Mittens 2020 - Chipping Campden, England, 03 - 10 July -- ALL SPACES TAKEN!

[AGA]

Mittens 2020 will be from Friday 03 - Friday 10 July at Pitchers, Chipping Campden, England.


It's about time we thought about planning this year's Mittens.

As Mittens 2018 was in the US and 2019 in Australia, it was agreed that this year should probably be in Europe.  I thought it might be good to have one last easy-for-Europeans-to-visit Mittens in the UK before the iron Brexit curtain comes down at the end of 2020.  It also will have been 18 years since the last UK Mittens (Mittens #1 in Laleham!), so probably about time for another one!  Tamara and I are booked up later in the year, so would prefer to have this at some point in July.

Given so many people only ever visit London when they come to the UK, I thought it might be nice to see some of the scenery we have to offer.  A few options that spring to mind:

Area	Nearest Sizeable airport	Nearest Distance from London
Lake District	Manchester / Liverpool	5 hours / 280mi
Peak District	Manchester / Liverpool	3 hours / 150mi
Cotswolds	Bristol / London	2 hours / 70mi

All are in/around a National Park, or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with varying degrees of hills/mountains, farmland, forests, and quaint little villages with cobbled streets.  The Cotswolds would probably be the most accessible option overall, given its relative closeness to London and its airports (and the M4 motorway that leads to London).  It could also give us a chance to make daytrips to interesting places like Salisbury (with Stonehenge nearby), or Bath.  I've had a quick look, and there are plenty of rental properties available to match all sizes of group in all areas, from little cottages up to old manor houses.  And of course, being the modern day, Wi-Fi is available in most.

So, any interest?




Confirmed Attendees

• AGA
• Creamy
• Disco
• Esseb
• Igor
• Igor's +1
• Matt Frith
• Privateer Puddin'
• Snarky
• tampie85

(10 / 10)

[Laura Hunt]

I won't be attending the Mittens, but I can definitely recommend the Cotswolds / Bath area. I was there a couple of summers ago and I loved it to bits; Bath is a lovely little town, the Cotswolds area itself is gorgeous, and if you're there on a weekend, the farmers market at Wells makes for a nice half-day trip

[Esseb]

I am interested. All these places look really beautiful.

[Creamy]

Me too

[Disco]

Proposed time and location works for me i would be fine with any of those areas, but the Lake District would be my preference.

[Privateer Puddin']

I am interested!

[Snarky]

I'm interested. I've been to the Lake District before (it was really nice!), so I'd be slightly more interested in the others, but any of them sound great.

[Matt Frith]

I'd be interested! All locations are great options but I'd be more swayed by the Lake District (anyone for the Pencil museum?) but happy with anywhere!

[AGA]

So, some possible locations.  I've tried to keep the price reasonably low (<£250pp for the week), and in a nice countrysidey area, avoiding people sharing beds as much as possible:

Location	URL	Price
Cotswolds, Chipping Campden	https://www.vrbo.com/8124682ha?adultsCount=10&arrival=2020-07-04&departure=2020-07-11	£154
Peak District, Millers Dale	https://www.vrbo.com/8124570ha?adultsCount=10&arrival=2020-07-04&departure=2020-07-11	£178.50
Lake District, Coniston	https://www.vrbo.com/8628066ha?adultsCount=10&arrival=2020-07-04&departure=2020-07-11	£230.13

I'd assume we'd struggle to get to any of these places by public transport, but the Cotswolds at least are closer to Bath and Oxford (and London airports), so should be easier to access.

I'm more inclined to go with the Cotswolds personally, since it's much easier to access.  Any thoughts?  We shouldn't leave it much longer, since I guess these places will fill up sooner or later...

[Snarky]

I'd be happy with any of these, but if it's a vote I second the preference for the Cotswolds â€" in part because the names are so adorable: "Cotswolds," "Chipping Camden," "Mickleton", "Hidcote Bartrim". 

[Laura Hunt]

I'd be happy with any of these, but if it's a vote I second the preference for the Cotswolds â€" in part because the names are so adorable: "Cotswolds," "Chipping Camden," "Mickleton", "Hidcote Bartrim". 

I've been to Castle Combe, Malmesbury, Bibury, Stow-on-the-Wold and Burton-on-the-Water... Most English names EVER!

[fernewelten]

Pardon a newcomer question, but: The concept of a “Mittens” is new to me (except as a synonym for boxing gloves). Just what are you planning to do for a weekend? week? fortnight?  Is there a sort of Agenda, a common project, some planned outcome? Can you point me to summaries/mementos/photo documentation of a former Mittens so that I can get an impression of what it actually is?

[AGA]

https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/wiki/Mittens

Basically a bunch of AGSers meet up and share a house for a week. Activities depend entirely on the place and area. Generally there's four or five days of hanging out doing geeky stuff like playing board games, two or three days of outside activities in the surrounding areas. AGS game development is very much not a focus!

[Creamy]

I'd be happy with any of these, but if it's a vote I second the preference for the Cotswolds

Same here. I don't know enough about these places to give a clear opinion. I have a very nice memory of Oxford that I visited as a child. That's about it.

[AGA]

Oh, I forgot to say, what do we think about Sat 04 - Sat 11 July for the dates?

[Privateer Puddin']

Oh, I forgot to say, what do we think about Sat 04 - Sat 11 July for the dates?

Should be fine for me.

I'm happy with any of Cotswolds / Peak District / Lake District so if we're leaning towards Cotswolds that's fine by me (and maybe by it being easier to get to, some people will come down for a day or something if not the full week)

Cotswolds house looks good.

[AGA]

Cotswolds would definitely be easiest for those flying in. It's also closeish to Stonehenge, Salisbury, Bath, Stratford and such visitables.

[Disco]

Cotswolds house looks good to me 

Their weekly bookings for the summer season begin on Friday, so it would have to start from 3 to 10 July if we wish to do the first week.

[Matt Frith]

I'm happy with the Cotswolds. Plenty to do round there and relatively easy to get to out of the three places. Dates are fine with me too.

[Creamy]

Their weekly bookings for the summer season begin on Friday, so it would have to start from 3 to 10 July if we wish to do the first week.

How bizarre. Personally I'd rather have a more classic rental period from saturday to saturday if possible (day off on friday counts double in my company).

[AGA]

Their weekly bookings for the summer season begin on Friday, so it would have to start from 3 to 10 July if we wish to do the first week.

How bizarre. Personally I'd rather have a more classic rental period from saturday to saturday if possible (day off on friday counts double in my company).

Is that a deal breaker for you?  Because it seems Fri - Fri is standard in that area.  And this is by far the cheapest place I've found - most places *start* at twice the price, and get waaay more expensive.

[Creamy]

it seems Fri - Fri is standard in that area.

Alright. I'll take 8 days off instead of 6. Or maybe I'll come on Saturday.
The price is fine. The date suits me too.

[Esseb]

Cotswolds on those days sounds good to me.

[Snarky]

I'm in

[AGA]

All booked!  Pitchers, Chipping Campden, England, from Friday 03 - Friday 10 July

At the current numbers it'll be £206 per person; I'll send a PM about payment.

[Igor Hardy]

Can I still join the party?

[Snarky]

Igor! Great that you can join.

How do we reckon we're going to do the arrival logistics, for those of us flying in? Meet up at the airport, get a car and drive down? Or make our way there by public transport? Or to somewhere close, then get a car or get picked up from there? Will we even need cars for the week?

I'm hoping to take advantage of Corona-pricing on the flights, and just want to make sure I don't create an awkward arrangement. (Specifically: if we're meeting up at the airport, whether to fly into Heathrow or Birmingham. Heathrow is a direct flight for me.)

[AGA]

We at least will be driving in. I'd say collating in either Oxford or Swindon would make the most sense, since each is an hour from the rental. You can get a coach, bus or train from London and its airports, to there.

Having another car might be helpful though, given public transport near the rental will be limited. Two cars total should be plenty then.

[Disco]

The best deal for me right now is flying to Gatwick from Toronto. From there it looks like there is a train to Moreton-in-Marsh (connecting via Reading), which is not far from Chipping Campden. There is a bus service between them that is offered only thrice daily. This would take roughly four hours including a couple layovers, so I am definitely open to faster alternatives/pick up locations as AGA suggests. Good to know public transport is still an option if need be.

[Creamy]

I'll be coming on Saturday so don't mind me for the arrival. I'll probably take the path that Disco suggested > plane to London > train to Moreton-in-Marsh > stagecoach to Chipping Campden. Or maybe we'll meet somewhere else.

[Disco]

Just bought a single ticket from Toronto to London for $177  Thanks Covid! I am due to arrive at Gatwick on the 3rd at 10:05.

Since our rental ends on a Friday, I am looking to capitalise on the booking policy and stay in country through Sunday at least.