In case you haven’t ascertained this for yourself, I basically traveled across the ocean to take pictures of sheep and cows.  Not really, but that was a highlight for me.  Animals are among my favorite subjects to paint, and I couldn’t help but pull out my camera whenever we came across a cow, sheep, horse, dog, cat, quail, or pigeon.  Julia knew this, so she arranged the perfect field trip for our third morning in the Cotswolds: Cotswold Farm Park, a rare-breed farm and petting zoo.  I should point out that this park is really geared towards families with small children, but it was an ideal place for me to photograph lots of animals close up.

On the drive to the park, we spotted an old country church, and Julia suggested we stop in.  Many churches throughout England and Europe have a history of leaving their doors open for visitors.  They are of historical interest (for architecture, culture, and records), but they are also open for people who want to sit in a church to pray.  This church was charming.

There were a couple of women walking through the graveyard with their dogs, but once they headed off into the fields, we had the church and grounds to ourselves.  We admired the windows, the church’s interesting cross-shaped layout, and the old wooden pews.  While the church was clearly old, it was encouraging to see that it was still thriving.  Sadly, many old churches have become ornamental, and their congregations have grown older and smaller until they die out completely.  On one of the tables by the door, there were plans for an addition and improvements to the facilities, indicating a healthy, active congregation.

I’ve always had the urge to sing when I walk through these old stone churches.  It’s sort of like singing in the shower.  There is something satisfying about hearing your voice echo back to you, and a church, usually designed with acoustics in mind, is a fitting place to sing.  Even with only my mom and Julia in the church, I felt a little too self-conscious to break out in song.  Instead, I opted to play a song on my phone and sit in a pew for a few minutes to listen to and enjoy the music.  Maybe one day the musical theatre ham in me will belt something out in a stone church, unconcerned with anyone who might be listening.

I do need to share that this church had the most fantastic boot scrapers.  They were by every entrance and have probably been in service for at least 200 years, if not more.

In addition to the church, I spotted a Lebanon Cypress in a field and stopped to take some pictures.  I have admired these trees on British TV for a long time, and it was so exciting to see them in person.  I love their chunky branches and sculptural shape.

We got a bit turned around getting to the Farm Park, but I could never complain about getting lost in the English countryside.  The farm park was a bit more commercial than I was expecting, but it was neat and well-run.  When we bought our tickets, Julia also purchased a couple of bags of food to lure animals over for pictures.  Just like when she gave me coins to use the pay toilet, it felt like mom giving me ice cream money or a quarter to ride the pony at the grocery store checkout.

The animals are the primary draw of the farm park, but it also offers gorgeous views and plenty of things for kids (playgrounds, bounce pads, interactive learning centers, etc.).

I took hundreds of pictures and enjoyed learning about the history of these rare breeds.  Some of them were almost extinct and have been slowly increasing in numbers through their efforts.

There were so many different breeds (over 50) that I didn’t make notes on all of them.

We were able to view most of the animals in paddocks from several different vantage points, so I was able to get pretty good photos.

This breed of sheep is a Manx Loghtan and was one of the most unique animals we saw during our visit.  They originate from the Isle of Man and, it is believed, were brought there by Viking settlers.  Fragments of a wool cloak found in a Viking grave on the Isle of Man were made of the wool from an ancestor of these sheep.  They can grow up to six horns!  This one with four horns was impressive enough.  I could imagine it inspiring a Viking headdress.

I focused most of my photography on sheep and cows, since they are likely to have a broader appeal than some other animals, like goats.  I did photograph goats as well, but Julia and I joked that the market for goat paintings is probably pretty limited.

They had some gorgeous cows, and we set about trying to get them to pose for photos.  With a steady supply of food being dropped through a chute, the animals are conditioned to go to metal chutes and troughs when people are around.  The problem is they aren’t well-positioned for photos when their snouts are at the end of a metal chute.  So, my mom and Julia would toss food over the fence to lure the animals away from their usual snack source.  By the time they got to the end of their food bags, they were getting the hang of it.

We had conversations like, “Can you toss some food over here to get this guy to turn around?  Yes, just like that.  Okay, I have enough photos of him.  Can we throw some over here?  Mom, how is your vantage point from over there?  Would I get a better picture if I moved?”

It was quite the operation.  Fortunately, the park was sparsely populated on that cool, overcast fall day, so we weren’t making spectacles of ourselves.  Or, if we were, we were too busy trying to perfect our cow-photographing operation that we didn’t notice people pointing and laughing at three grown women at the farm park.

In addition to cows, sheep, and goats, there were horses…

…rabbits…

…ducks, turkeys, chickens, pigs, and more…

…these “fluffy” ducks were particularly interesting.

All photos, including the goats, will be uploaded to the Artist Reference Photos site soon.

The visit turned out to be a great benefit to Julia, who raises chickens.  She learned after making an inquiry that the farm park sells baby chicks for a reasonable price.  She can add rare breeds and new blood to her small brood to avoid inbreeding.

While I don’t think we’re the farm park’s target audience, we spent a wonderful morning there.  I highly recommend the visit for families with kids or animal lovers.  You can check out their website HERE to see upcoming events and details for planning a visit.

Up next, we have the best scones, clotted cream, and jam for lunch with a metal detecting expert.  You can read that post HERE.

You can find my other posts about our visit to the Cotswolds here –

Broadway & Dover’s Hill

Daylesford, holding history, and The Village Pub in Barnsley