19 August 2023 , 06:37
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There is a beautiful village nestled in the Cotswolds which is so secret that you won't even find it on Google Street View.
What is the name of this picturesque place? Chalford, and it's only accessible via 'Golden Valley'.
In 1849 Queen Victoria was on a steam train which passed through Golden Valley which she described in her diary as “the very pretty and picturesque valley of Stroud, which is full of manufacturers scattered about.” Chalford is filled with hills with an alpine air which has also earned it the sweet nickname 'Little Switzerland'.
The fact that its high street has been bypassed by Google is a big indication of its quality. Chalford’s main road is lined by stone cottages and has steep offshoot higgledy-piggledy pathways which make it more suitable for donkeys than humans.
Chalford is accessible via 'Golden Valley' (Getty Images/iStockphoto)This is because donkeys shepherded groceries and coal up Chalford's paths which earned the village another nickname - ‘Neddyshire’. The village also boasts old millhouses and unlike its neighbours, Chalford is not on the radar for tourists - much to the delight of some locals.
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Lily, who volunteers at the community-owned shop on the high street, which sells local ciders and organic fruit and veg, told the Daily Telegraph: “We are very blessed here. If you were to go to Bibury, a small Cotswolds village with a river running through like we have, it is a nightmare. It is inundated with tourists."
For those tourists who have heard of Chalford there is accommodation on offer including Westley Farm which has h three cottages, three yurts and three cabins available for rent - each has their own wood-fired hot tub. Westley Farm is owned by Dan, a former foreign reporter, and his wife, who said that some people find it 'too dark and too quiet at night'.
The village is nicknamed 'Little Switzerland' (Getty Images/iStockphoto)He said he gets good business from Dutch tourists, adding: “I think they’re attracted by the hills.” But there is also admirable architectural in the area including a slightly wonky bridge by British renowned engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It was built to transport stone from the hills across the railway tracks to the canal.
Obviously, a fair few tourists have discovered Golden Valley since Queen Victoria passed through all those years ago but Dan agrees it has avoided the coach-tour crowds. He said: “We’re like the Basque country. Nobody could ever invade us because of the topography,” he jokes.
If you do visit Chalford you will receive a warm welcome to the sweet little village which Google has left off the map.