What To Do In The Cotswolds
If it’s your first time visit to the Cotswolds or if you are a repeat traveller, there is plenty to do for everyone. From countryside to villages and towns, sport events or exhibitions you will not get bored whatever time of the year you will chose to visit.
For you to plan your trip a little bit ahead we want to share some ideas for places to visit and things to do. Please feel free to reach out to us before you book or before your arrival at either of our holiday rentals should you have any questions as we know you want to make the most out of your trip and some local information might be helpful along the way.
Bourton-on-the-Water
One of our main attractions in the village is Birdland Park and Gardens. With a lot of different birds to watch, a nice walking trail and a coffee shop you can make it a day out or just visit for a couple of hours to enjoy the different bird species including penguins.
Around the corner of Birdland you will find the Model Village. It is lovely little model of Bourton-on-the-Water and it gives you a good overview of the village.
Also in the village you will find the Cotswolds Motoring Museum and Toy Collection voted the number one attraction in Bourton where you can discover seven galleries packed with vintage-car collections, a fascinating and unique toy collections as well as the children’s TV favourite Brum.
Villages around the Cotswolds
Driving through the Cotswolds you will realize that most of the villages could easily make it into the tourist books as they are all beautiful and quaint, but of course there are the outstanding once which we do want to mention here as well.
Chipping Campden is probably one of the most beautiful villages in the country. With its thatched houses, lovely market place and inviting little tea shops it is a must to stop to enjoy the quintessential Cotswolds.
Broadway marking the end of the Cotswolds to the north-west impresses with its grand high street, well-manicured greens and inviting pubs and tea rooms. But equally impressive is Broadway tower on the top of the village where you can enjoy a spectacular view – on a good day up to 16 counties. Also starting in Broadway is the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway. It is a lovely project supported by many train enthusiastic volunteers who bring the steam trains of the past century to life.
Burford is another beautiful village situated in Oxfordshire and best known for its row of honey-coloured houses climbing up the high street. It combines the best between country charm and a good selection of local shops. If you have time (and a little extra space in your car), we can recommend stopping at the Burford Garden Centre, they do not only impress with their exceptional selection of flowers, shrubs and trees, but have an excellent restaurant and food shop.
Winchcombe with its little coffee shops and pubs, antique stores and individual shops are worth a visit to have a stroll along the high street and enjoy shops you don’t find on the average high street. Just outside of Winchcombe you will find Sudeley Castle with its stunning grounds. Inside you will find an exhibition of the castles history and depending on the time of the year they organize events.
Being an important market town in older days Stow-on-the-Wold is well worth a visit today. You will find a good choice of restaurants, pubs and coffee shops as well as a variety of shops to stroll around and can enjoy the elevated view into the rolling hills.
Bibury is another well-known village which is worth stopping by. Although relatively small it has a big attraction due to its trout farm. You can visit the farm to learn a lot about this special fish and if you fancy a fresh trout for dinner they sell them ready to cook in their shop.
Last but not least and our favourite are The Slaughters. If you think about a perfect little English village, Lower Slaughter will come to mind. With its picture-perfect cottages situated along the river Eye, its picturesque mill and stunning country houses you are only a 2 minute drive from Larks Rise to see the best of it all in one place. If you have the time we can recommend to walk from Lower to Upper Slaughter to enjoy the scenery and not to miss another beautiful village around the corner.
Still time left to see some more? Maybe not as well-known as the villages above, the following villages can still compete with the beauty of the main attractions.
Half way between Bourton and Cirencester lays the quaint little village of Chedworth. Unlike most villages it does not have a village centre but rather stretches in total over a mile with its pretty Cotswolds stone houses. One of the main attractions of the village is Chedworth Roman Villa which shows the remains of one of the grandest Roman villas in Britain. Chedworth is also a good starting point for some pretty walks around the countryside.
Taynton is one of the smaller villages just outside of Burford. When you come back from Burford we can recommend to drive through this lovely little Cotswolds village with its beautiful houses and typical English gardens.