The Cotswolds Chronicles Part 2

We had one more thing to do before leaving Warwick Castle. Go see the guy with his predator birds giving a demonstration.

A couple of hawks, an eagle and some other species, masters of hovering over prey before going in a dive attack with deadly intentions.
They strike and kill. Quick and easy. Almost a hundred procent victory rate.

I do find it amazing that they can train the birds to perform on demand, but part of me finds it a pity that those majestic flyers are spending a life in captivity.
Some of them are born in captivity, and have no knowledge of roaming the high skies without limits.

The game master tells me a bit more about the birds and how his life is focussed on them, he never has a day off, and only travels to take the birds to another demonstration.
Often they go to gatherings abroad, where only the best of the best birds compete.

The bird group has a nice view though from their logies, they are watching out over the boat house at Warwick.
We left Warwick Castle and went on our way to see a bit more of the Cotswolds.

And to jump back to the Game Master, my brain has to make a jump too, as game stands for wild that has been captured in hunts, like venison and phaesants.
They are not talking toys at the butchers.

Say Cotswolds and everybody thinks thached roofs. An art it is, to cover houses with several layers of hay, in a special order, and pin it down with chicken wire, so the hay can’t move. I say art as it is not as simple as it seems. A roof has to be weather resistent, leak proofed and the builder has to make sure that small animals don’t make nests in it or eat it. That is the main part for the chicken wire frame that spans the whole roof. A squirl can not get in for sure...

Not all buildings are thatched. We do see stone roofs, although the general style in the Cotswolds is usually low buildings, with very few high rises.

You can see which thatcher worked on the roof on their signature top. The little part on top of the roof is cut in a special pattern, and each thatcher has its own.
Some are more elaborate then others, the saddest part of the thatched roofs is that they only go so long. An average of 30 years seems to be the time frame, so as cute as they look, the houses with those roofs are expensive to keep up. It’s not cheap to redo a roof, and hand labor must be paid in full. If the roof is put on in the correct way, they might last to 50 years.

Not only roofs are worth a second look, tiny details give a charming view, the whole area has something magical. It’s like driving around in a sort of fairy tale land.

Even fields can have entry gates. We have planned some more fairy tale villages on our trip, be prepared for more thatch!
And a touch of Japan in the middle of England... More later!

Comments

[Ingrid]

De huisjes zijn prachtig met de rieten daken!
De daarbijhorende verhalen zijn minstens even leerrijk en boeiend.
Altijd leuk om over deze rijke geschiedenis en de plaatselijke tradities te horen vertellen, vergezeld van prachtige foto's.

[Pam P.]

Our asphalt shingled roof only has a 30 year warranty, so if the thatch lasts the same then that's amazing! Wonder if it would hold up to tornadoes better than my last roof did??

[Mieke duyck]

mooie beelden! En ja, de Cotswolds moet een van de vele mooiste stukjes Engeland zijn...liefs,M