Cotswolds Guide
The Cotswolds is an area in south-central England. The Cotswolds cover an area ranging from the Cotswolds Hills to an escarpment called the Cotswold Edge. The Cotswolds were designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1966 and contain mostly rural landscapes with historic towns, stone-built villages, and stately homes and gardens.
Typical Cotswold towns include Bibury, Burford, Chipping Norton, Cirencester, Moreton-in-Marsh and Stow-on-the-Wold. One Cotswold town, Chipping Campden, is well-known for being the home of the Arts and Crafts movement, founded by William Morris at the end of the 19th century. The Cotswolds is around 40 km across and 145 km long. The Cotswolds stretches from Stratford-upon-Avon to Bath.
Cotswolds History
Neolithic burial chambers as well as remains of Bronze and Iron Age forts provide evidence of early human habitation in the Cotswolds. Later, the Romans built villas such as at Chedworth, settlements such as Gloucester, and paved roads such as Fosse Way.
During the Middle Ages, the Cotswolds prospered from the wool trade with continental Europe. Much of this money was used to build churches. More recently, the Cotswold town of Chipping Campden became the home of the Arts and Crafts movement, founded by William Morris at the end of the 19th century. The name Cotswold comes from "wold" meaning gentle hills and "cots" referring to sheep.
Cotswolds Attractions
The Cotswolds is known for its exquisite towns and villages. One of these is the market town, Chipping Campden. It features a glorious "wool church" and a lovely 17th-century covered marketplace. There's also an Arts and Crafts legacy to enjoy. Check out the Old Silk Mill on Sheep Street to browse a cooperative of today's craftsmen and take a look at the Court Barn Museum, set in a 17th-century farm building, which tells the Arts and Crafts story.
Four miles from Chipping Campden lies Hidcote Manor. It features one of the most inventive gardens of the 20th century.
Broadway
The attractive village of Broadway lies at the foot of the Cotswold Edge. In the early 20th century, John Singer Sargent and Henry James among others gathered here. The furniture designer, Gordon Russell, grew up in Broadway and his workshop is now an absorbing design museum. Also in Broadway is a new branch of Oxford's Ashmolean museum. It celebrates the decorative arts and includes furniture and paintings that belonged to Elias Ashmole, the founder of the museum.
2.5 miles south of Broadway is Snowshill Manor, a classic country house and a collector's treasure trove. It contains the extraordinary collection of architect Charles Wade. The gardens are an in the Arts and Crafts style.
Stow-on-the-Wold is another charming Cotswold town. Browse its art galleries including the Red Rag and Fosse Gallery.
Bourton-on-the-Water
Featuring a lovely green, five little bridges and gracious 17th and 18th century houses, Bourton-on-the-Water is a splendid sight. Unfortunately, this draws hordes of visitors. However, the visitor can enjoy attractions such as the beautifully crafted Model Village, the Bourton Model Railway, and the Dragonfly Maze.
Upper & Lower Slaughter
The Slaughters are another Cotswold treat. The visitor should take the easy, mile-long stroll between the twin villages of Upper and Lower Slaughter. The path runs beside the River Eye past scenic cottages and around an old flour mill, now converted into a tea and craft shop and a museum. By the way, the name "Slaughter" has nothing to do with meat production but rather derives from the Anglo Saxon word for mud.
Bibury
The picturesque village of Bibury in Gloucestershire lies on the pristine River Coln, a tributary of The Thames. Artist and craftsman William Morris (1834-96) once called Bibury "the most beautiful village in England." Over a century later in 2023 a recent survey confirmed just that. The charming 14th century weavers' cottages of Arlington Row are now the main source of the village's popularity with visitors.
Burford
Burford offers one of the Cotswolds' most compelling sights. By standing at the top of Burford High Street, the visitor can see a lovely road, lined by antique buildings with mullioned windows and leaning gables, sweeping downhill to the River Windrush. Visitors shouldn't miss the Tudor market house and Robert Reavley (at number 124), England's oldest pharmacy, founded in 1734. The 15th-century almshouses in Church Lane are another sight not to be missed.
Cheltenham
Cheltenham offers elegant architecture with Regency terraces and swirling wrought-iron flourishes along Suffolk Square and Queen's Parade on Parabola Road. Cheltenham also boasts an absorbing art gallery and museum called The Wilson, named after Edward Wilson, who was born in the town and who died in 1912 on Scott's Antarctic expedition. The permanent collection includes a renowned exhibition on the Arts and Crafts movement.
Located eight miles north of Cheltenham, Sudeley Castle is a honey-colored stone edifice complete with banqueting hall. It was once owned by Katherine Parr, the last wife of Henry VIII.
Painswick
Painswick, with its charmingly winding streets, is set high above the Severn Valley. Painswick offers sudden and dramatic vistas such as the 14th century church of St Mary. The Painswick Rococo Garden on the northern edge of town is a masterpiece of early 18th-century landscape design. There is also convenient access to the Cotswold Way and other walking trails from Painswick.
Westonbirt Arboretum is Britain's national arboretum. It lies about three miles south of Tetbury. Westonbirt Arboretum features more than 16,000 trees and the well-kept trails - about 17 miles of them.
Lacock
The visitor may recognize half-timbered, honey-coloured Lacock because it has featured atmospherically in numerous films, from Harry Potter to Cranford and Pride and Prejudice. The visitor shouldn't miss Lacock Abbey, a medieval dwelling turned country house that also celebrates the work of its former resident, Henry Fox Talbot, who invented the photographic negative.
Cotswolds Shopping
Cheltenham has a wide array of shops. Visit the Montpellier district for designer boutiques and the popular Suffolks area for antiques.
Cirencester and its charming streets of golden stone are a haven for independent shops. Tiny Black Jack Street is a great place to start. The visitor will find the Stableyard there, home to appealing boutiques, and Cowley House with its assortment of accessories. Over by Castle Street, the New Brewery Arts Centre features contemporary crafts and visual arts.
Tetbury is another haven for antique-browsing. Visitors should head to Long Street Antiques at 14 Long Street for terrific displays of porcelain, paintings, and silver as well as 40 or so dealers. Also, check out the Highgrove Shop at 10 Long Street. It sells a wide selection of products from the Highgrove estate and elsewhere. Products range from gardening gloves to candles, and the profits benefit the Prince's Charities. Around one mile south of Tetbury, the Veg Shed at Close Farm, Shipton Moyne, sells the organic vegetables and meat produced at Duchy Home Farm.
In the northern Cotswolds, Daylesford Farmshop, near the village of Kingham, has an organic deli, café, clothing store, gardening shop, cooking school and spa.
Meanwhile, in nearby Chipping Norton, Jaffé & Neale, at 1 Middle Row, is a bookshop/café that reminds you how pleasant browsing for books can be and is therefore difficult to leave once you enter.
In the southern Cotswolds, the Burford Garden Centre, on the eastern edge of town, features a wide variety of outdoor delights, with everything from roses to picnic rugs.
For the region's very best contemporary crafts (ceramics, hand-printed textiles, etc.) visit Painswick. Check out the light-filled Guild Gallery on Bisley Street.
Or, for a gourmet bounty, check out William's Fish Market and Food Hall at 3 Fountain Street in Nailsworth. Marvel at the seafood or stock up on Cotswold cheeses and pates. The visitor might want to stop for coffee or lunch at the cafe.
Finally, regular outdoor farmers' markets are held across the Cotswolds, usually once or twice a month in any given town. Stow-on-the-Wold, for example, hosts one on the second Thursday of each month.
Cotswolds Hotels
With so many Cotswolds towns and villages, there is plenty of choice for accommodation style and location.
Accommodation in the Cotswolds is given a special charm by the local honey-coloured limestone. Buildings from the 16th and 17th century have been converted into hotels, holiday cottages, pubs and inns or Bed and Breakfast businesses, as well as some excellent farm stay accommodation.
Hotels - The Cotswolds area is home to a great range of hotels - from budget to boutique. From Ellenborough Park, a luxury hotel and spa in Cheltenham, to the more moderately priced Porch House in Stow-on-the-Wold.
Bed & Breakfast & Guesthouses - There are some wonderful B&Bs in the Cotswolds. The owners can give you all the local information you need. Cotswolds B&Bs can have one room or several, and can be in the middle of a town or on the outskirts, so there is a great variety to choose from. For example, a visitor might choose the secluded yet convenient Treetops Guest House in Moreton in Marsh.
Cotswold Self-Catering Accommodation - Self-catering accommodation (Holiday Cottages) in the Cotswolds are another option. The presence of local shops and farmers' markets nearby makes for a satisfying experience for keen cooks and food lovers. Self-catering also offers visitors the chance to stay in converted barns, luxury/traditional flats, town houses or bungalows, etc. There's usually a good pub nearby to ensure that you don't need to cook every night. Old Manor Holiday Cottages near Tewkesbury are an example of this kind of accommodation.
Camping - Camping in the Cotswolds is a good option - the Cotswolds hills have a network of campsites with some great locations that include the Cotswold Farm Park.
The ivy-clad Swan Hotel is a 17th-century former coaching inn that offers private trout fishing on the River Coln. The Swan Hotel offers 22 cozily-furnished rooms and a noted restaurant serving locally sourced food with a seasonal twist.
Cotteswold House, Cotswolds Riverside Cottage and Rosebank Barn are all recommended cottages or holiday homes to stay.
See here for a complete listing of places to stay in Bibury.
Cotswolds Access - Getting To Cotswolds
By Rail: All rail service from London to the Cotswolds departs from Paddington Station, which has its own London Underground station. To travel to the Cotswolds from London by train takes about 1 ½ hours and trains run every hour, 7 days a week. Although rail services do not cover the whole of the Cotswolds, it is possible to travel to and from Bath, Cheltenham, Stratford, Chippenham, Gloucester, Kemble, Moreton-in-Marsh Station, Kingham and Oxford.
By Car: Driving from London to the Cotswolds takes about 2 hours and utilizes well sign-posted major roads. The M4 motorway provides easy access to Bath, Castle Combe and the South Cotswolds. The M40 motorway provides access to Oxford and Stratford and the North Cotswolds.
By Coach: National Express offers coach service to the Cotswolds. The main route to the Cotswolds from London starts at Victoria Coach Station and takes about 3 - 4 hours. Coaches run regularly from London to the Cotswolds, although there is no service on Sundays. The main coach stops in and around the Cotswolds are at Bath, Bourton-on-the-Water, Cheltenham, Chippenham, Gloucester, Moreton-in-Marsh, Northleach, Oxford, Stow-on-the-Wold, Stratford-upon-Avon, Stroud.
Cotswolds Maps
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