Want to feel quintessentially British? Visit the Cotswolds! This place. Wow. What an absolutely gorgeous part of England. Cottage after cottage, pretty floral patches, thatched roofs and tea room after tea room after tea room. Scones and jam and cool clotted cream; thick and indulgent and just supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! (Don’t care if I sound precocious.)
There are endless gift shops to potter around in the various towns and villages of the Cotswolds, all full of beautiful trinkets and many with nostalgic music from the 1930’s – 1950’s playing. I don’t remember hearing one pop or chart song during my trip. Everything is very well thought out and it emanates a classic, traditional British charm.
It is clear to see why tourists from all over the world flock here; there is no mistaking where you are when in the famous Cotswolds – cute little cottages called even cuter names such as Rose Cottage, Plum Cottage and Raindrop Cottage. As a British person, I really enjoyed seeing all the tourists excitedly exploring as it made me feel proud that we have such a stunningly beautiful part of our country for people to come and see. I think Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Somerset are very special areas of the South of England. As for the North (and I am a Northerner myself) well, you have beautiful, underrated Yorkshire and The Lake District. Say no more.
I went with my friend Emma and we stayed in an Airbnb house, something neither of us had done before so we were intrigued as to what it would be like. We stayed two nights and it was extremely good value to say where we were. Southern England is reputably more expensive than the North but trust me, if you shop around it is very doable. I have no doubt that renting a cottage here would be outstanding, but if you are just wanting a few nights to initially explore a new area then Airbnb do great deals that allow you to do this for cheaper. Please use this link to get £35 off your first Airbnb stay. They do offer all sorts of options these days so you could probably rent out a cottage from here quite easily, rather than going via the usual travel agents or websites.
Our stay was quite humourous. We stayed in a gorgeous village called Condicote that ticked all the boxes of what you would expect from a little village in the Cotswolds – it is a dinky little place with stunning houses, gardens, a wheat field (would Mrs May please stand up*), a church and graveyard and epic views of the surrounding hills.
We experienced all different weather conditions over the course of our trip; we had sunshine but also wind and rain that came and went as they pleased, it was hard to keep up! I didn’t mind a little rain though, it gave this little village a fresh, English-y atmosphere and brought out the fresh scent of damp summer grass. Plus, what’s a holiday in England without a bit of rain?
*This trip took place during 2017 when Theresa May was Prime Minister and had recently revealed her ‘field of wheat’ tale so I’m a bit late to the game now. But to be honest, when won’t that be funny?
The house where we stayed was originally an old 18th Century post office which I found very exciting. It clearly had a lot of history attached to it and I loved imagining all the people of yesteryear pulling up outside in their horses and carriages with the intention of sorting out their mail. A village like that with lots of old buildings and lacking modernisation really allows you to soak up the past. Not much has really changed for a long time in terms of the layout of such a small place and I found this comforting and thought provoking.
The house was inhabited by our lovely host and two very energetic dogs whom we got a very warm welcome from. I like that about Airbnb, it feels like a home away from home and you get to experience the place you’re visiting from a very genuine perspective as you temporarily become a part of someone else’s household that lives this life every day.
We were staying in the outdoor bedroom which was across the garden from the house and all the…conveniences. We found ourselves trampling across the damp garden in the pitch black in cumbersome Wellington boots just to get ready for bed and use the toilet before realising that we hadn’t really thought this through – what were we to do in the likely event of needing the toilet in the middle of the night when all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a … oh no, they have two dogs!! Throw in a very small Grandchild on the final night and you have the ultimate over 30’s travel-anxiety fest!
If we were to get up to use the toilet in the night, surely the dogs would rouse and bark and wake the whole household up? This left us with two options, pray to almighty God that we wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place but if we were, just try and hold it in and go back to sleep OR … pee outside. I realised I had rarely stooped as low in my life when I was seriously considering this a viable option and scouting for places I could comfortably squat outside without rousing the entire village and insulting my already waning dignity.
Luckily we never had to resort to one of these less than appealing options as we didn’t wake up needing anything in the dead of night, thank the heavens!!
It certainly would have been one of my most jaw clenching moments, even in that beautiful, quaint village in the heart of the Cotswolds, it doesn’t matter where you are if it’s the dead of night and you need to go. Ooh, I’m having palpitations just thinking about it! That being said, I wholeheartedly recommend using Airbnb because it’s like a home away from home and you get to really experience the true way of life and meet some lovely people, and dogs! Just make sure you’re completely happy with the layout and amenities they offer before committing yourself to anything.
In other non-toilet related news, the places we visited in the Cotswolds were: Condicote, Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water, Broadway, Chipping Campden, Lower Slaughter and very briefly, Mickleton. I didn’t really have a favourite as there was charm in all of them and lots to see and do.
Stow gave us the ‘oldest pub in England.’ Or so it claimed. (We realised later that others have too made this bold claim including Ye Olde Man & Scythe in Bolton and Adam & Eve in Norwich.) Either way, this is at least one of the oldest pubs in England, which is very cool.
A cool Antique Shop complete with a creepy horse man sat on a shelf…but also lots of cool antiques to peruse. Olde worlde type places such as towns in the Cotswolds, Yorkshire and The Lakes always have some great antique shops which are fun to peruse at your leisure.
Lots of tea rooms with Cream and Afternoon Teas which is definitely what you want in the Cotswolds. The knowledge that a hearty scone and a cuppa are around every corner should precipitation ensue is very comforting knowledge.
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Broadway gave us The Broadway Deli which was a fantastic surprise as it is crammed full of delicious goodies that were pleasing to the eye and tantalising to the taste buds. A plethora of fruity wines, blocks of cheese, hunks of crusty bread, olives and dipping oils a plenty. It also seemed to be quite on the tourist map with the surprising touch of Broadway Deli souvenirs such as magnets and mugs.
This place is the embodiment of decadence.
A kaleidoscope of fruit liqueurs and delectable flower arrangements.
Bourton-on-the-Water impressed with its multitude of beautiful gift shops and with the river (the River Windrush) running through the village, flanked by a quaint bridge, it is affectionately known as The Venice of The Cotswolds.
We had a wander around the river and did a lot of darting in and out of gift shops to escape the sun-rain-sun-rain debacle we found ourselves a part of. All the tourists seemed to be nodding knowingly. Yep, we’re definitely in England. I could almost hear them exclaim from inside their canary yellow waterproofs whilst almost robotically snaffling their ice creams.
Mickleton as I mentioned earlier, was a brief stop. We literally found somewhere to park very quickly and hopped out to take a couple of photographs and then whizzed off again in search of Condicote. However, it was short but extremely sweet as there was an incredibly beautiful pub hotel with a delightful flower patch. This is exactly one of the reasons I love travel so much – just this – little hidden gems that radiate beauty and make you stop in your tracks and whip your camera out and feel so grateful to be alive.
I mean, just look at this:
Lower Slaughter presented us with a beautiful gift shop full of unique, hand-made wooden objects for the home and garden and a little 40’s style ice cream parlour with music from that era, it was very nostalgic. This was all situated in an old mill and with the river running near, you could sit on the river bank and eat ice cream from the quaint parlour by the old wheel and take in the tranquility, which is just what we did.
There is also an Upper Slaughter but we didn’t have time to go there.
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Chipping Campden introduced us to a lovely Church and Graveyard along with more stunning cottages and gardens. We had a wander inside the church and were greeted by a friendly man at the entrance who told us a bit of history about the place. St James’ Church is a ‘wool’ church due to the area being so proficient in the production of wool during the late Medieval Period.
There are lots of graves and looming trees here and it is both sombre and tranquil to walk round.
Chipping Camden is lined with buildings made from the signature, golden honey-coloured Cotswold stone which is quarried from nearby and helps the town look precious and unique.
As the Ipomoea Carnea climbs up the characteristically irregular cobblestones, a woman places her hand supportively on an old man’s shoulder as they tread their way along the clean, honey pavement. It is one of my favourite captures of our trip. I don’t know who these two are but they sure do encapsulate good team work and I thank them for being my unsuspecting models.
Chipping Camden was our final stop before our drive home. We had such a wonderful time here and I highly recommend it as a place for either a weekend away or a full holiday as there is so much to see and do. I can see why it isn’t possible for everybody because it is a lot harder to explore the different areas unless you have a car. Unless your accommodation is with Airbnb or you can get a good deal on a hotel in the heart of Cheltenham, you may be hard pressed to find something truly affordable. But, if you can find a way to get here then I wholeheartedly recommend it. I will always have a little place in my heart for the beautiful Cotswolds.
Have you been to the Cotswolds, reader? I would love to hear about it if you have!
