The Cotswolds are located north-west of London and runs through five counties: Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire. They are famous for quintessentially English villages of honey-coloured stone, lively market towns, great palaces, castles, country houses and some of the most famous arboretas in Britain. You could spend a week in the Cotswolds and visit everything but if you have only one or two days I would focus more on the small villages.
My favorite places feasible in a weekend are:
- Castle Combe is a quintessentially English village with honey-colored Cotswold stone houses, often called ‘the prettiest village in England’. Within the village you can see the Market Cross and St Andrew’s Church from the 13th century. The church houses a faceless clock which is reputed to be one of the oldest working clocks in the country. The village has been used in many movies such as the 1960 Dr. Dolittle, and more recently Steven Spielberg’s film War Horse.
- Westonbirt Arboretum (not far from Tetbury) originally planted by the wealthy Holford family during the heyday of Victorian plant hunting, today contains around 15,000 trees from all over the globe. It’s a fantastic place to escape, relax and learn about trees. Currently due to Covid you must pre-book your ticket. https://www.forestryengland.uk/westonbirt-the-national-arboretum
- Tetbury is a beautiful market town dominated by its Market Hall and St Marys’ Church impressive Spire that can be seen from all directions. Chipping Steps in the corner of The Chipping car park is an old entrance to the town and the cottages running down the side are very picturesque.
- Painswick (near Stroud) known as the “Queen of the Cotswolds” is a beautiful historic wool town and one of the best preserved. The main attraction is the splendid church of St Mary dotted with 99 ancient yew trees and tabletop tombs. Another attraction is the Rococo Garden originally designed as a flamboyant garden in the mid 1700s and now home to a nice collection of snowdrops. The town is surrounded by lots of walking paths and Painswick Beacon has amazing views across the Severn Valley to the Welsh Mountains. Other villages worth visiting are Slad, Sheepcombe & Pitchcombe
- Bibury is another charming & picturesque village just a short drive from Cirencester, described by William Morris as “the most beautiful village in England”. Must see in Bibury are the cottages in Arlington Row, the Bibury Trout Farm, the exterior of the Arlington Mill, & the Church of St Mary.
- Burton on the water on the river Windrush is often referred to as the ‘Venice of the Cotswolds’. There are plenty of attractions in town such as the Birdland Park and Gardens, the Model Village (a 1/9th scale replica of the centre of the village), the Cotswold Motoring Museum. There are lots of lovely shops, restaurants and tea rooms. We had some very nice scones at Bakery on the water while relaxing in the Riverside garden. http://www.bakeryonthewater.co.uk/
- Lower & Upper Slaughter are just over a mile from Bourton on the Water. The name comes from old English ‘Slohtre‘ meaning ‘Muddy place’. They are the epitome of idyllic charm & have remained unchanged for more than a century.
- Stow on the Wold is a delightful market town. At the height of the Cotswold wool industry the town was famous for its huge annual fairs where as many as 20,000 sheep were sold at one time. The vast Market Square testifies to the towns former importance. Buy some local cheeses at the Cotswold Cheese Company https://www.cotswoldcheese.com/
- Daylesford organic farm in Kingham (4 miles from Stow on the Wold) is an organic farm and farmshop, a very popular cafe and restaurant as well as a spa, cook shop, garden shop, Bamford luxury goods, homewares, butchers, grocers, dairy and fishmongers. https://www.daylesford.com/
- Broadway has one of the Cotswolds’ smartest high Streets with its honey-colored stone buildings, art galleries, antiques shops, tea rooms & restaurants. For amazing views go to Fish Hill & Broadway Tower, a 65 foot (20m) high folly, built by the Earl of Coventry in the 18th Century.
- Stanton is a typical Cotswolds sleepy village with 16th and 17th century houses, a restored medieval cross and the church of St Michael. It takes its name from “stan” (stone) from which it is built.
- Cotswold Airport in Kemble (Gloucestershire) is one of Europe’s leading storage and line maintenance facilities, so good place to see a nice collection of planes.
- For Dinner we went to:
- “The gardeners arms” in Alderton. We really enjoyed the food and would definitely recommend it. They have a good variety of locally sourced produce and also vegetarian & vegan options. https://www.gardenersarms.biz/
- “Lygon bar & grill” in Broadway. The courtyard is just perfect for Alfresco dining https://www.lygonarmshotel.co.uk/eat-drink/lygon-bar-grill/
Enjoy the Cotswolds 😊