a country inn is ultimately about the people who look after it and the people who come through the door.

And what about the food?

Heather’s review also had plenty to say about eating at the King’s Head. She described seasonal and locally sourced food and finished her day of walking with dinner at the inn, before returning to her Courtyard room.

The menus may have changed considerably since then — chefs, seasons and ingredients have a habit of doing that — but eating well after a day exploring the Cotswolds remains very much part of the experience.

See what’s happening in the restaurant today

Some things change. Some things really don’t.

Looking back at a video from more than a decade ago is a good reminder that the Cotswolds are not a theme park frozen in time. Things change. We have faster broadband, electric car charging and probably an app for just about everything, including checking the weather before setting off for a walk.

But the things that bring people to Bledington are remarkably familiar. The village green is still here, the Cotswold countryside is still here, the walking is still here — and, of course, so are the ducks.

And the King’s Head is still here for great food, local ales, a walk in the countryside or a few nights away.

Perhaps that’s the nicest thing about watching Heather’s 2010 video. Plenty has changed since then, but what brings people to Bledington hasn’t changed very much at all.

Come for the Cotswolds. Stay for the village, the countryside, the food and the people.

Enquiries:
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