The Cotswold Barn is in a lovely countryside location in Moreton On Marsh, 5 mins from Stow on the Wold. The setting there was beautiful, with rolling countryside, blossom trees and a resident cat. It had a gift shop, which was irresistible to me, as was the lunch menu (sausage eggs and chips and mushroom soup) and friendly staff. The site is completely accessible

I had been wanting to visit St.Edward’s Church for sometime, as I am a big fan of Lord of the Rings and we heard that JRR Tolkien had possibly used the door at St.Edwards Church for inspiration in his book The Fellowship of the Ring. When we arrived there were other fans taking photos in front the door. It was particularly interesting to see how nature and architecture blend together. You can see how he may have used this door for inspiration, it was very evocative. The church itself was sadly closed, it would have been nice to see inside. 

Stow on the Wold’s most famous attraction has to be St.Edwards Church followed by the Market Square and the Stocks. The honey coloured architecture and variety of independent shops and cafes were also a bonus. I would say about 70% of the shops were not accessible due to being listed buildings. It was very busy as we went in half term, so the car park was almost full. Tourists from America, Japan and Poland. Coach tours were also popular. It was full of atmosphere. 

Accessible information 

Paths

All paths in Stow are tarmacked but please be aware that that are not many dips in the curb and if there are any they don’t match up on the other side of the road. Some pavements can be narrow and uneven and on a slight incline. My powerchair handled the paths really well.

Blue Badge Parking

Blue Badge parking is in the centre of town. I counted at least six spaces dotted around the car park which is in the centre of town. 

Loos

I couldn’t see any disabled loos in the town centre but we had lunch at the Cotswold Barn which is about 5 mins away and they have disabled loos.

Cafes

We didn’t have lunch in Stow as we had a feeling a lot of the buildings would be difficult to get into. We had lunch at the Cotswold Barn, which has disabled parking, disabled loos and ramps

Benches

There were benches in the town centre, particularly next to the Stocks, on a patch of grass by the Stocks Inn pub.