I assume Rick Steve's London is only London and his Great Britain is everything. So, which book covers Coltswolds in depth??? What town is the "epicenter" of the Cotswolds? We have two days Coltswolds: Looking for best itinerary, best book, best base (affordable yet charm / quad room). I want to hit the top 10 most quaint places there... :) Pete Charlotte, NC June 2012: England, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32351 posts
Peter, The England 2012 would probably be the most detailed book for coverage of the Cotswolds. Regarding which town to stay in, I used Stow-On-The-Wold as a "home base" and that worked well. I'd suggest using a rental car in that area, as the public transportation is a bit "sparse" in some cases. Of course, that will involve driving on the "correct side of the road", so hopefully you won't have any issues with that. If you decide to use Stow, have a look at The Old Stocks Hotel. It's a really old building, but lots of character. The portion sizes in the restaurant are "generous", so you'll eat well! If you decide to order the "Full English Breakfast", I'd suggest asking them to "hold" the Black Pudding!!! If you want more "basic" accommodations, there's a Hostel next door as I recall. With two days, you won't have a lot of time to do much exploring in the area, so choose your touring carefully! Happy travels!
Posted by
Spring, Texas
635 posts
I like black pudding. Is there something wrong with theirs? Stow is a good base but there are many other wonderful places to stay. Some are in small villages and others are in single family homes out in the countryside. I suggest you search the archives here and also check out TripAdvisor.
Posted by
Ann Arbor, Mi
3696 posts
I stayed at the Volunteer Inn in Chipping Campden and it was great... above a pub and lots of fun, but a bit rowdy on weekend, but only till about 11 or so. I also stayed at a country type estate called Walton Hall outside of Stratford and the setting was wonderful. The rooms were a bit old and tired, but it didn't matter since the rest was so wonderful. As for top ten sites... there are so many... why not just drive around and see what you find? One of my favorite 'quaint' places is Greater Tew...beautiful thatches there and one pub. Great soups and a fun place for lunch.