If you imagine traveling through dreamy landscapes, through small villages in the English countryside with cottages with fireplaces, the Cotswolds is your place.
Welcome to the most beautiful villages in England, or so they say. Shall we discover them together?
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Travel to the Cotswolds
The beauty of these villages is not the only thing that will catch your attention, its people and its gastronomy will also catch your attention.
When it comes to choosing which villages to visit in the Cotswolds, planning a route is difficult, because there are many villages in this area of England, each with its own beauty, with its own characteristics, so it will depend on the amount of days you have for the tour.
A stopover in one of the villages is a great option to spend several days touring the surrounding area.
But not all of us are lucky enough to have several days, in our particular case only one, so we chose to stay very close to the area in Stratford Upon Avon (Shakespeare’s hometown).
Choosing accommodation in the Cotswolds
Choosing a hotel in any of the towns is also quite a task, since they all have a very special charm, with English breakfasts and a personalized service, since most of the accommodations are B&Bs run by their owners.
In our case, we did not stay in the Cotswolds as we were traveling, so we chose to stay at the b&b Virginia Lodge in Stratford Upon Avon. b&b Virginia Lodge, in Stratford Upon Avon..
We started our route from Oxford, to visit first Lackoc, Castle Combe, Bibury, and finish the day as we were saying in Stratford Upon Avon.
Did you see our post on the city of Oxford?
LACOCK
It was our first stop on the tour and it couldn’t have been more perfect.
We were led there by the knowledge that Lacock has been the location for many film shoots, including Pride and Prejudice, Harry Potter and Downton Abbey, and we were dazzled as soon as we arrived.
We would meet here for the first time with what we would later see is a custom in these villages of The Cotswolds, the sale of products in the doors of the houses with a “self service” system, you take what you want and you deposit the money of the value of the purchase through the mailbox of the door. Incredible, isn’t it?…. At least for us it was.
Lacock dates from the thirteenth century, has only 350,000 inhabitants and the National Trust organization ensures that everything is well preserved, and so you can see wooden and stone houses with a careful restoration.
The town originally prospered due to the local wool industry until the 13th century, thereafter the town depended on the tannery industry, and in more recent times on the tourist industry.
Although mostly owned by the National Trust, a large number of houses are inhabited by people whose families go back several generations in the village.
Walking through the village without any hurry, we can find pubs, tea houses, inns and stores.
Although we had other destinations, the thought of spending a night here in one of the inns was very tempting.
Find accommodation in the Cotswolds
CASTLE COMBE
After stopping in Lacock and almost not wanting to leave, we thought that nothing was going to please us anymore….. but it always happens again, and there was Castle Combe displaying all its charms to conquer us.
As in our previous stop, the population of Castle Combe does not exceed 350,000 inhabitants, and we found several curious tourists who come attracted by these stone houses that seem to have stopped in time.
Losing yourself walking for a few hours in the village will transport you to another era, time will stop for a few moments and peace and tranquility will take over you. Sounds tempting, doesn’t it? well, it is.
The Market Cross is the centerpiece of the town. It is believed to date back to the 19th century, when permission was first granted to hold a weekly market. Underneath it is a structure that was used to leave horses and wagons.
St. Andrews church is the church of Castle Combe. The first reference to it dates from 1291, the construction of its tower began in 1435.
A tour of Castle Combe, which by the way does not go beyond its main street, will also take us through pubs, inns and stores.
We will arrive without realizing it to the bridge of the city, which was made of wood until the XIII century when it was reformed. It deserves some nice pictures.
BIBURY
Forming part of all the lists of the most beautiful villages in the Cotswolds, as well as the most beautiful villages in England, we find Bibury.
After having visited the other villages with a lot of clouds, Bibury welcomed us with a beautiful sun, which made its green landscape, its pond and its stone facades stand out even more.
Perhaps the most recognized place in town is Arlington Row. It is a row of 19th century stone-built weavers’ cottages along the Coln River. The row of houses is now owned by the National Trust.
Bibury’s beauty makes it known as the capital of the Cotswolds, in short, it is a must-see.
Beyond the size of the village (small), you will enjoy a magnificent place, and you will leave it with many photos, but …….. is true that of the previous ones we visited we can also say the same.
Renting a car to tour the Cotswolds
There are many villages in the Cotswolds, we only did these because we had one day, but you have very good options in the area. We rented a car for the whole tour in the UK, but anyway to do this area it is convenient to do it, as it is the best way to do it.But anyway to do this area it is convenient to do it, as it is the most comfortable way to move, besides the routes are very beautiful and are already in itself a walk.
►If your arrival is at Heathrow airport, we leave you here a post on how to make the transfer to London: from Hethrow to London
The Cotswolds by public transport
Although I believe that the most comfortable and free way to visit the area is by car, you may be thinking of using public transportation.
You can get by train to some of the towns, although not all of them, but from there you can go by bus to some of the other towns. We leave you here a public transport guide to get around the Cotswolds, which although it is in English may be helpful.
Extras: video
We leave you here the video to complete the tour.
NOTE: The information in this article is based on our own experience, being totally objective. This article contains affiliate links
