Cotswolds calling? Get a move on!
Holiday cottages are being snapped up fast, but there are other ways to escape to this picture-postcard-pretty part of England. Harriet O’Brien suggests 10 of the best
Rolling hills, patchwork fields, bucolic honey-stone villages – the Cotswolds is pastoral England. Who wouldn’t want a summer break here? Last year, post-lockdown crowds arrived and hotels, pubs and holiday accommodation owners enjoyed a very vibrant season.
Of course, they’re anticipating a repeat this summer. Holiday cottages are being snapped up at the moment, but at other accommodation they are generally receiving more inquiries than firm commitments and are looking keenly to Monday for an announcement about lockdown easing (possibly by Easter, more realistically by May) at which point they’re expecting frenetic bookings. Meanwhile, they’ve been far from complacent, refurbishing and renewing (and at Calcot & Spa even starting a rewilding project).
From campsites to luxury hotels, here we’ve selected some of most captivating options.
1 GLAMPING NEAR BOURTONON-THE-WATER
Camp in peace and comfort at The Wildings, a neat complex of six wooden pods on a family farm within walking distance of famously pretty Bourton-on-the-Water. Each pod has a double bed and space for camp beds (three are a slight squeeze), which are supplied. There’s a cooking-cum-chillout house, and shower and loo blocks. Bedding, barbecues, logs and firepits can be provided at added cost.
The Wildings, Bourton Hill (01451
2 VILLAGE COTTAGE NEAR STOW-ON-THE-WOLD Dreaming of a halcyon country bolt-hole? Complete with flagstone floors and sunny terrace, idyllic Corner Cottage sleeps four and sits in the heart of Lower Oddington in the northern Cotswolds. There are two pubs (much frequented by locals pre-pandemic) just a stroll away, handsome Stow-on-the-Wold is down the road and there are sublime walks nearby. Corner Cottage, Lower Oddington from £1,039 per week in peak summer and from £943 per week in June and September, through Cotswolds Hideaways (01386 702654; cotswoldshideaways.co.uk), whose properties are booking fast.
3 ROMANTIC RETREAT NEAR BROADWAY
Enjoy an Arcadian escape in a shepherd’s hut for two on the Farncombe Estate above postcardpretty Broadway. You won’t be entirely alone; a small group of huts is part of the stylish 63-room Scandi-chic Fish hotel. Real shepherds would marvel at luxury of the wood panelling, fine linen and outdoor tubs carefully positioned not to be overlooked.
Shepherd’s hut for two at The Fish hotel, Farncombe Estate (01386 858000; thefishhotel.co.uk) from £285 per night B&B. Early summer limited space; more availability in July, August and September.
4 FAMILY LUXURY CLOSE TO TETBURY
Set in its own 220-acre estate, the Calcot & Spa hotel presents a wonderfully devised combination of serene style and outstanding family facilities. As well as a dedicated play barn, there are running and cycling tracks, an outdoor gym, tennis courts, indoor and outdoor pools, hot tub and a spa offering personal trainers and immune-system-boosting therapies.
Calcot & Spa, near Tetbury (01666 890391; calcot.co) has a three-night stay July-August for two adults and two children in a Family Pad from £1,617 including breakfast (one night from £539). Booking up steadily.
5 HONEY-STONE PUB AT KINGHAM
A kick-back, much-loved gastropub opposite a traditional village green, the Kingham Plough has six newly refurbished bedrooms carefully furnished with vintage finds. Stow-onthe-Wold is down the road, there are walks from the doorstep and snoozy chairs in which to curl up. Meals are generally a treat of Cotswolds flavours. The Kingham Plough, Kingham (01608 658327; thekinghamplough.co.uk) has doubles from £145 per night B&B (bring the dog, too, £10). Booking up steadily.
6 RIVERSIDE INN AT BIBURY Before Covid, the fabulously pretty village of Bibury was a magnet for international tourists, its little row of 14th-century weavers’ houses being the attraction. Come in summer, without such crowds, and stay at the 17th-century Swan inn, beside the river Coln. It offers good, nononsense brasserie food and 22 charming bedrooms, two with four-posters. The Swan, Bibury (01285 740695; cotswold-inns-hotels.co.uk) has doubles from £170 B&B ( from £750 B&B for a five-night stay). Bring the dog, too, at £20 per night. Booking up steadily.
7 EPICUREAN B&B NEAR CHIPPING NORTON Chickens strut around the garden at the Old School B&B near Chipping Norton, and ducks paddle in the pond. A former school that closed in 1996, this is a magical little establishment run with painstaking care by cookery writer Wendy Veale. Guests have their own wing – with four pretty bedrooms and a large and lovely sitting room in the vaulted old hall.
The Old School Bed and Breakfast, Little Compton (01608 674588; theoldschoolbedandbreakfast.com) offers doubles for £148 including breakfast and afternoon tea. Booking up steadily.
8 STYLISH PUB AT WOOTTON Facing fields on the edge of honey-stone Wootton, close to Blenheim Palace, The Killingworth Castle is an atmospheric old coaching inn applauded for its food and its accommodation. This is a place for couples or families with older children to sink into, whether staying for a night or a week. The eight contemporarychic rooms are in a separate stable block and offer a generous feeling of space. The Killingworth Castle, Wootton (01993 811401; thekillingworthcastle. com) has doubles from £94 (weekends from £114) B&B. Booking up steadily.
9 CAMPING NEAR CIRENCESTER Family-run, 1,600-acre Abbey Home Farm is a terrific organic enterprise with an acclaimed shop and café, as well as a variety of accommodation options carefully devised for maximum sustainability. These include a wonderful family campsite with spellbinding views. Bring your own tent, stock up on organic veg from the shop and enjoy guided tours of the farm. Abbey Home Farm, near Cirencester (theorganicfarmshop.co.uk) April to end of September family campsite £8 per night for an adult and £4 per child under 12. Good availability.
10 FARM COTTAGE NEAR FRAMPTON MANSELL Turn down the drive to Westley Farm, about five miles west of Stroud, and you’re in a magical valley roamed by deer and grazed by sheep. The 70-acre family farm offers three serene holiday cottages, each surrounded by meadows. Two-bedroom Jackdaw is set beside woodland and has a walled garden and outdoor hot tub. Westley Farm, Frampton Mansell (01285 760262; westleyfarm.co.uk) Jackdaw cottage (sleeping four) £1,050 per week in peak summer; £900 per week in May and September (bring the dog, too, £25 per stay). Book soon.