Hi Everyone!
We will be staying in the Cotswolds in August for 2 nights and are wondering which town to stay in. We are looking for the most picturesque one (water, gardens, cozy, etc.) that is great for walking around. We will have our own car, so a train station or market closeby isn't necessary.
We will be staying in a B&B in whichever town we choose, so any advice in that regard is well appreciated also!
Thanks in advance & Happy New Year!! :)
MLR,
I stayed in Stow-On-The-Wold on my last visit and quite enjoyed my stay. It's in a good location for visiting other towns in the area, and the town had a good selection of shops and restaurants.
I also had a Car and during my stay I toured Upper & Lower Slaughter and Bourton-on-the-Water (unfortunately ran out of time so wasn't able to get to Moreton-on-Marsh, Chipping Campden or other towns - will add those to the list for the next visit).
Cheers!
If you want a picturesque village it would be Bourton-on-the-Water. It is very cozy, has a small river running thru it. We stayed there and loved it.
Bourton-on-the-Water is great for walking around, has some nice pubs, great tea rooms and has a model village (ninth scale) which opened in 1937. It is located at the Old New Inn, the village model has every building that is in the village. It is worth the visit.
We stayed in Morton in Marsh. We stayed the monday night since they have a town market that is open tuesday mornings. Was a lot of fun walking around the street market. It's run by a company that busses in people from the countryside that don't have cars.
There are other towns that seemed more "upscale" but this suited us just fine.
We stayed in Chipping Campden and LOVED it. We stayed in the Dragon House B&B...it only has two rooms, so it was quite cozy. Their garden was fantastic. We did a little piece of the Cotswold Way - to the Broadway Tower. We didn't do any of the other villages, so I can't compare, but we were very happy with our choice.
We also loved Burton-on-the-Water. It is indeed VERY cute. It's like a Disney-does-England.
But here-in lies the problem.
I think the wise traveller ought to look for what is cute AND real (which is likely not quite so cute as towns that have made themselves into tourist destinations.
In 2007 we stayed for a week in a lovely cottage rental in Painswick and had a wonderful time. What I will remember best about the town was that it was a real town. Quiet and cute, yes - and wonderful for walking with a lovely church and babbling brook and many rural walks. But there were no busloads of tourits wearing fanny-packs pouring over the town every morning.
Just a real town in real rural, picturesque England - within driving distance to everything in the Cotswolds, plus Bath and Salisbury Cathedral.
We love the hamlet of Stanton but you will have to drive to find a pub--there was a good one in Ford. Stowe is fine too and has the advantage of having a large Tesco. Another option would be Winchcombe which has quite a few restaurants. There is a cute farmhouse B&B there.
Randy, not sure what you mean when you say that you should visit a village that is "real". Bourton-on-the-Water is real, it hasn't changed how it looks just for tourist, it's been that way for more years then your age I'm sure. It's nothing like Disney, so not sure where you are coming from. Bourton-on-the-Water is a beautiful, quiant village that everyone should visit.
Bourton-on-Water is a Tourist Trap!!!!! Busloads of people keep pouring in... I was there with an English friend and we couldn't get out of there fast enough. It may look pretty but it is all geared to mobs of tourists!!! The rest of the Cotswolds are more authentic.
If you stay in Chipping Camden, you are minutes from a fabulous garden.....Hidcote (one of the best in the UK) and not from from Broadway and other nice places. Do some googling and you will find
lots of picturesque villages.
August is a busy month so be sure to book far enough in advance and inuire about parking for your car.
Each village and town has its special charm. In the end, we stayed in Chipping Campden (and Burford) and enjoyed wandering the streets at the end of the day of touring the area. There are lovely thatched-roof homes and pretty good choices for dinner. We stayed at The Chance B&B and loved it! Sally is a very friendly hostess, makes great breakfasts, and everything is very clean and comfortable. She gave us great help with driving routes, places to see, and where to eat. We'd love to go back for a month!
