Say what you will about men and sports cars ... I won't hear you over the 270 thrashing thoroughbreds under the gleaming red bonnet in front of me. I slip the Ferrari 328 GTS into gear and roar off, gravel waves churning in my wake, down a picturesque English country lane lined with lavender and ancient stone walls. Forget autumn in Paris, it's all about summer in the Cotswolds.
By classic car has to be the best way to experience the Cotswolds, a postcard-perfect part of England that is close enough to the traffic jams of London to make it viable for a weekend escape and far enough away from the city to make it a godsend for the jet-set looking for a reprieve. Summer sun and the wind in your hair soon dispel the image of Britain as being wet, grey and rather stodgy.
The Cotswolds represent the England most expatriates reminisce about; a land of green pastures, rustic farmhouses and quaint, meticulously well-maintained village churches, all looking as if they came straight from TV show Midsomer Murders. In summer, the whole area seems to bloom, gardens are a delight for the eyes and the nose, colours intensify and the menus of village gastro-pubs are ripe with locally sourced produce.
Although the region hosts well-known tourist towns such as Bath and Cheltenham, it's the dozens of tiny villages, the wide open farmland, the proud castles and the ancient forests that captivate. With an abundance of tiny B&Bs and guesthouses dotted across the landscape, you can spend days exploring the country lanes by classic convertible, or the cobblestone high streets by foot. On the outskirts of the village are historic houses, occupied by families that have called the Cotswolds home for centuries. Many are happy to open their doors to visitors (look for the brown tourism signposts), usually for a small donation to their upkeep.
If you want to reach even further back in time, visit the thick stone walls and battlements of Berkeley Castle. This edifice is rumoured to be the place where King Edward II was tortured to death with a red-hot poker and tours are filled with stories of revenge, romance and intrigue.
