Advice on Cotswolds home base

We really liked Broadway. It is very quiet in the evenings which our son found a bit under-stimulating but which we liked. It has a lovely walk up to Broadway Tower where there is a nice cafe.

william,

I stayed in Stow-On-The-Wold and quite enjoyed my time there. I also had a car and the hotel offered free parking, which was nice. I found that it was a convenient home base for exploring other towns in the area. I stayed at this hotel - https://www.oldstocksinn.com/ .

When I went to England in August 2018, I had a difficult time finding accommodations in the Cotswolds. Everything was well-booked. Driving distances are short, so don’t get too hung up on where you sleep. Look for something comfortable at a price you like.

Moreton-in-Marsh is quite convenient as well.

@ Bill

https://www.royaloakramsden.com/ The women in my family have selected this restored Inn. Will be there next week for a couple of days. Seems a central location if you have a car. A retired legal mentor has given it the thumbs up. No idea if it is rated in the Steve's publications.

Regards Ron

Has anyone here stayed in Cheltenham proper? I love touring through small towns and the countryside, but I have to admit my preference is to stay in a place with more facilities - multiple restaurants, pubs, laundries, etc. Am I straying too far west from the prettier reaches of the Cotswolds if I stay in Cheltenham?

We have stayed in Stow-on-the-Wold three times now at both The Sheep on Sheep and The Old Stocks Inn. IMO it’s a great place as a base and a charming town, not as crowded as some of the other villages.

We stayed in the Volunteer Inn in Chipping Campden. Large rooms, fair prices.

Best pub in town and great Indian restaurant.

If you have a car you could base in Cheltenham. It’s got some pretty bits and some not so attractive post war bits but it’s overall a nice small city. You could also look at Cirencester which is a large Cotswold town with plenty of options for food. Don’t know about laundry.

Thanks, Helen. Everyone has his/her own traveling style, and it's occasionally difficult to ascertain whether mine is going to work!

Since you have a car, try the village of Blockley. It's utterly charming, stunningly beautiful, very small, friendly people, a small market with everything you might need, a world class cafe, and two excellent pubs - the Great Western Arms was such a friendly pub and we met the nicest people. Ate there nearly every day! We stayed there for a week last summer and could not have been happier! If you've ever watched Father Brown, this is the village where most of it is filmed. The village is very central to many places you might want to see...Chipping Camden, Moreton in Marsh, Broadway, etc. There are some beautiful country houses in the are you can tour. The walking from there is EXCELLENT!

Would you have a recommendation on good locations in Cotswolds if you do not have a car? Based on a travel article I read, it’s suggested to take a train to Moreton-in-Marsh and use that as a home base and that from there you can take “the robin” bus and other buses to the various towns. We will be visiting for 2-3 nights. Any suggestions on best places to visit using public transport?

abcmccarthy Last year, I spent 5 nights in a rented cottage in Moreton in Marsh last year, and we did NOT rent a car as none of us wanted to be responsible for driving. We hired a driver to take us from Heathrow to our cottage in Moreton in Marsh. Our group of 4 adults made excursions to a variety of villages using a combination of train, bus, and taxi. First stop should be the very helpful visitor office in M-in-M, they gave us a list of phone numbers for local drivers, and they gave us copies of the local bus schedules too. Not all sights are easily accessible by bus, but many of them are. One day we hired a taxi to take us to Hidcote Manor Garden, and pre-arranged for the taxi to pick us up at Kiftsgate Garden at closing time. We took the train to Kingham for lunch one day. Another day we took the bus to Broadway and then hiked up to Broadway Tower. Another day we took the bus to Stow on the Wold, and then walked from there through Upper and Lower Slaughter, ending up in Bourton on the Water (then bus back to M-in-M at end of day). We saw quite alot this way, but next time I go back I think I'll rent a car to be able to see more villages. One note on hiring a taxi in the Cotswolds, you need to usually book your driver at least a day in advance - they are not readily available the way we are used to here in Los Angeles.

Hello,
We stayed in Blockley last visit and would not do so again. The churchyard and houses are very pretty, but the pubs were not. We prefer old-fashioned pubs and the ones there were quite new and unattractive, and sterile, which was disappointing because we enjoy. going to cozy pubs after a day out, and engaging with locals. It was fairly convenient to get to other places from Blockley because we had a car. This time, actually tomorrow, we'll be staying in Broadway which someone above already recommended. It's just a gorgeous village and we plan to be out and about when the tours arrive and be back after they leave when we've finished our day plans. Ther are so many lovely villages, that it's hard to go very wrong.