The great thing about the Cotswolds is the variety of activities on offer. Whether you’re visiting as a group of friends, young family, or a retired couple, there is something for pretty well anyone. And many of the activities are free! No-one charges you to wander across some of the best countryside in England or take your mountain bike for a trip round the Gloucestershire country lanes. I’ve lived in the area for all of my life and I hope that this top ten gives you some inspiration to come and visit the area and enjoy everything that’s on offer.

Westonbirt Arboretum. One of the most popular paid for attractions in the Cotswolds is the National Arboretum in Westonbirt. Lying a few miles SW of Tetbury its home to a fantastic range of trees and shrubs landscaped in 600 acres with 17 miles of footpaths – walk them all and you’ll deserve a meal out at one of the typical Cotswold pubs in the area.

Sudeley Castle. Dating back over many centuries, with royal connections and based just outside Winchcombe (which itself was once the chief city of Mercia), Sudeley also has an extensive range of gardens, so a great day out whatever the weather.

Walking. Where do you start? There are so many walks across the Cotswolds, from the ever present Cotswold Way to the challenges around the River Wye there is something for everyone, and many of the published walks give details of pubs and tea shops to take in on along the way!

Mountain Biking. Again, there are many choices across the area, some of my favourites have been in the North Cotswolds riding across some of the higher ground around Blockley or Beckford – it can be hard work to climb to the top of the escarpments but the views are worth it.

Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway. This is being developed along the old route from Cheltenham to Stratford-On-Avon. It currently runs for about 10 miles from Cheltenham to Toddington a few miles north of Winchcombe. There are a range of steam and diesel engines in operation, and if you’re keen you can even have the chance to drive one of them. Be sure to watch out for specific events throughout the year including their Santa Special, Paddington Bear event and their dining trains.

Historic Manor Garden. This is the sort of garden that you can enjoy if you aren’t a gardener. With fantastic borders and a series of outdoor ‘rooms’ each with their own particular feel, even those of us without green fingers can enjoy a few hours here.

Shakespeare’s Stratford. Many people base themselves in the North Cotswolds so that they are close to Stratford and all that it offers, whether it is a tour of the houses associated with the famous bard or the opportunity to see one of his plays if Shakespeare’s your thing there is enough to keep you interested for many days in Stratford.

Cotswold Wildlife Park. For those of you with children one of the most popular animal attractions is the Cotswold Wildlife Park situated outside Burford. It is home to many wild animals many of which are not behind bars (although the lions thankfully are enclosed). There is also a good play area for the children to work off excess energy if there’s any left after walking round the animals.

Authentic pub with a real log fire. No trip to the Cotswolds would be complete without a trip (or two or three) to one of the many authentic pubs in the area. Many offer a variety of real ales and in the winter months open log fires. Some offer a choice of meals in the bar or a more formal affair served in the dining room and if you’re eating during the day, don’t forget to find a garden and a good view.

Bourton-On-The-Water. This is one of the most visited and well loved villages in the Cotswolds especially with young families. The river runs though the centre and ducks swim along its route. For the youngsters there’s the Model Railway, Model Village, Dragonfly Maze, Birdland, and the Cotswold Motor Museum. With the perfume exhibition, tea shops and local pubs there is plenty to keep everyone happily occupied for many hours.

And Finally… don’t forget that for some things you need to be here at the right time, for example, The Rococo Gardens in snowdrop season, the National Hunt Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse (March), Badminton Horse Trials (May), Cheese Rolling at Coopers Hill (Spring Bank Holiday), Kemble Air show (June), Fairford Royal International Air Tattoo (July), Cheltenham Festival of Literature (October) and the Enchanted Christmas at Westonbirt Arboretum (November / December).

Author: Anna Phillips

Anna Phillips represents Jigsaw Holidays, specialists in supplying Cotswold Cottages and character properties as part of your Cotswold Holiday.

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The Carpenters Arms

This great Cotswold Inn is located just across the River Windrush from the historic Cotswold town of Burford. It has a series of cosy rooms as well as the bar and dining area. There is also a private dining room with a conservatory that leads into the pretty rear garden.

The large garden is an excellent place to unwind and relax and have a great meal and has been designed with the casual diner in  mind. The menu combines the atmosphere of an old country Cotswold  inn with a seasonal menu based on local organic produce including the great sea food menu from fish landed overnight in Looe and Brixham.

The bar is  famed for its friendliness and is very comfortable with an extensive range of beers and a wine list with many fine wines  that are very reasonably priced.

There is a large car park making this Cotswold Inn the perfect place to unwind and enjoy the finerside of llife on your idyllic Cotswold holiday 

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A Week in the Cotswolds is not long enough

After spending a few weeks in October of 2003 in southeast England, walking the footpaths of the Darent River Valley, we thought we had a good idea of what the autumn was like in the English countryside. But since returning from our recent late-September trip to the Cotswolds, we have a newfound appreciation of yet another beautiful part of England.

For my husband, driving on the wrong side of the road turned out to be even more difficult than he had expected, especially since the Brits have so many "round-abouts" and their traffic pattern in those rotaries goes to the left instead of the right. My job was to constantly remind Wayne to "Stay on the LEFT! as he made turns. For anyone who is planning a trip to the UK, it would be a good idea to pay a little extra and rent an automatic drive. We opted for a straight-drive and soon discovered that everything is on the wrong side for an American driver: not only the driver’s seat, but the gear shift and the rear-view mirror as well!

Autumn was a good time to visit because the villages were not crowded with tourists, and in many cases we felt that we had the village to ourselves. We visited many of the larger, well-known villages but actually preferred the smaller ones off the beaten path. We were there for a week in the Cotswolds to film more episodes of our unique European Treadmill Virtual Walk DVDs (www.treadmillwalks.com), designed to take the boredom out of the time spent on treadmills, Nordic Tracks, and exercise bikes. During the past 5 years, Wayne and I have traveled extensively in Italy and the United Kingdom filming these Treadmill Virtual Walks and are constantly searching for picturesque locales to film additional walks.

The tiny village in which we stayed for a week, Stretton-on-Fosse, had the most awe-inspiring night skies imaginable. Since we were so far removed from cities of any size, each night the sky would become inky black, and millions and millions of stars would be twinkling against this sea of black – more stars than we had ever seen before. It’s easy to understand why the early inhabitants of England built structures like Stonehenge and the Rollright Stones – if one could look at a sky like that every night, one would realize there was something truly mysterious about the universe.

The Cotswolds were somewhat of a surprise because they turned out to be even more picturesque than we had hoped. We read a number of books on the area before our trip and knew that this part of England was officially recognized as an "Area of Natural Beauty." What an understatement! Each village we visited during our busy week was clean and well-tended, with magnificent flower gardens in front of small stone cottages. We soon decided that the climate, with its frequent rain and indirect sunlight from cloudy skies, was responsible for making the gardens and window boxes so beautiful.

One day, while filming in the little village of Upper Slaughter, we encountered a hand-painted sign on the walkway to the entrance which simply said, ‘Flowers in Church." Entering the church of St. Peter, we were greeted with such a profusion of flowers that we assumed a wedding had just been held a few days earlier. In fact, the ladies of the village periodically adorn the church with flowers from their gardens.

Throughout the Cotswolds, Wayne and I saw a common thread: the cottages, large and small , were constructed with the distinctive "honey-colored" limestone from local quarries. And each village, no matter how small, had an impressive stone church, usually in some way connected to the lucrative sheep and wool trade which was thriving here during Medieval times.

We spent most days walking the Cotswold Way and filming more of our Virutal Walk DVDs. For locals, walking in the Cotswolds is more than an idle pastime; it is a passion. Every village has walking paths branching out from the center, and we encountered people of every age along the trails. The number of elderly walkers pleasantly surprised us: with a cane to steady themselves, they were off on a four-to-seven mile walk. What a wonderful way to stay active. We often packed picnic lunches which we ate while leaning over fences and admiring the sheep, cattle, and pheasants roaming about. Everyone we met along the trails had a friendly greeting.

Our first full day in the Cotswolds ended with a wonderful dinner at a pub in Chipping Campden, with families all around us. We also enjoyed shopping at the Tuesday open street market in Moreton-in-Marsh (sort of an outdoor Wal-Mart that’s only open one day a week); having tea in the old mill near Arlington Row in Bibury; walking across Sir James Barrie’s (author of "Peter Pan") cricket field outside the village of Stanway; and a visit to the village of Tetbury near Highgrove, where Charles, the Prince of Wales, has his private estate.

Everyone with whom we talked suggested that we should visit the village of Castle Combe, located on the extreme southern edge of the Cotswolds. Setting off for that destination toward the end of our week, we planned on spending only about an hour and then going on to film in the city of Bath. The village, nestled in a valley which time seems to have forgotten, was pure magic – it had been the setting of several movies shot there (the original Doctor Dolittle and the soon to be released, "Stardust.")

We ended up spending most of the day in Castle Combe, where we were invited into two private homes. The first invitation occurred while Wayne was photographing a beautiful old door to a lovely small stone cottage. Wayne had just taken the picture when the door opened and he found himself two feet away from the cottage’s owner. He apologized and then complimented her on the beautiful door when, to our surprise, she said, "Would you like to come in and see the cottage?" Pat, the owner, spent the next 45 minutes giving us a delightful tour of her lovely historic cottage built in 1662 – she even introduced us to the two resident horseshoe bats in her garden shed. After leaving Pat’s cottage and venturing up the hill, we next met Mac, the resident village historian, who invited us into his cottage and gave us a running commentary on the village, both past and present. The memories of our visit to Castle Combe are so magical I fear that, like Brigadoon, the village may not be there when we return.

After a week, we realized that we had just barely scratched the surface of the Cotswolds but it was time to travel to our next shooting location, Paris. We definitely plan to go 1ff8 back to the Cotswolds soon. And perhaps, if we are in luck, as we are photographing a doorway, the door will open and we will meet a new friend along our journey.

Author: Kathi Jacobs

Kathi Jacobs and husband, Wayne, travel to Europe frequently to film Treadmill Virtual Walks for their video production company, VITA Digital Productions. When not traveling, Kathi and Wayne enjoy reading and dancing at "Fat Harolds" in North Myrtle Beach, SC.

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Snowshill Manor, Gloucestershire, England

One of our favourite tours this year has been to Snowshill Manor in the Cotswolds. The house was originally built and owned by Winchcombe Abbey from 821 until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539. After many owners and tenants it was bought and restored by Charles Paget Wade in 1919 when he inherited money from his families sugar plantation in the Caribbean.

Wade was an architect, artist and craftsman who devoted his life to amassing an enormous and various collection of craftsmanship, which he acquired mainly from antique shops and dealers. He bought and restored Snowshill purely to house this collection of artefacts. He never lived in the house, he lived in the cottage next door. He began collecting when he was very young, inspired by a cabinet full of trinkets with which he used to play in his grandmothers house. His criteria for collecting was that all items must be ‘of interest as records of various vanished handicrafts’. He himself was a skilled woodworker and put these skills to work restoring the house and the collections.

It is hard to describe the vastness of this fascinating collection. There are artefacts from all over the globe and they fill every corner of the house. In each room there is a very well informed guide who will tell interesting stories about the pieces in the room. For example, some of the Japanese armour was found by chance, in a plumbers shop in Cheltenham, when Wade went to buy some sanitary supplies. They will also tell of Wade’s penchant for dressing up, apparently he would often rope in friends like Virginia Woolf, Graham Greene or J.B.Priestley into amateur dramatics in the garden and the house. As you go round the house you get the impression of Wade as the classic English eccentric and think what fun he must have been.

The garden was also restored by Wade into a series of little rooms to reflect different moods. He thought the plan of the garden was more important than the flowers in it and added hard landscaping to give a permanent framework which makes the garden pleasant in both winter and summer.

 Although it is quite long walk from the entrance to the house there is a regular buggy service available. There is also a good restaurant, which serves hot meals and snacks. Snowshill is well worth a visit or even two. There is so much to see you couldn’t possibly see it all first time.

By: Sue Robson

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Sue Robson Susan Robson provides catered accommodation and personal tours to stately homes and gardens in the south central area of England. www.hopecottagetours.co.uk Further details of her trips are available at www.marketinfo.info/articlelive/authors/2/Sue-Robson

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 Take A Tour Of England And Get Off The Beaten Track

A tour of England can be an excellent way to experience all this unique culture has to offer. By ensuring your tour keeps away from the major tourist destinations, the real England is opened up to the traveller. Beautiful countryside, unique villages and towns as well as some of the most historically rich monuments in the world are all just a short drive away. Depending on what kind of tour you are likely to undertake there are options for all types of traveller, whether looking for luxury or travelling on a budget, England amazes and enthrals at every turn.

If you are looking for scenic beauty no place in England is better than the Lake District for your tour. The Lakes contain the five highest mountains in England as well as the deepest lake. In this unique region two national parks are situated, both are considered areas of outstanding natural beauty and subsequently are legally protected to keep the sublime landscapes and wealth of wildlife in abundance.

It is truly the great outdoors and as you tour the mountains and lake shores you will see some of the best flora and fauna England has to offer. It is not just the scenery in the Lakes that is worth seeing; each village and town has its own unique culture and heritage. Whether this may be the city of Carlisle or the small town of Kendall, (famed for its mint cake) it is well worth adding to the itinerary of your tour.

If you would prefer to enter a less rugged area of England on your tour, the Cotswolds offer idyllic beauty that could be straight from Tolkeins Shire. Once again, a designated area of outstanding natural beauty its genteel attitude is visible at every turn.This pretty part of England can be described as quintessential; the villages you will pass through on your tour are literally straight from the postcards and represent all that is right with England.

This area is the reason why so many have written about this gorgeous landscape of gentle slopes dotted with English oak. There is no prettier site in the world than a sunrise in the Cotswolds, as the sun envelopes the shallow, mist filled valleys, your heart will raise to new plains of enjoyment. No place will show England in a better light while you are on your tour.

If you would like to discover some of the history of England there is a historical wealth that is hard to match anywhere in the world. Castles and stately homes are present in much of the countryside, and even the cities. Learning about the various dukes and lords who have owned these estates is of fascinating interest and even those who have no great love of history will find it hard not to be moved by harrowing tales of love, war and deceit.

England is a very old country and hence its history is extensive, whether a fan of the medieval period, with its castles and brutal battles or a fan of the civil war period when families were pitted against each other in the worst period of strife the country has ever seen, all comers will be enthralled. From these periods all the way up to modern times and the two world wars, visitors will be amazed by the wealth of information on offer as you tour this magical land.

As well as these aspects there are the sporting attractions that should make up an element of your itinerary for your tour of England. England has the finest football (soccer) league in the world and if you can get hold of tickets the experience is not to be missed. With some of the oldest race tracks in the world, horse racing also makes a brilliant addition to your tour if you like a flutter. Added to these sports there is also the quintessential pursuit of the English, cricket. Listening to the sound of leather on willow in the dying stages of a sultry summers day is something all tourists should experience; this is England in a nutshell.

Of course England has some very well developed tourist attractions for visitors, it is worth however including other elements on your tour away from the tourist trail. Whether this is experiencing a village cricket match, eating in a tea room somewhere in Lake District or exploring the grounds of a seventeenth century manner. The real England is out there for you to see, get off the beaten track and strive to find it when you embark on your tour.

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Travel expert looks into an England tour as a brilliant vacation idea. To find out more please visit www.classic-england.com/

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