Cotswolds

They're all much of a muchness in my opinion. If you've seen one then there's not a great deal of difference between the next. How long you intend to stay in each village is down to you, how many cups of tea do you want? How long can you stretch out a pot of tea and a slice of lemon drizzle cake? How many antique shops do you want to browse?

I'm not a great advocate of The Cotswolds because I don't quite get the popularity of the area. I acknowledge that it's an attractive part of the country but there are hundreds of similar villages and towns up and down the country yet everyone appears to want to go to The Cotswolds and I don't recall reading many specific reasons why.

I can tell you how long I spent in The Cotswolds on my last journey through, 1.5 hours and that included a stop for tea and a thorough browse in the Cotswold Cheese Co. in Stow-on-the-Wold. From there it was a quick drive south through some of the other villages before hitting the M4.

It's perfectly fine for long country walks interspersed with a few tea or pub stops but I can think of better places in England for that.

It has no real "sights" to speak of, the sights are the buildings of the villages and their surroundings so have a look at images of some of the villages online and identify a few that pique your interest. You can then ask your driver to take you on a leisurely drive through them and stop when you want. It isn't London, Paris or Rome where there are a multitude of "must see's", it's simply a collection of old buildings in old villages dotted about some pleasant (but not outstanding) countryside.

ES
Our Sept "Best of England" spends the night in Stow-on-the Wold and about a half day tour, including a tour of Stanway House, in one village and we have a half day to explore before group dinner in a traditional English Pub and sip some local farmer's Hard Cider.
Hope this helps
Safe Travels

I think Stow on the Wold is the most typical, with a lot of history.. Bourton on the Water is very nice as well, but very touristy. Very much disagree with the poster above who apparently wasn't enchanted with them; I think they're wonderful and quite different from one another. Lacock with its fine old abbey was very interesting as well.

The Cotswolds are overrated and hideously busy. If you want character villages and are concerned about getting to Hereford by 4.30, why not visit some of the pretty villages nearby?

I recommend Ledbury - some good tea shops, art galleries, antique shops and the stunning black and white timbered Market House built in the 1600s. Nearby Eastnor has a Castle and there is the Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Very much disagree with the poster above who apparently wasn't enchanted with them;

It's difficult to be enchanted by somewhere that looks fairly like much of where I grew up. For me, it's normal, I've been surrounded by similar villages all my life and that's one of the points I try to make, The Cotswolds are not unique in the UK, you'll find villages like them all over the place so why go somewhere that is hideously crowded with tourists when you can go elsewhere and find the 'authenticity' and play at being a local that so many on here are looking for.

I can pop into my car and within 20 minutes be in the middle of the South Downs National Park with excellent hiking/walking opportunities with views that surpass those in the Cotswolds. Amble around quiet villages filled with thatched cottages and enjoy a pint and an excellent lunch in pubs hugging clear chalk streams teeming with trout. I could do that today and bump into only a handful of people (instead I'm taking the dog to the beach) so I have no desire to travel to The Cotswolds for what would be in my case, an inferior visit.

We stayed in Chipping Campden for six nights and used it as a base to visit places back in 2017. We loved the Cotswolds.
Rick Steves guide for Great Britain has a great one day self drive tour.

It takes about 8 hours to do this tour, but check it out for tips.

Cirencester is probably the largest city in the Cotswolds and the Roman Museum is very nice there. Loved the little village near Chipping Campden called Broad Campden. It has about 30 homes, almost all have thatched roofs.
Bourton on the Water is very nice.

and don't ask for 'hard cider' it doesn't exist, cider is just cider and always alcoholic!