Museums that transport you back to the Domesday Book, yellow-stone Cotswold villages straight from a chocolate box and manors perched on rolling, emerald hills. If you like the great outdoors, you'll love The Cotswolds, a region that spans central England and the south west. If you’re looking for things to do in the Cotswolds – well, there’s plenty. Potter around Broadway or Bilbury, spot buzzards sweeping across the hilltops, raid farmers markets for local culinary delights like single Gloucester cheese or treat the kids to a day out at Cotswold farm park. After trekking escarpments, you can even swap hiking boots for top hat and tails at race days in elegant regency Cheltenham. Top that off with a stay at a choice of cosy Cotswolds cottages and hotels, and you’ve got a staycation to remember.
Places to visit in The Cotswolds
Slow things down in Hidcote Manor Gardens
Forget about the outside world for a few hours in this perfect spot of Gloucestershire.
Location: Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire
Seek out wild garlic flowers amongst Gloucestershire’s woodland
Wild garlic flowers are pretty little things to spot on a summer’s ramble in the Cotswolds, and make for a delicious addition to your salad bowl.
Location: The Cotswolds, Gloucestershire
Explore the rooms and grounds of Snowshill Manor
From suits of Samurai armour to antique bicycles of all shapes and sizes, there are about 22,000 reasons to take a nose round Snowshill Manor.
Location: Snowshill, Gloucestershire
Take part in the Cotswolds & Severn Vale circular cycling tour
Enjoy a circular self guided cycling holiday tour, so you spend a week exploring the Cotswolds & Severn Vale, on your bike with optional day routes.
Location: Gloucestershire, Cotswolds
Retrace the Cotswolds’ Arts and Crafts movement
Explore William Morris's Cotswolds as you relive the area's arts and crafts movement in Chipping Campden and Broadway.
Location: Chipping Campden & Broadway, Gloucestershire
Experience a revival of Cotswolds’ culinary traditions
Perfect your culinary skills at Thyme at Southrop’s cookery school, then explore some of the Cotswolds’ best restaurants in Bibury and Nailsworth.
Location: Southrop, Gloucestershire
Get into green camping in the Cotswolds
Camp out amongst elderflowers and starlight at Thistledown Campsite. Acres of idyllic woodland surround your tent, waiting to be explored for free.
Location: Nympsfield, Gloucestershire
Enjoy afternoon tea in a thatched Cotswolds cottage
Tour the Cotswolds’ hidden gems and receive a warm welcome at the Secret Cottage, a private home where you are invited to traditional afternoon tea.
Location: Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire
Escape to Winchcombe, the walking capital of the Cotswolds
Explore an undiscovered side to the north Cotswolds by combining a tranquil stay in the ancient town of Winchcombe with some fantastic walking routes.
Location: Winchcombe, Gloucestershire
Take a trip through the Cotswolds on a steam railway
Sit back and relax as you explore the Cotswolds on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway.
Location: Toddington, Cotswolds