Off-the-beaten-path Must-see villages in the Cotswolds

Chedworth. Visit the roman villa then walk up to the pub in the village (Seven Tuns I think?) and have a nice lunch whilst supping the local ales all afternoon.

Thanks. I'll check that out. I've read so many guidebooks that I'm getting overwhelmed.

I rather enjoyed the few days I spent in Winchcombe. No tourists.

Loved visiting St. Peters with it's "grotesques" on the exterior and the altar cloth of Catherine of Aragon on the interior. You can also look for the Winchcombe Imp. Church is open every day and if you are lucky Thomas will be there to tell you it's history.

Town is an easy walk. Couple of lovely pubs. I liked sitting in the White Hart and looking out the window at the goings on of Main Street. Food was good as well. Also found the The Lion Inn comfortable for a pint after a day of hiking. Has a restaurant but didn't eat there.

Nice walk to Sudley Castle and Gardens which was lovely at Christmas time when I visited.

I also rather liked that I could do the hike to Belas Knap and Long Barrow from Winchcombe.

Ebrington and Painswick are both must see.

Thank you Claudia and Robin! I have been to Sudeley Castle, but not spent any time in Winchcombe. I really appreciate hearing about the details here and there that I should be aware of. And as of last night's research, Ebrington is on the itinerary. I will check out Painswick as well. I appreciate your input!

On one trip we took, our goal was to see old churches with wall paintings (in the Cotswolds). We liked Asthall (12th century church) with tombs and wall paintings and also Widford. Minster Lovell church is in a beautiful setting. We also stopped at Kelmscott. Enjoyed all of these.

Painswick for sure. Bradford on Avon is much underrated, not sure if it is technically in the Cotswolds, at least on the edge. Kingham is small and pretty, a couple of good pubs.

Thank you very much for your responses and ideas. Everything is so close together in England, but still so much to see and I don't want to get our itinerary overcrowded where we spend more time in the car than out of it. I will take all your suggestions into consideration. Thanks again! Good to know about Burford, and also to know that Asthall and Widford are really quite closeby.

A question about Bradford on Avon: Since we might be able to stop there the day before arriving in the Cotswolds, is it a very touristy place and difficult to find a place to park the car in early October? Also, if you can think of the must-see aspects of Bradford on Avon, anyone, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

Judy, As background: I travel to England every year, try very hard to avoid heavily touristed sites, and enjoy parish churches of architectural interest. In May 2017 I stayed at a B&B near Chastleton (an enjoyable, if not a "wow" National Trust house). In the northern Cotswolds, the churches at Bloxham and Adderbury have great stone carvings (corbel tables on the exterior). I also thought Broughton Castle (near Banbury) was an outstanding stately home.

I did not visit Bradford on Avon on this trip but have seen it in the past. I found far fewer tourists there than in Bath. It was very pleasant to walk along the canal tow path. There's a large, very interesting tithe barn. But what drew me to that village was seeing a small Saxon chapel, St. Lawrence.

When I visit England, I use as a reference Simon Jenkins' book, England's Thousand Best Churches. Are you familiar with it?

Thank you Elizabeth. I'm not familiar with Jenkins' book but have Bells Cathedrals and Harris' Guide to Churches and Cathedrals. I will Google Adderbury and Bloxham and check into the book on Amazon or Abebooks. I wish we had more time in the Cotswolds, but since we have only one full day and the morning of the next, we are trying to see places that are quite close together to avoid spending precious time just sitting in a car. I appreciate your input.

We spent the better part of a day in and around Bradford on Avon, starting off with an almost half day walk along the water. Late, long greasy lunch ( The Lion?). Nice main drag, interesting side streets, buildings and bridge, pleasantly hilly.