Cotswald
6/16/2025
The Cotswolds is a large region known for its charming towns. It is considered the most picturesque part of England. We visited 5 of the towns and while we agree that they are all really cute, we kind of thought it was over rated. The towns we visited were about 20-30 minutes apart and the drive between each was completely boring. All 5 towns were similar in that the buildings were made of the same Bath stone, they were very old, very scenic, and the town cathedral was basically the main attraction in each. They obviously offered some differences as well.
The 1st town we visited was Castle Combe (there is no castle!) which is described as the prettiest village in England and no new buildings have been built there since about 1600. It is one of the furthest south in the region, about 10 miles north of Bath. We walked through, snapped a few photos and were on our way.
The 2nd town we stopped in was Tetbury known for the history of the wool merchants. Again, very cute. We checked out the cathedral and walked around the town to snap a few photos and were on our way.
The 3rd town we saw was Bibury. Also described as the most beautiful village in England. This one may have been my favorite. Arlington Row is one of the most photographed streets in the Cotswolds. It is a row of buildings built in the 1380’s and later used as weavers cottages. They are now private homes – it’s got to be pretty annoying having hordes of tourists wandering up and down your street and taking pictures every day! We thought they were over hyped. They are cute, but the rest of the town is just as cute.
The 4th town was Bourton-on-the-Water, sometimes referred to as “Little Venice” because of the series of little stone bridges that cross the river that flows through the town. Some scenes from James Bond Die Another Day were filmed here. Once again, we walked around and snapped a few photos and were on our way.
Our final stop was Stow-on-the-Wold. The cathedral here had cool old trees around the entrance that are said to have been the inspiration for “the Doors of Durin” JRR Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Rings (for any of you nerdy Lord of the Rings fans!)
Our overall assessment of the Cotswolds – We had a really nice day and enjoyed it, but we have time to kill. Overall, I would say it is a bit over rated! We were really glad we did this on a Monday as we read it is very crowded on the weekends. I am sure the driving and parking would have been unbearable on a weekend!
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