After a month visiting friends and family in BC, we set off on part two of our adventure. First stop: the UK. We decided to spend the summer here for a couple of reasons. One was to escape the increasingly brutal heatwaves in continental Europe. The other was practical—we’d already used up our 90-day Schengen allowance in Italy and Greece, and needed to sit out the required three months before we could return.

 But you need to note: the UK isn’t cheap. Paying for three months of accommodation would have been impossible on our budget, so we turned to a slow travel hack —house sitting. I’ve been a member of Trusted House Sitters (founded in the UK), which has an active community of pet owners seeking sitters. With our experience, maturity, and love of animals, we managed to land every sit we applied for. To keep travel costs down, we focused our search on the Cotswolds—a region of rolling hills, quaint villages, and miles of walking trails.

We began with a few nights at an inn near Gatwick Airport. Jet lag hit us unusually hard this time, so we indulged in naps and snacks while adjusting to the new time zone. Luckily, there were plenty of countryside trails nearby to stretch our legs from the long flight. We wandered along bridle paths, picked up shards of flint, and Randy even demonstrated how to make arrowheads—just in case the apocalypse arrived early.

 Along the way we noticed pretty arched bridges spanning the trails. Built about 150 years ago, they were designed with gentle inclines to help horse-drawn carts haul lumber through the hilly woods.

 From there, we hopped over to Cirencester, an ancient Roman town that’s now home to art centres, coffee shops, and pubs. The highlight was the 12th-century St. John the Baptist Church, which houses a golden chalice gifted by the ill-fated Anne Boleyn.

Our first sit was near Stroud, looking after Finn, a spry 11-year-old spaniel who had strong opinions about breakfast. He’d bark every morning until his bowl was filled. Nearby, a dairy farm offered the novelty of a milk vending machine. When we were out, we walked Finn to the annex with empty bottles, filled them up, and fussed over calves housed in the barn.

 The house sat right along the Cotswold Way, a 102-mile walking path stretching from Bath to Chipping Campden. Our daily walks with Finn took us through farmers’ fields, across stiles, and past grazing sheep and cows. It was a peaceful, timeless rhythm of English countryside life.

 We borrowed our hosts’ car once, venturing to Painswick, famous for its wool mills. Driving in the UK, however, was pure stress: wrong side of the road, chaotic roundabouts, hedge-lined lanes that felt more like tunnels. After one white-knuckled outing, we agreed to leave the car keys at home.

 A gentler excursion took us by train to Stroud’s Sunday Market. When staff shortages delayed our train by an hour, we strolled the canal and watched swans glide by. Lunch was beans on toast with fries—exactly as underwhelming as I remembered, but necessary for the memory bank.

Between sits, our next host, Jacqui, generously offered us her guest cottage—a gorgeous 250-year-old converted barn. She stocked the fridge with basics and walked us through the area before departing. Her two Labs, Inver and Lowen, were lovable dorks. Lowen in particular had zero concept of personal space. He’d inch his way onto our laps, planting his big feet on our private parts, lick faces, and generally charm his way into being the centre of attention.

 Unfortunately, our stay coincided with a heatwave. Endless watering of the garden beds became part of our daily chores, along with walking the dogs down to the River Avon to cool off. They’d bolt off half way across the field into the water and come back to enthusiastically shake the water onto us. The local cows seemed equally entertained by the show.

 We also made a day trip to Warwick Castle, a fortress with over 1,100 years of history—from Saxon stronghold to Norman bastion, Civil War battleground, and aristocratic estate. Today it’s a tourist attraction owned by Madame Tussauds, complete with a War of the Roses jousting tournament, trebuchet launches, and bird-of-prey shows.

 One afternoon, we enjoyed high tea with an old colleague from UVic—a sweet taste of home in the heart of England. Another day, we rowed along the Avon, Randy flexing his rowing muscles while I “navigated” (not much required on a calm English river). It was like stepping straight into Wind in the Willows.

Our last sit was in Holt, a charming town with an old leather glove factory turned co-working space. Our main charge was Nelson, a sweet seven-year-old golden retriever, along with three cats—one of whom required daily pilling, which turned into a towel-wrapping, meat-paste bribing adventure.

 During this sit, I celebrated my birthday in Bath, soaking in the thermal spa’s rooftop pool and wandering through steam rooms, ice rooms, and celestial-themed chambers. Later, we capped the day with a lovely Asian dinner.

We also managed a day trip to Bradford-on-Avon, a hidden gem of half-timbered buildings and cobbled streets. The highlight was the Tithe Barn, built around 1350, with soaring beams that begged the imagination to envision days past.

Before heading to France, we squeezed in one night in London at a hostel near Elephant and Castle. We met up with a friend we’d first connected with in Turkey, enjoyed a spicy Indian/Sri Lankan dinner, and then explored the Tower of London. The area was buzzing with a Palestinian march, rows of police vans on standby. Randy, ever the thrill-seeker, wanted to drift toward the action while I had to drag him away. London, as always, is never dull.

Our summer in England was a mixed bag. We met incredibly kind and generous people, but also ran into a few of the snotty elitists the country is infamous for. Costs were high, especially transport and dining out, though groceries were roughly on par with Canada. The countryside was enchanting, the walking paths superb, and yet many city centres had boarded shops and empty storefronts; the scars of economic decline.

 Still, between the dogs, the castles, and the odd beans-on-toast moment, England gave us a season full of contrasts, connection, and charm.

• Trusted House Sitters
• Cotswold Way
• Bath Thermal Pools
• Cirencester Arts Centre
• Warwick Castle
• Bradford-on-Avon
• Tower of London