We have the nights of Thursday and Friday, Oct. 22-23 open during our visit to England. This open period is sandwiched between an overnight in Oxford and two nights in Bath, followed by five in London. We'd love to hear any suggestions about a good base/lodging selection in the Cotswolds for Oct. 22 and 23. We had also wondered if it might be good to build in some flexibility during our visit to the Cotswolds and go without reservations, finding places as we go. Not sure how heavily booked they are during this time of year (?) Thanks in advance for any insights.
forgot to mention--we will have a car.
Stay in Chipping Campden for the 2 nights. We found this town to be truly delightful, though I would try to book ahead of time. We ate at Eight Bells Inn twice, only because we didn't book Saturday dinner. Food and service was great and they do book rooms. Walk the entire length of the town from around St James Church to St Catherine's - it is truly unique and historic. Be sure to walk up to the end of Sheep St - about 4 block to see 4 very unique thatched houses - almost like they are trying to outdo each other. Since you have a car, check out Lower Slaughter and Upper Slaughter for more cuteness. You can walk the Warden Trail - about a mile between villages, but be sure to check out The Mill for ice cream in Lower Slaughter and around the church in Upper Slaughter. In the church, they have a little honor system gift shop that provides local produce, books and even shoelaces!
We were just there 2 weeks ago and still can't get over how much we enjoyed the village and the area! We stayed at The Old Studio - a 2 bedroom self-catering cottage just off High Street, but it may be more room than you want.
On your way to Bath, be sure to include time for Lacock Village. Take in the chocolate shop and the ceramic shop by the old church. The barn across the The Red Lion Inn is unique in that it has the village lock-up cell attached.
Bourton-on-the-Water is a fantastic village to stay in, also Stow-on-the-Wold. It's great that you are going to have a car. There are some very beautiful villages that you should see.....Ebrington, Stanton and Painswick...we stayed in each of these villages last fall when we walked the Cotswold Way National Trail.
Stow on the Wold is a great base for the Cotswolds. From there we were able to explore the other small towns in the area. We stayed at the Stow Lodge Hotel and recommend lodging there. The rooms are a bit old and dated but it brought a certain amount of old English charm to the stay. Have a great trip!
Thu Oct 22 - Oxford to Chipping Camden, visiting Blenheim Palace and Hidcote Manor Garden
Fri Oct 23 - Cotswolds Romantic Road circuit from nearby Broadway, returning to Chipping Camden.
http://www.cotswolds.info/romantic-roads/broadway-to-broadway.shtml
Sat Oct 24 - Chipping Camden to Bath, visiting Gloucester Cathedral and Lacock
I would definitely book accommodation ahead.
I'd recommend staying at the Old Stocks Inn in Stow-on-the-Wold. My husband and I stayed there on our Rick Steves' tour in September. It's a lovely hotel and Stow-on-the-Wold is a good base for exploring the Cotswolds.
We stayed at Little Broom B&B in Maugersbury, half a mile from Stow on the Wold. At one time (if not now), she was recommended by Rick. Price was reasonable, breakfast (with many homemade jams) was excellent, and there's plenty of free parking on the quiet grounds - the big plus for us. We stayed in the studio apartment bedroom and found that having the kitchen/sitting area was lovely to have available. Brenda (owner) is a no-nonsense kind of horse riding/owner gal. We loved her. The grounds are as beautiful as they appear on her web page (not so sure about the yard in late October, though) and her house/breakfast room is old and quaint in a clean and modern sort of way. - http://www.cotswolds.info/webpage/little-broom.htm
We had a fabulous dinner nearby in Upper Oddington at this place: http://horseandgroom.uk.com/
Thanks to all of you for lending your insight and suggestions...VERY helpful!