Cotswolds
5
Day Itinerary •
UK
Five days in the Cotswolds gives you the full extraordinary depth of England's finest rural region, from the famous honey stone villages of the north to the hidden wooded combes and creative market towns of the south. Beyond Bibury and Broadway lie the extraordinary medieval glass of Fairford, the Rococo garden of Painswick, the Roman mosaics of Cirencester and the finest Saturday farmers market in Britain at Stroud. This route moves south through the Cotswolds over five days, beginning in the iconic north Cotswold villages before crossing the limestone escarpment into the quieter, wooded valleys of the south. The extraordinary Sapperton Canal Tunnel, the hexagonal Norman tower at Ozleworth and the Westonbirt Arboretum reveal a Cotswolds that most visitors never find.
Best Time To Visit
April to June or September to October
Getting There
Train to Moreton-in-Marsh or Kemble from Paddington
Getting Around
Car essential. A429 Fosse Way connects north and south
Budget Per Day
Approx 120 to 375 GBP per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, village walks and driving
DAY 1
NORTH COTSWOLDS
MORNING
BOURTON-ON-THE-WATER AND THE HIDDEN VALE OF BOURTON
Bourton-on-the-Water is the most visited village in the Cotswolds, its extraordinary low stone bridges over the River Windrush and its honey-coloured Georgian facades the quintessential image of the region. At 8am before the coaches arrive it is one of the finest villages in England. The model village in the garden of the Old New Inn is an extraordinary recreation of the town itself at 1:9 scale. Entry to model village approx 4 pounds. Drive/Travel: 20 min drive
MIDDAY
BOURTON-ON-THE-HILL AND THE FINEST HIDDEN VILLAGE IN THE NORTH COTSWOLDS
Bourton-on-the-Hill is the finest and least visited of the north Cotswold villages, its single steep street of extraordinary honey stone cottages rising to the church with views over the Vale of Moreton below. The adjacent Batsford Arboretum is the finest collection of ornamental trees in the Cotswolds, extraordinary in autumn colour and spring blossom. Entry to arboretum approx 12 pounds. Drive/Travel: 15 min drive
AFTERNOON
CHIPPING CAMPDEN, THE MOST PERFECT COTSWOLD MARKET TOWN
Chipping Campden is the finest market town in the Cotswolds, its extraordinary curved High Street of 14th to 17th century wool merchants' houses unchanged for three centuries. The extraordinary Market Hall of 1627 stands in the middle of the road. The Church of St James with its perpendicular tower is the finest wool church in England. The almshouses of Sir Baptist Hicks are extraordinary. Entry to church free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The village of Snowshill, 3 miles from Broadway, is one of the most extraordinary and least visited in the Cotswolds, its extraordinary manor house containing one of the strangest private collections in England: 22,000 objects accumulated over a lifetime by eccentric architect Charles Wade including samurai armour, clocks, bicycles and musical instruments. The village itself has no pub or shop and is entirely unspoiled. National Trust entry approx 14 pounds.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Saye's Bakehouse, Bourton Outstanding sourdough and pastries at the finest bakery in the north Cotswolds. Arrive before 9am. | Lunch: The Churchill Arms, Paxford The finest country pub lunch in the north Cotswolds. Outstanding seasonal menu and local ales. | Dinner: Eight Bells, Chipping Campden The finest inn restaurant in Chipping Campden. Outstanding local lamb and Cotswold beef.
DAY 2
THE WINDRUSH VALLEY
MORNING
BIBURY, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGE IN ENGLAND
William Morris called Bibury the most beautiful village in England. The extraordinary Arlington Row, a 14th-century row of weavers' cottages beside Rack Isle water meadow, is the most photographed building in the Cotswolds and one of the finest medieval survivals in Britain. The River Coln running through the village and the extraordinary Bibury Trout Farm give it a setting of quite remarkable beauty. Entry to trout farm approx 3 pounds. Drive/Travel: 20 min drive
MIDDAY
BURFORD, THE GATEWAY TO THE COTSWOLDS
Burford is the finest example of a Cotswold wool town, its extraordinary steep High Street descending to the River Windrush lined with 15th to 18th century buildings of honey limestone in extraordinary variety. The Church of St John the Baptist contains extraordinary medieval stonework, a monument to Speaker Lenthall and the marks scratched by Leveller prisoners in 1649. The independent shops of Burford High Street are the finest in the Cotswolds. Entry to church free. Drive/Travel: 15 min drive
AFTERNOON
BOURTON-ON-THE-WATER TO BOURTON EVENING WALK
The Windrush Valley Walk between Burford and Bourton-on-the-Water follows the extraordinary River Windrush through water meadows, ancient mills and the extraordinary villages of Windrush, Great Barrington and Little Barrington, returning through the finest valley bottom landscape in the Cotswolds. The 6-mile walk takes 3 hours through extraordinary countryside. The evening light on the water meadows is remarkable. Entry free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Sherborne Estate water meadow walk between Sherborne and Windrush, 4 miles south of Burford, is one of the most extraordinary and least visited walks in the Cotswolds, following the Windrush through a valley with no roads or buildings in sight in any direction. The extraordinary medieval barn at Great Barrington and the complete absence of other walkers make it the finest hidden walk in the region. Entirely free to walk via public footpath.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: The Swan Hotel, Bibury Outstanding full English breakfast at the finest hotel in Bibury, beside the River Coln. | Lunch: The Bay Tree, Burford Outstanding Cotswold lunch on Burford High Street. The local trout and seasonal game are extraordinary. | Dinner: The Lamb Inn, Burford The finest inn in the Cotswolds, operating since 1420. Outstanding local food and exceptional wine list.
DAY 3
STOW AND BROADWAY
MORNING
STOW-ON-THE-WOLD AND THE LARGEST MARKET SQUARE IN THE COTSWOLDS
Stow-on-the-Wold at 800 feet is the highest and most windswept Cotswold town, its extraordinary large market square surrounded by fine stone buildings and the extraordinary St Edward's Church whose north door, flanked by ancient yew trees, is believed to have been the inspiration for Tolkien's Doors of Durin in The Lord of the Rings. The antique shops of Stow are the finest in the Cotswolds. Entry to church free. Drive/Travel: 15 min drive
MIDDAY
THE SLAUGHTERS, THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY HIDDEN VALLEY IN THE COTSWOLDS
Upper Slaughter and Lower Slaughter, connected by the Eye stream, are the two finest unspoiled villages in the Cotswolds. Lower Slaughter with its extraordinary Victorian corn mill on the Eye and its Georgian manor is the most photographed. Upper Slaughter, virtually unknown, has an extraordinary church with a Norman doorway and a village of complete perfection. The 2-mile walk between them along the stream is extraordinary. Entry free. Drive/Travel: 20 min drive
AFTERNOON
BROADWAY, THE SHOW VILLAGE OF THE COTSWOLDS
Broadway is the most famous village in the Cotswolds outside Bourton, its extraordinary wide High Street of honey stone buildings drawing visitors from across the world. The Broadway Tower on the escarpment above, a folly built in 1799 by the Earl of Coventry, gives a 360-degree view over 16 counties on clear days and is the finest viewpoint in the region. Entry to tower approx 8 pounds. The walk up from the village takes 40 minutes.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Ford and Cutsdean villages in the hills above the Vale of Evesham, 4 miles northwest of Bourton-on-the-Hill, are among the least visited in the entire Cotswolds, a cluster of extraordinary farms and cottages in a hidden valley of complete perfection. The racehorse training stables at Ford exercise strings of thoroughbreds across the valley lanes at dawn. The walk between Ford, Cutsdean and Temple Guiting along the Wardens Way is extraordinary. Entirely free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Huffkins, Stow-on-the-Wold The finest tearoom in the Cotswolds. Outstanding pastries, crumpets and proper English breakfast. | Lunch: The Slaughters Manor House Outstanding country house lunch in the finest setting in the Cotswolds. Book ahead. | Dinner: The Lygon Arms, Broadway One of the finest old coaching inns in England. Outstanding Cotswold lamb and local game.
DAY 4
PAINSWICK AND CIRENCESTER
MORNING
PAINSWICK, THE QUEEN OF THE COTSWOLDS
Painswick in the south Cotswolds is the most extraordinary and least visited of the large Cotswold towns, its extraordinary collection of 18th-century wool merchant tombs in the churchyard, its 99 clipped yew trees planted in 1792 and its extraordinary Rococo Garden making it the finest town in the southern Cotswolds. The view from the churchyard over the surrounding hills is remarkable. Entry to Rococo Garden approx 10 pounds. Drive/Travel: 30 min drive
MIDDAY
CIRENCESTER, THE CAPITAL OF THE COTSWOLDS
Cirencester was the second largest city in Roman Britain after London, its extraordinary Corinium Museum containing the finest collection of Roman mosaics in Britain outside London. The market square with its extraordinary church of St John the Baptist, the largest parish church in England, and the 16th-century weavers' cottages are remarkable. The twice-weekly market is the finest in the Cotswolds. Entry to museum approx 6 pounds. Drive/Travel: 20 min drive
AFTERNOON
THE COLN VALLEY AND THE FORGOTTEN RIVER VILLAGES
The Coln Valley from Cirencester to Fairford contains the finest sequence of hidden river villages in the Cotswolds: Coln St Aldwyns, Quenington, Hatherop and the extraordinary Fairford with its medieval church containing the only complete set of original medieval stained glass in England. The Church of St Mary at Fairford is the finest medieval interior in the Cotswolds. Entry free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Sapperton Canal Tunnel at 3,817 yards was the longest canal tunnel in Britain when completed in 1789 and is now a roofless ruin of extraordinary Gothic and classical portals visible from either end. The towpath walk through the Golden Valley from Chalford to Sapperton, following the restored Thames and Severn Canal through extraordinary beech woodland, is the finest valley walk in the southern Cotswolds. Entirely free. The Daneway Inn at the tunnel entrance is the finest canal pub in England.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: The Falcon, Painswick Outstanding Cotswold breakfast in the finest hotel in the southern Cotswolds. | Lunch: Jesse's Bistro, Cirencester Outstanding local food in the finest independent restaurant in Cirencester. Local trout and seasonal veg. | Dinner: The Bear of Rodborough, Stroud Outstanding Cotswold inn dinner with extraordinary views over the Stroud valleys.
DAY 5
STROUD AND TETBURY
MORNING
STROUD AND THE FIVE VALLEYS, THE SECRET CREATIVE CAPITAL OF THE COTSWOLDS
Stroud is the finest and most extraordinary hidden town in the Cotswolds, its five radiating valleys containing an extraordinary concentration of independent makers, organic food producers, artists and musicians who have made it the most creative town in the region. The Saturday farmers market is the finest in Britain outside London, its extraordinary range of local produce, artisan bread and independent stalls attracting visitors from across the country. Entry free. Drive/Travel: 20 min drive
MIDDAY
TETBURY AND THE FINEST ANTIQUE TOWN IN THE COTSWOLDS
Tetbury is the most extraordinary antique and independent shopping town in the Cotswolds, its extraordinary 17th-century Market House on pillars and the remarkable Church of St Mary with its extraordinary 18th-century Gothic interior making it the finest historic town in the south. The Highgrove estate of King Charles III is adjacent and the Duchy of Cornwall farm shop sells the finest estate produce in Britain. Entry to church free. Drive/Travel: 30 min drive
AFTERNOON
THE WESTONBIRT ARBORETUM AND THE FINEST TREE COLLECTION IN BRITAIN
Westonbirt National Arboretum near Tetbury is the finest collection of trees in Britain, its 16,000 specimens including the largest collection of acers in the country creating the most extraordinary autumn colour spectacle in England. The ancient woodland section with trees planted in the 1850s is remarkable in any season. Entry approx 14 pounds. The treetop walkway gives extraordinary aerial views.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Ozleworth Valley near Wotton-under-Edge is one of the most extraordinary hidden places in the entire Cotswolds, a steep wooded combe entirely invisible from any road containing the extraordinary 12th-century church of St Nicholas of Myra, the only hexagonal Norman church tower in England, standing alone in a field with no village. Access is by footpath only through the Newark Park estate. Entirely free to visit. The spring bluebells in the surrounding woodland are extraordinary.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Woodruffs, Stroud The finest organic cafe in the Cotswolds. Outstanding local ingredients and the finest coffee in the region. | Lunch: Calcot Manor, Tetbury Outstanding country house lunch in the finest hotel in the southern Cotswolds. Book ahead. | Dinner: The Trouble House, Tetbury The finest country pub in the south Cotswolds. Outstanding local game and Cotswold beef. Exceptional wine.
Where To Stay
North Cotswolds, Nights 1 to 3 Dormy House, Broadway or The Lygon Arms. Approx 150 to 350 GBP per night. South Cotswolds, Nights 4 to 5 The Painswick Hotel or Calcot Manor. Approx 120 to 280 GBP per night. Budget Option Various B&Bs throughout the Cotswolds from approx 60 to 100 GBP per night.
Top Tips
1. Stroud Saturday market: arrive by 9am for the finest selection. The cheese, bread and meat stalls sell out early.
2. Westonbirt Arboretum in October: the Japanese maple section at peak colour is among the finest sights in England.
3. Fairford Church medieval glass: the finest complete medieval stained glass in England. Go on a sunny morning.
4. Painswick Rococo Garden in February: snowdrops and aconites in the extraordinary formal garden. Extraordinary.
5. Ozleworth Valley hexagonal tower church: accessible only on foot. The most extraordinary hidden church in England.
6. Tetbury Highgrove estate: guided tours by booking only through the Duchy of Cornwall office. Book months ahead.
Total Budget
120 to 370 GBP/day