Very obscure ancient and non-PC children's book. Can anyone identify it?

[mrsgboring]

I read this book at primary school, when it was at the back of a dusty "free reading" cupboard and would love to find it again.

The story is, a group of children are out on holiday by themselves and someone offers to drop them off at an unknown destination so they can play at being explorers. They make their own names up for the towns they pass through and draw up maps etc. After a while they decide to pretend the "natives" are hostile and travel at night and/or hide in trees whenever someone comes past. One of the towns they went through they named "Million Bridges" At the end of the book we discover they've been walking through the Cotswolds (so I assume it was really Bourton on the Water or somewhere) Since we now live nearish, I'd love to get it and see if it would be good for DS to read in a few years.

Anyone have the least idea what I'm talking about? (Perhaps it's actually really famous and I'm just dense)

[cupsoftea]

sounds a good book - hope you find it (wonder what it's called)

[mrsgboring]

Ooo thank you. Will try this. Though I'm beginning to wonder if I dreamt the whole thing....

[cupsoftea]

this one sounds promising www.cotswoldinternetbooks.com/

[cupsoftea]

or ask some local book sellers seeing it's about the cotswolds www.inprint.co.uk/thebookguide/shops/south_west/gloucestershire.shtml

[cupsoftea]

could try www.logan.com/loganberry/stump.html to ask a book finding question

[Donk]

Not Arthur Ransome - no brilliant ideas 'tho I'm afraid.

[tissy]

Don't know, but sounds a bit Swallows and Amazon-ish

another Arthur Ransom, maybe?