PUB FOOD & ALES
Order local Donnington bitter, Gloucestershire Old Spot pork, and double Gloucester cheese beside stone hearths in centuries-old taprooms.
The Cotswolds.
EUROPE/UNITED KINGDOM/51.8330° N, 1.8433° W
Oolitic limestone defines every roof, wall, and barn across this eighty-mile escarpment running from Chipping Campden down to Bath. The sheep paid for the fourteenth-century perpendicular churches, though today the days revolve around walking muddy public rights of way and sitting by open hearths with a pint of bitter. High wolds drop into steep wooded coombes, offering quiet farming valleys once you turn off the main coach routes.
Last updated 2 Sept 2026
Field notes
Photographs · Wikimedia CommonsWhat The Cotswolds is about
Twelve ways to read the region. Pick a town below and you can turn any of these into a timed 1, 2 or 3 day plan.
LONG-DISTANCE WALKING
Follow the 102-mile Cotswold Way along the dramatic limestone escarpment from Chipping Campden south to the abbey steps in Bath.
HISTORIC CHURCHES
Trace wool-merchant fortunes at St James in Chipping Campden and the massive 15th-century parish church of St John Baptist in Cirencester.
HISTORIC GARDENS
Wander the sculpted yew hedges at Painswick Rococo Garden and the famous outdoor rooms of Hidcote Manor near Mickleton.
ROMAN HERITAGE
Inspect preserved mosaic corridors at Chedworth Roman Villa and the sprawling Roman street grids recorded at Cirencester's Corinium Museum.
LOCAL CHEESE
Sample Single Gloucester PDO, creamy stinking bishop from Dymock, and sharp truckles aged at organic farm creameries across the valleys.
COUNTRY ESTATES
Tour monumental 18th-century baroque architecture at Blenheim Palace and royal gardens at Prince Charles's Highgrove estate.
ANTIQUES & MARKETS
Browse timbered showrooms along Stow-on-the-Wold's square and Tetbury's Long Street for 18th-century oak dressers and vintage brassware.
RIVER VALLEYS
Walk the willow-lined banks of the River Coln through Bibury and the quiet paths along the Windrush toward Minster Lovell.
HISTORIC INNS
Check into former coaching stops like The Lygon Arms in Broadway, pouring ales beneath timber rafters since the 16th century.
WOOL TOWNS
Explore steep hillside lanes in Painswick and Burford, where 15th-century weavers built tall gables from honey-coloured rubble stone.
TRADITIONAL CRAFT
Observe drystone wallers working local stone without mortar and Guild of Handicraft metalwork preserved in Chipping Campden.
Where to go in The Cotswolds
The bases worth booking. Each one has its own field guide with 1, 2 and 3 day itineraries.
- 01Chipping Campden
GLOUCESTERSHIRE / UNITED KINGDOM
Its sweeping high street of honey stone makes an ideal base for walking the Cotswold Way.
- 02Cirencester
GLOUCESTERSHIRE / UNITED KINGDOM
The ancient Roman capital offers substantial market squares and an unpretentious working-town feel.
- 03Stow-on-the-Wold
GLOUCESTERSHIRE / UNITED KINGDOM
High on the ridge, this windy market square delivers antique shops and solid stone coaching pubs.
- 04Tetbury
GLOUCESTERSHIRE / UNITED KINGDOM
Browse vintage shops on Long Street before touring Prince Charles's royal gardens at Highgrove.
- 05Painswick
GLOUCESTERSHIRE / UNITED KINGDOM
Known for ninety-nine clipped churchyard yews and steep lanes climbing above the Painswick Valley.
- 06Burford
OXFORDSHIRE / UNITED KINGDOM
A steep high street drops dramatically to an ancient three-arched bridge over the River Windrush.
- 07Bourton-on-the-Water
GLOUCESTERSHIRE / UNITED KINGDOM
Arrive early before day-trippers crowd the low arched footbridges spanning the River Windrush.
- 08Broadway
WORCESTERSHIRE / UNITED KINGDOM
Worcestershire elegance shines along a broad, chestnut-lined road of sixteenth-century manor houses.
- 09Castle Combe
WILTSHIRE / UNITED KINGDOM
A quiet southern valley village of mellow stone cottages untouched by modern overhead street cables.
- 10Winchcombe
GLOUCESTERSHIRE / UNITED KINGDOM
This walker-friendly base provides direct footpaths to Sudeley Castle and Belas Knap long barrow.
- 11Malmesbury
WILTSHIRE / UNITED KINGDOM
Perched on a hilltop, England's oldest borough is crowned by a magnificent ruined twelfth-century abbey.
- 12Bath
SOMERSET / UNITED KINGDOM
Georgian crescents and thermal Roman baths anchor the southern terminal point of the Cotswold hills.
What to do in The Cotswolds
Stretching across six counties from the Severn Valley to the upper Thames, the Cotswolds is an undulating plateau of Jurassic limestone. Days follow a gentle, rewarding rhythm: brisk ridge walks along the Cotswold Way, unhurried lunches of local roast pork in stone taverns, and wandering wool towns like Northleach and Painswick. It suits walkers, garden enthusiasts, and anyone who appreciates quiet lanes and good draft cider.
When to go to The Cotswolds
May and June bring long daylight hours, blooming gardens, and manageable footpath crowds. July and August see heavy tour-bus traffic in Bourton and Bibury. October offers crisp walking weather and copper beech foliage, while winter brings damp chill, roaring log fires, and blissfully empty village lanes.
Getting around The Cotswolds
Trains from London Paddington reach Moreton-in-Marsh, Kemble, and Charlbury in under ninety minutes. To link the smaller valleys like the Slaughters or Slad, rent a compact car to navigate narrow stone-walled single-track lanes. Local buses run sporadically, so plan connections around market-day timetables.