In this session, we’ll immerse ourselves in planning for two days in the Cotswolds. We’ll use our process to help us determine:
- What we need to see?
- Where are we going to stay?
- Where/What are we going to eat?
This is Day 5 and 6 of our England/Wales/Scotland Trip. Day 5 finds us visiting a castle ruin worthy of Wordsworth and exploring our home base of Chipping Campden. Day 6 is a delightful driving wander of the Cotswold, highlighted by a visit to Winston Churchill’s “small” home. 🙂
We’ve got about a 3 hour drive to Chipping Campden. About 1:20 to Tintern Abbey and then another 1:30 to Chipping Campden.
The Cotswolds are a little piece of heaven. Areas of the Cotswolds feel like the Shire from the Lord of the Rings… small villages with picture-perfect small homes with a nice fire within. Thatch or slate rooms abound… each village has a character of its own… and in some cases they are almost impossible to find! The views over the picturesque hills – likely with sheep in view (this is wool country after all) makes for an immediate drop in blood pressure. I am very excited to introduce this area to my wife! 🙂
As much as things to see… there are places to see. Entire little villages call out for your attention. Reviewing St. Rick (Steves) and St. Lonely (Planet that is… 🙂 ) finds solid lists that should fit almost everyone.
What should we see?
Here is the primary list of sights:
- Tintern Abbey
- Chipping Campden
- Broadway
- Snowhill
- Stanton
- Stanway
- Northleach
- Bilbury
- Blenheim Palace
- Upper & Lower Slaughter
- Stow-on-the-wold
- Moreton-In-Marsh
Glorious Tintern Abbey is the site of a famous Wordsworth poem, and the drive down the Wye Valley (which separates England from Wales) is breathtaking. I’ve chosen Chipping Campden as our home base for our two nights, so we’ll get our bearings there. Blenheim Palace is the absolute no-brainer on the list above… plus any handful of the glorious little villages. We’ll spend the entire day bouncing around and will likely put on less than 60 miles on the car.
The secondary sights are also outstanding, but more tuned towards manors, houses, and some very touristy cities. Rule of thumb… if they can park a tour bus in the town… I will likely be avoiding it. 🙂 Arlington Row may be the most photographed sight in the Cotwolds.
- Stanway House
- Hidcote Manor Garden
- Broad Campden, Blockley, Bourton-on-the-hill
- Bourton-on-the-water
- Cotswold Farm Park
- Cirencester
- Chastleton House
- Arlington Row
My third list includes a few chapels, some flowers, and even a folly!
- Broadway Tower
- Church of St. Michael
- Snowshill Manor
- Cotswolds Lavender
- St. Edwards Church
- Cotswolds Motoring Museum
- Cotswold Falconry Center
Both St. Steves and St. Planet have guided walks/drives that will take you deeper into the Cotswolds or the towns of Chipping Campden or Stow-on-the-wold.
Where should we sleep?
Key determining factor here is where do you want to call home base. Chipping Campden and Stow-in-the-wold are called out by St. Steves for being just big enough to have choice but not tour-bus filled. But virtually every town has a place worthy of your time. These places cater to visitors who stay multiple days – inns and Bed & Breakfasts abound. I’ve grabbed a sampling of the nicer places identified by St. Steves and St. Planet. They are listed below – the city follows if they are not in Chipping Campden (where I decided to have our home base):
- Noel Arms Hotel
- The Lygon Arms Hotel
- Badgers Hall
- Eight Bells Inn
- Crafty Cottages
- Woolmarket House
- No. 12 (Cirencester)
- Barnsley House (Bilbury)
- Star Cottage (Burford)
- Wheatsheaf (Northleach)
- Falkland Arms (Chipping Norton)
- Wild Thyme (Chipping Norton)
During my last visit, I stayed at the Noel Arms Hotel. You can’t go wrong here – the bar is excellent! – so is the restaurant. The room was nice… but I was looking at stepping it up a slight bit with my wife along. I took some advice and am taking a chance with the Woolmarket House. It’s location is great (right on the main drag) and has a stylish vibe. There is no car park so we’ll need to hunt down parking, but I hope it is not too much of a challenge.
Finally… Where to Eat?
The Cotswolds are blessed with a significant number of “eating-well” choices. Due to the visitors from London and thereabouts, there is an abundance of farm-to-table, quality restaurants in many villages. “Eating-pubs” list is a bit shorter… many little gastropubs in the countryside have perfectly good places to stop for a pint or two, but the food is a cut above “pub” fare… even if it is served in a pub environment. Here is our short list:
- Eight Bells (CC)
- Michael’s (CC)
- The Old Butchers (Stow)
- Stow Lodge (Stow)
- Fox Inn (Stow)
- Horse & Groom Village Inn (Stow)
- Plow Inn (CC)
- The Ebrington Arms (CC)
A few notable mention Pubs:
- Bell at Stow
- Horse & Groom Pub
We are going to give Eight Bells a try on our first night, and The Ebrington Arms a try on our second night. I have not enjoyed either – they both look lovely!
So there you have it… here is our preliminary itinerary for Day 5 and Day 6:
Day 5:
- Drive from Wells to Tintern Abbey (Wales). Take in the atmosphere and look for a bite to eat after our experience.
- Drive from Tintern Abbey to Chipping Campden. Check in and walk the village to get a feel for the place. Dinner at 7 PM at Eight Bells – nightcaps afterwards
Day 6:
- A Driving Tour of the Cotswolds!
- Visit the Villages of Broadway, Snowhill, Stanton, Stanway, Northleach, Bilbury, Upper & Lower Slaughter, Stow-on-the-wold, Moreton-In Marsh.
- Tour Blenheim Palace.
- Dinner at 6:30 at The Ebrington Arms. nightcaps afterwards… but not too many since we have a short drive back to Chipping Campden.
I hope you have found this helpful. Next up – Prep for Day 7, 8 & 9 – North Wales and Snowdonia National Park.