Plan a trip to The Cotswolds

The Cotswolds is a small region west of London between the city of Oxford and the city of Bath. The rolling hills that are of a honey-colored limestone gives the stone houses a unique yellow color and it seems like the entire Cotswolds area grows out of the landscape. 

The Cotswolds is an area to be enjoyed unhurriedly. The way to do it is to trek along the Cotswolds Way which is a 164 km long-distance footpath that runs from the city of Bath in the south, along the River Severn, to the market town of Chipping Campden. By the way do stop by this charming town. It has two special buildings, the Market Hall from 1627 is the oldest and is listed as a Grade 1 building, and another interesting Grade I building is the 1612 almshouses on Church Street. 
The trail of the Cotswolds hills passes through many of Cotswolds beautiful villages and towns and each could be a candidate for “most beautiful village in the UK”. Some of our favorites:  

Castle Combe, left intact since the 17th century, is considered by many to be the prettiest village in England and is on the list of Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Wiltshire, England (AONB). 

On the other hand, if you agree with a famous  artist that claimed Bibury, which is on the River Coln, deserves the title of “The most beautiful village in England” please let us know! In the 17th century Bibury was a community of weavers providing woven fabric for Arlington Mill. Today it is a unique town and like most of the villages in Cotswolds is postcard beautiful with original honey-colored terraced cottages with slanted rooves that is picture perfect. 

Then again, Stanton is a small village almost completely built of the honey-colored limestone and has been called “architecturally, the most distinguished of the smaller villages in the North Cotswolds" as well as “arguably the most beautiful Cotswolds village of them all” and the prettiest and idyllic authentic village of the Cotswolds". 

Upper Slaughter and Lower Slaughter are twin villages with a meandering river called River Eye that flows though both villages, which is one reason that they are on the list of the of most important “Historic Places in England”.

Note: (1) slough’ or ‘slothre’ is Old English for muddy waters  
(2) Historic Places in England – there is a list with over 400 sites to visit that includes buildings, historic waterways battlefields, forts,  monuments, parks, gardens, and much more.

Bourton-on-the-Water, like the other villages in Cotswolds, is a small village with the houses built of the honey-colored stone. The moniker for this town is “Venice of the Cotswolds” due to the fact that the River Windrush flows by the town and over the centuries five stone bridges, the oldest one dating back to 1654 had been built over the river. 

Not only is Cirencester the largest town in Cotswolds but it is also the capital city of the region. It is situated on the Churn River, a tributary of the Thames. The Corinium Museum exhibits the development of the Cotswolds from prehistoric times and has an important collection from the time when Cirencester was 2nd in size and importance in what was then the town of Corinium (London was 1st). In this very small town, which is also known for its market as well as stores and boutiques, you can take a walk around The Abbey Grounds Park and see a ruin of the Roman Wall.  

Cotswolds area is the largest AONB in the UK and well-worth a visit and you can choose any village or town for that perfect “Kodak Moment”!