Top Things to Do on Your First Visit to the Cotswolds

We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.

The Cotswolds is one of the prettiest places in England, home to many charming fairytale villages full of traditional English character. The Cotswolds has a gorgeous, picturesque countryside. It’s the best place to get away and recharge.

We spent a few weekends in the Cotswolds housesitting with trusted house sitters. Trusted house sitters is the perfect way to get a cheap weekend away, whilst also looking after someone’s lovely pets.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to use Trusted housesitters and would rather relax in a hotel. Click here to book hotels in the Cotswolds.

Best time to visit the Cotswolds

You can visit the Cotswolds year-round, but autumn is an especially beautiful time to go. There’s something about the orange leaves covering the paths and cottages that makes the Cotswolds feel magical — almost like a real-life Harry potter! When we visited, the sun was shining, making the picturesque autumn scene even more magical.

I would recommend visiting in the spring or autumn, as the Cotswolds can be quite busy during the summer months due to school holidays and the more likely guarantee of good weather. While summer offers the best weather, spring and autumn provide a more peaceful and equally captivating experience.

How to get to the Cotswolds

We drove by car from Manchester, the drive was around 2 hours and 45 minutes, if you are staying in London, it will about a 1 to 2 hours’ drive depending on where you live.

You can travel to the Cotswolds by train and easily get around on the local buses, or by renting a car. Renting a car will mean you will have more freedom to explore the gorgeous sites of the Cotswolds.

There is nothing better to do in the Cotswolds than driving around to the little picturesque villages, going on some nice countryside walks. stopping in the cute little cafes and pubs.

Top things to do for a weekend in the Cotswolds

Burton on the water

Burton on the water is a gorgeous, picturesque riverside village located in the heart of the Cotswolds, it is known for its unique scenes and being on the water. The water is so clear when you walk along the river.

You can explore the village, it has many cute cafes, bakeries and pubs where you can buy so many nice, tasty treats. We stopped at Box Bush for coffee and cookies, the sweet treats were amazing. There so many cute local cafes which are highly recommended. We would recommend getting here early, we got here around 9am on Sunday and we pretty much had the whole place to yourselves.

Here we did a long walk to the other villages, we would recommend stopping in one of the cafes and taking a look at the Model Village.

You can also visit Hawestone Brewery which is Jeremy Clarkson’s brewery!

Long Walk – Burton on the water, upper slaughter to lower slaughter

Whilst in burton on the water, you can do a long walk to upper slaughter and lower slaughter. We did a 10km loop which we followed on All Trails, this walk showed the gorgeous countryside of the Cotswolds. We started this walk early Sunday morning and the path/trail was really quiet, and we were also very lucky as it was a beautiful sunny morning. The views were stunning.

In upper slaughter, they wasn’t too much there to do. We admired the honey-coloured stone houses and the countryside views.

In lower slaughter – they wasn’t many cafes or pubs to visit. Plus, we visited early on Sunday, there was a cute coffee van near the old mill, where I would recommend getting a coffee from. The views and houses along lower slaughter are incredible.

On your way back to burton on the water, you will along the gorgeous countryside forest and scenery of the Cotswolds.

To follow the trail we took, click here.

Stow on the Wold

We were lucky that whilst we were staying in the Cotswold housesitting, we were a couple of minutes drive away from the famous stow on the wold. It’s the perfect base for a weekend in the Cotswolds. As you are probably around 30 minutes drive to all the popular sites of the Cotswolds.

Stow on the wold is a beautiful town in the middle of the Cotswolds. So many cosy gorgeous pubs and restaurants. We got snow when we were here and felt like we were in Love Actually.                                                                                                                        

What we did in Stow on the Wold?

• We had Sunday roast at the Porch House – which claims to be one of the oldest pubs in England. It has a cute cosy vibe in there. It is expensive here – I would probably advise going somewhere for food.
• Yew Tree Door – St Edwards Church. A very fairy tale door which feels like you are apart of Harry Potter!
• Cotswolds Chocolate Company – This is a local chocolate shop within the village as soon as you walk in you are hit with the small of chocolate which is amazing. We went here late on the Friday, so brought some treats for throughout the weekend.
• If you are looking for a Cheap Lunch – try Cotswolds Baguettes. We stopped here for lunch, it’s the perfect place to grab a quick bite to eat.
• Off the Square Pub – If you love beer and ales. You need to stop at this micro pub. We visited on a Friday night.
  

Castle Combe

The first village we visited was the beautiful Castle Combe. This village was voted one of the prettiest villages in England and we can see why! It has a lovely fairytale, harry potter feel to it. The stone cottages in Castle Combe are built from the honey-colored Cotswold stone that gives the area its distinctive look.

These cottages often feature steeply pitched roofs, mullioned windows, and vibrant flowerbeds that add to their fairy-tale appeal. The village is set within a wooded valley, with the tranquil river flowing gently through it. The surrounding countryside is characterised by rolling hills, lush greenery, and scenic walking paths that offer breathtaking views of the Cotswolds.

We followed an All-Trails route here, the route was a nice 5km loop around the forest which finished on the other side of the village which ended at a pub called The Castle Inn where we were able to sit out and enjoy the sunshine.

Diddly Squat Farm Shop

A trip to the Cotswolds wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Clarkson’s Farm – Diddly Squat Farm Shop. Be prepared for how busy it can get!

We arrived at the farm shop around 10-11am, and the queue to get in was huge. We decided not to go into the shop and instead had some food from the food van outside called Baste, and a beer from Jeremy’s brewery, Hawkstone. In this area, there were little stalls from the shop set up within the seating area.

Daylesford Farm Organic

We stopped here after stopping at Diddy Squat on drive to Stow on the Wold. Daylesford Organic is one of the prettiest farm shops which I’ve ever been too, there’s so much good stuff here from the gorgeous plants, organic food and drinks and it also has a lovely café.

The farm shop is expensive, but has very good quality items.

We went in November time and the shop were filled with Christmas items.

What I would do next time I visit the cotswolds?

Next time, I visit the Cotswolds. I have made a list of the places, I would be visiting.

Farmers Dog – Jeremy Clarkson’s new pub

If you have been watching the new Clarkson’s farm on Amazon, you will know all about the Pub! Its definitely on my list to visit next time I’m in the Cotswolds.

Broadway – Broadway Tower and Dover hill

Broadway is another gorgeous town which is located at the top of the Cotswolds, people tend to visit Broadway tower for sunset.

If you like hiking, you can also link in Dover Hill and do a 9.3km loop with Broadway tower.

Click here for the route.

Snowshill Village

Next time I’m in the Cotswolds, I’m definitely making a stop in Snowshill. I want to visit Snowshill Manor—a quirky old house packed with all sorts of eccentric treasures, from Samurai armour to vintage bikes (yes, really).

There’s a circular loop off the Cotswold Way that takes you through peaceful woodland and up to some stunning hilltop views—exactly the kind of slow, scenic wander I love.

I also want to snap a photo of that cute red phone box outside the village church—it’s straight out of a movie. And honestly, just walking around the hills near the village sounds perfect. You can also loop in Lavender Farm as mentioned below.

Lavender Farm

The Lavender farm looks amazing, its located near Snowshill. Its a family run farm where over 35 varieties of lavender bloom across 70 acres of rolling hills. From mid-June to early August. The fields burst which offers stunning photo opportunities, and you can also see the lavender oil being made.

With a wildflower meadow, woodland trails, and a café serving lavender-infused treats, it’s a perfect summer escape in the heart of the Cotswold.

Cirencester – Bibury

I really wanted to visit here, when we stayed in Tetbury. But the weather was so bad, we decided against it. Its named the prettiest village in England and its definitely next on my list when visiting the Cotswolds.

Visit the Swan Hotel and relax by the river on the deck chairs. You need to visit Arlington Row which is national trust, with its storybook charm and origins dating back to the 14th century, is the perfect place to visit for a glimpse into England’s timeless history and picturesque countryside beauty.