TOUR GUIDE
From the bustling horse racing town of Cheltenham to the sleepy village of Bibury the Cotswolds is a snapshot of how England used to be. Best viewed from two-wheels…
The Cotswolds. Cute, and with curvy roads as well as chintzy tea shops.
Filling the triangle between Bristol, Oxford and Worcester lies the Cotswolds, an area of England the past 300 years has hardly touched. Quiet villages and bustling market towns are surrounded by rolling fields separated by lines of ancient trees. It’s a brilliant playground for weekend riding. From the steep-roofed terraces of Bibury village to the ‘tree sentries’ at Stow-on-the-wold’s church door, few other parts of England remain so unflustered by the 21st Century.
There’s a great mixture of roads from fast and twisty As through to interesting yet challenging Bs and country lanes. Take the Fosse Way. It’s a former Roman road that runs straight and fast through the heart of the Cotswolds, ticking off the main tourist towns as it goes: Kemble, Bourton-on-the-water, Stow-on-the-wold and on to Moreton-in-marsh. On maps it is the A429 and its smooth surface is ideal for tourers and sportsbikes. There are good sight lines throughout.
Demand curving tarmac? The B4632 is the Fosse Way’s opposite number. It’s a quintessentially English road from Cheltenham’s Southam to Mickleton and passes through beautiful villages such as Winchcombe, Stanway, and Broadway along its 20-mile length. Make sure you stop and visit the Broadway Tower where you can see 16 counties from its crenelated crown. There’s a café on site that serves coffee and lunch from 11:30 to 4pm. There’s also a fully restored cold war bunker to explore, just like it’s the 1980s all over again. The estate’s open every weekend between April and October and there’s a 45-minute guided tour if you’re in the mood. To get there travel up the A44 through the tight bends of Fish Hill – always good fun on a bike.
Eating and drinking are well catered for in the Cotswolds. Prices aren’t extortionate, but bear in mind many of the towns cater for tourists so the prices can vary. The Broadway Tower’s café, for example, turns out a sizeable ploughman’s for just over £10. Accommodation can also vary: expect to pay £100 at The Gables Hotel on the M5’s Junction 14, or luxuriate at The Slaughters Manor House in the village of Lower Slaughter for between £200 and £400 per night. Picturesque Stow-on-the-wold is three miles to the north east. Approach Stow-on-the-wold from Tewkesbury on the B4077. It’s a beautiful road that climbs up to the highest town in the Cotswolds, serving up a variety of challenging surfaces and sometimes conditions. It’s definitely one for the tourers rather than sportsbikes. Stop at the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Steam Railway at Toddington and the Plough Inn at Ford. From Ford it’s a 15-minute blast to the golden stone frontages of Stow’s cosy town centre.
If you’re looking for pretty villages head for the B4425. This fast-paced B-road leaves Cirencester and heads east to Burford on the Gloucestershire-oxfordshire border. It’s a fantastic ride that flits through Barnsley with its brilliant village pub, the picturesque and popular Bibury, and the hidden-away hamlet of Aldsworth. This unspoilt road arcs gracefully through them all. Beautiful views, fast straights, sweeping bends – it’s a very good route for motorcyclists. There are good places to stop for tea on Burford’s broad High Street too.
Get lost on the small roads of the northern Cotswolds. Take Buckle St south from Snowshill down to Bourton-on-the-
Water. Once at Bourton take a walk along the River Windrush that runs through the town centre.
Further south, the A419 leaves Cirencester to the west towards Nailsworth. Travelling past Aston Down airfield you ride across Minchenhampton Common, with its views over the Stroud Valleys, before taking The Ladder. An ominous name for a steep road with hairpins that drops down the hillside into Nailsworth. It’s best suited to touring bikes thanks to its well-used surface. At some point you’ll no doubt start looking for a place to eat. Try Nailsworth’s Wild Garlic restaurant. Or for somewhere a little more rural, the Tipputs Inn is just two miles south. It’s Oli’s local and comes highly recommended.