Best village in cotswold

The Cotswolds are a large area and home to numerous towns and villages. Would you be traveling by car or relying on public transport - that makes a difference. Are you looking for a small pretty village off the tourist route, do you plan on hiking/walking in the area. Do you want to see neolithic earthworks (they abound), Roman villas, castles they are all in the Cotswolds. Are you interested in pubs, good food, lots of pubs offering decent food (or at least used to in pre-COVID times. A bit more info would help....

We will have a car. We have two boy ages 6 and 8.

What are your plans for the kids? I can't imagine there's anything of much interest for them in the Cotswolds.

I am with JC on this one.

The Cotswolds covers a huge area - where are you coming from and going to?

If you want to be near Oxford and Blenheim Palace, then Minster Lovell would be a good base. Chocolate box cottages and the ruins of a 15th century hall to explore. Stay at The Old Swan.

Castle Combe is a good base for a day trip to Bath.

We staying six nights at the Volunteer inn in Chipping Campden and used it as a base to do the Cotswolds, Oxford, Blenheim Palace and Stratford Upon Avon.

It has the best pub in town and a great Indian restaurant.

Consider visiting Warwick Castle, we saw many families with children there. Kids seem to enjoy it.

We’ve stayed in both Chipping Campden and Stratford Upon Avon. Both were fine. As Stratford is larger there are more restaurants to choose from for the children.

Thank you so much! It will be for two nights and then we head to the Lake District. I appreciate your replies.

Broadway and Bourton-on-the-Water are also nice places to stay. In Bourton-on-the-Water there is a miniature model village, it’s a one-ninth scale replica of Bourton itself. It is located behide The Old New Inn.

Hi Yvette.

There are plenty of towns and villages that could serve as your base. We really enjoy using Chipping Campden and Stow-on-the-Wold as a base and explore from there.

We enjoyed an afternoon at the Cotswolds Falconry Center just west of Moreton-in-Marsh. They have plenty of interesting birds to view up close and their demonstration of how the birds hunt was engaging. I think it is something young kids would enjoy.

I second the idea of Bourton-on-the-Water as being worth a visit. It is a tourist magnet, but we did think it was a beautiful village. The Motoring Museum and Model Village should keep the kids interested.

Don't overlook The Cornish Bakery. Yum.

Best,

JB

If you are looking for things to amuse and entertain your two sons, you may like to consider the following:

Cotswold Farm Park - https://cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk/. This is a working farm with a varied collection of animals, but also an adventure playground and a full range of other facilities and things to do. Adam Henson is well-known in the U.K. as the co=presenter of a tv programme about the countryside.

Corinium Museum - https://coriniummuseum.org/. Cirencester was the second largest Roman town in Britain, and this excellent museum tells the story. Just outside Cirencester are the remains of a Roman ampitheatre, and sometimes it's good to see something which hasn't been restored and feel you are making your own discoveries.

Chedworth Roman Villa - https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/chedworth-roman-villa. In this beautiful Cotswold setting are the remains of a large Roman villa with mosaics, bath-house, heating system, etc.

Gloucestershire & Warwickshire Steam Railway - https://www.gwsr.com/. Travel on a full-size train, probably steam-hauled and see the exhibits and demonstrations.

Stanway House - https://www.stanwayfountain.co.uk/ This is a family home, so lacks the careful arrangement and meticulous organisation of other historic homes. It also has the highest gravity-fed fountain in the world, which can drench careless children who get too close. Fun on a hot day.

If you're a fan of the PBS series Father Brown, the church used in the series is in Blockley ... it's on my list for my 2023 trip ... and Chavenage House (Trenwith from the PBS series Poldark) is in Tetbury.