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
Learn the art of chocolate making at Slattery Patissier & Chocolatier
Chocolate lovers should make a beeline for the leafy north Manchester suburb of Whitefield, where they’ll find John Slattery’s Patisser and Chocolatier.
Location: Whitefield, Greater Manchester
Watch cheese making at The Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company
Observe Cheddar’s last remaining cheesemakers as they go about their work and learn the tricks of their trade.
Location: Cheddar, Somerset
Enjoy the outdoors and its culinary delights at Talton Lodge
Surely there’s nowhere other than Talton Lodge where you could combine canoeing, Tug O’ War and sausage-making courses?
Location: Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire
Make your own cheese in rural Somerset at Hagley Bridge Farm
Learn how to fill your fridge with cheese, yoghurt and butter made by your own fair hand.
Location: Watterow, Somerset
Get clued up on healthy cooking at Harborne Food School
Learn how to cook healthy, sustainable food at Birmingham’s newest food school.
Location: Birmingham, West Midlands
November events: Take a Christmas cookery class with a celebrity chef
Explore the world of Christmas food and drink with Michelin-starred celebrity chefs at the Taste of Christmas event in London’s Docklands.
Location: London
Master your bread-making skills at Blackfriars Restaurant
Visit England’s oldest dining room in Newcastle and leave with some expert cooking skills from a master baker.
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Baking courses down on the farm at Manor Farm Tea Shoppe
In the picturesque village of Bleasby in Nottinghamshire is Manor Farm, where you can enjoy a tranquil break whilst perfecting your baking skills.
Location: Southwell, Nottinghamshire
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
Explore the home of Bombay Sapphire on a distillery tour
Become a cocktail-making master at the home of Bombay Sapphire gin. Enjoy a hands-on experience with gin experts, before embarking on a self-discovery tour.
Location: Laverstoke, Hampshire
Cookery and butchery courses at Coddy's Farm
Boost your culinary skills with seasonal cookery and butchery courses at Coddy's Farm, in Holmfirth. Great accommodation, great views, great food.
Location: Holmfirth, Yorkshire
Get stuck into cooking lessons at Brompton Cookery School
Learn the tricks of the trade with an award-winning chef at a cookery school housed in a beautiful barn conversion near Shrewsbury.
Location: Near Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Plan a seasonal dinner party with Raymond Blanc
Embrace your passion for food and learn to create phenomenal cuisine with new techniques that support Raymond's own cuisine and food philosophy.
Location: Great Milton, Oxfordshire
Enjoy a five-star cookery break by the sea
Become an expert in the kitchen with a Cookshelf cookery course in Eastbourne, before relaxing after a busy day at the 5 star Grand Hotel.
Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex