The Cotswolds stretch across five counties, and almost every village could be on a postcard. Their golden limestone cottages, grand wool churches and old coaching inns tell the story of the medieval wool trade, which made the area rich. It is a protected landscape of great beauty.
The trick is to see a handful slowly rather than twenty from a car window. Here are eight to start with, spread across the Cotswolds. For each, we have included what to see and a tip for the best visit.
1. Bibury
Bibury, in Gloucestershire, was described by the designer William Morris as the most beautiful village in England. It lies beside the River Coln, a clear trout stream. It is one of the most visited villages in the Cotswolds.
Its most famous sight is Arlington Row, a line of steep roofed stone cottages beside a meadow and a stream. The buildings began as a wool store in the fourteenth century and were turned into weavers’ cottages in the seventeenth. It is one of the most photographed streets in England.
The village also has a trout farm, where you can feed the fish or catch your own. The Swan Hotel, beside the bridge over the river, is a lovely old coaching inn. The church is peaceful.
Bibury is very busy with coach tours in the middle of the day, so arrive early in the morning or late in the afternoon. The people who live in Arlington Row ask visitors to respect their privacy. The countryside around the village is lovely for walks.
2. Castle Combe
Castle Combe, in Wiltshire at the southern edge of the Cotswolds, is often called the prettiest village in England. It sits in a wooded valley beside a small river. It looks as if it has hardly changed in centuries.
The village has a market cross, a medieval church and rows of old stone cottages along its main street. The bridge over the river is one of the most photographed views in the Cotswolds. There are no modern buildings in sight.
Castle Combe’s unspoilt look has made it a favourite with film makers, and it has appeared in many films and television series. Visitors often recognise it from the screen. It is a peaceful and magical place.
There is a car park at the top of the village, and visitors walk down into the valley. The village has a pub, a tea room and a hotel. Castle Combe Circuit, a motor racing track, is nearby.
3. Bourton-on-the-Water
Bourton-on-the-Water, in Gloucestershire, is often called the Venice of the Cotswolds, because the River Windrush flows through the middle of the village under a series of low stone bridges. It is one of the most popular villages in the Cotswolds. On summer days, visitors paddle in the shallow river.
The village has plenty to see. The Model Village is a perfect copy of Bourton, built in the 1930s at one ninth of its real size. Birdland is home to penguins, flamingos and many other birds, and the Cotswold Motoring Museum has classic cars and toys.
Every August bank holiday, a football match is played in the river, a tradition going back more than a hundred years. The village is full of tea rooms, pubs and shops. It is a great place for families.
Bourton is very busy in summer, and the car parks fill up. It is lovely early in the morning, before the crowds arrive. The Slaughters are a short walk away.
4. Lower Slaughter
Lower Slaughter, about a mile from Bourton-on-the-Water, is a peaceful village beside the little River Eye. Its name has nothing to do with slaughter, and probably comes from an old word for a muddy place. It is much quieter than Bourton.
The river runs through the middle of the village, with small footbridges and stone cottages on either side. The Old Mill, a nineteenth century watermill with a waterwheel, is now a museum, café and shop. It is one of the most charming spots in the Cotswolds.
A lovely footpath follows the river to Upper Slaughter, a mile away. Upper Slaughter is known as a thankful village, because all the men who went to fight in the First World War came home. It is a peaceful place.
The walk from Bourton to Lower Slaughter and on to Upper Slaughter, across fields and along the river, is one of the best short walks in the Cotswolds. It takes about an hour each way. There are lovely hotels and pubs along the way.
5. Stow-on-the-Wold
Stow-on-the-Wold, in Gloucestershire, is a hilltop market town, one of the highest in the Cotswolds. It has a large market square surrounded by old stone buildings, shops and inns. For centuries, great sheep fairs were held here.
Stow is known for its antique shops, which line the square and the streets around it. Collectors come from far and wide. There are also tea rooms, galleries and gift shops.
The north door of St Edward’s Church is framed by two ancient yew trees, growing on either side of the doorway. It looks like something from a fairy tale, and some believe it inspired a scene in the writing of J.R.R. Tolkien. It is one of the most photographed doors in England.
In 1646, the last battle of the first English Civil War was fought near Stow. The town has old coaching inns with log fires. It is a good base for exploring the northern Cotswolds.
6. Chipping Campden
Chipping Campden, in Gloucestershire, is one of the finest small towns in the Cotswolds. It grew rich from the wool trade in the Middle Ages, and its long, curving High Street is lined with honey coloured buildings of every period. It is often described as the jewel of the Cotswolds.
At the heart of the High Street stands the Market Hall, built in 1627, where farmers once sold cheese, butter and poultry. The church of St James is one of the finest wool churches in the Cotswolds, built with the money of wealthy wool merchants. Its tall tower can be seen from far away.
Chipping Campden is the start of the Cotswold Way, a long distance path that runs for about a hundred miles to Bath. Dover’s Hill, just outside the town, is the site of the Cotswold Olimpicks, games of rural sports held since the seventeenth century. Court Barn is a museum of the Arts and Crafts movement, which flourished in the town.
The town has lovely hotels, pubs and shops. Hidcote, one of the most famous gardens in England, is nearby. It is quieter than some of the more famous villages.
7. Broadway
Broadway, in Worcestershire, has a wide, grand high street lined with honey coloured buildings, grass verges and trees. It is one of the most elegant villages in the Cotswolds. It has attracted artists and writers for more than a century.
On the hill above the village stands Broadway Tower, a folly built in the late eighteenth century, from which you can see many counties on a clear day. The tower has a museum. The walk up to it from the village is steep but rewarding.
The village has galleries, antique shops, tea rooms and a museum of art. The Lygon Arms, an old coaching inn, is said to have hosted both King Charles I and Oliver Cromwell. It is a lovely place for lunch.
Snowshill Manor, a short drive away, is a National Trust house filled with an extraordinary collection of objects gathered by one eccentric collector. Broadway makes a good base for exploring the northern Cotswolds. It is very busy at weekends.
8. Burford
Burford, in Oxfordshire, is known as the gateway to the Cotswolds. Its steep High Street runs down a hill to a medieval bridge over the River Windrush. The street is lined with old stone houses, inns and shops.
The church of St John the Baptist is one of the finest in the Cotswolds. In 1649, during the Civil War, a group of soldiers known as the Levellers, who had mutinied, were imprisoned in the church, and three were executed in the churchyard. Graffiti carved by one of the prisoners can still be seen.
Burford has antique shops, tea rooms, bookshops and old inns. The Tolsey Museum tells the story of the town. The views from the top of the High Street over the Windrush valley are lovely.
The Cotswold Wildlife Park, a short drive south, has rhinos, giraffes, penguins and many other animals, set in the grounds of a manor house. Burford is about half an hour from Oxford. It is a great first stop for visitors coming from London.
Village hopping by the hour
Parking in the prettiest villages is scarce and the lanes are narrow. Keep a car and driver by the hour and hop between three or four villages in a day, with lunch in a pub and nobody on driving duty.
A good day might start early in Bibury, move on to Bourton-on-the-Water and the Slaughters, stop for lunch in Stow-on-the-Wold, and finish in Chipping Campden or Broadway.
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