The Cotswolds offers an amazing array of choices when you are looking to arrange your holiday. From self service cottages, to luxurious hotels, you can vacation in the Cotswolds on any budget.

Self-catering cottages or holiday cottages are little homes you rent by the week. You are responsible for getting your own meals and there is no maid service. There are also usually no people above your head walking around and slamming doors in the middle of the night. You can find these cottages in the villages, as well as sprinkled through the countryside, so you have a choice of staying in town or not.

There are hundreds of Bed and Breakfast choices in the Cotswolds. Some of the locals rent rooms in their homes, and some have larger establishments with separate living spaces for the owners. There is a wide selection as far as where you want to stay. You can choose between staying at a working farm, staying right in a town centre area, or anything in between.

A specific example is the Hoggs Barn B&B, located inside a refurbished barn, near Moreton-in-Marsh. This is a 16th century Cotswold stone barn and features a huge dining hall with a beautiful oak staircase. This B&B is located near bicycle rentals, to facilitate a slower tour of the Cotswolds.

The Cotswolds offer regular chain hotels as well, including a Holiday Inn. These are more like the traditional hotels foreign tourists are used to. They lack the charm of staying on a working farm, or the challenge of figuring out how to work an English kitchen in a rented cottage, but they offer the comfort of a more traditional stay in an unfamiliar land!

The Cotswolds also offers high end luxury accommodations. Some of these are refurbished manor houses nestled in huge, manicured grounds. Some have world class golf courses; many have excellent restaurants inside. These luxury hotels can include incredible amenities, like spas, Jacuzzis, and massages.

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The Park Hotel is one of these luxury hotels. It has 17 en-suite rooms, and is inside 240 acre Tracy Park Estate, one of the most breathtaking estates in the Bristol and Bath areas. It boasts The Crown, and The Cromwell golf courses.

Don’t let budgetary concerns influence your decision to stay in the Cotswolds. There is a housing option to fit every need, and every holiday-maker. The time is now to plan your trip to the beautiful Cotswolds!

By Anna Louise Phillips

Anna Phillips represents Jigsaw Holidays, specialists in supplying Cotswold Cottages and character properties for the ideal Cotswold break.

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J.B. Priestly calls it the “…most English and the least spoiled of all our country sides…” and once you’ve visited, you’re sure to agree!. Imagine hundreds of cottages made of stone, rolling hills, nature at her best, fresh air and lots of activities to keep you busy. You’re in the Cotswolds in the heart of England.

The Cotswolds is full of thatched roofs and gables… and ivy-covered houses line the streets of most of the small villages you can trek through. But although you might think the Cotswolds holds little appeal for teenagers, you’d be wrong!

First of all, take a tour of the area. Tourist centres can help you pick out the most interesting scenery for you, including the century’s old structures that date back to Roman occupation. This may sound boring, but imagine being back in those times, living during the Romantic period. Plus, it’s a ready-made history assignment!

Are you hungry? (What teenager isn’t!) There are many restaurants to choose from in the area, all with a variety of British and International foods. Every village and town has an Inn or restaurant or pub to satisfy whatever you need. The Cotswolds is a great place to sample traditional British food… from fish and chips to a full English Roast Dinner!

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Need adventure? Look no further! The Cotswolds and surrounding areas can satisfy even the most daring of adventurers. In Wiltshire, check out the Actiondrome, the home of the Skid Car, where you can learn how to drive on slippery surfaces.

If that’s not enough, try the Swindon Karting Centre, where riders race around a twisting track in miniature Formula 1 cars!

Still not satisfied? Then for the ultimate thrill-seeker there is skydiving at Cirencester with the Red Devils! If free-falling out of an aircraft thousands of feet in the air sounds like the time of your life, then this is one of the best places in the country to do it!

Many teenagers love horses. And I mean LOVE horses! There are equestrian centres are all over the Cotswolds that offer everything from training for beginners to un-accompanied horseback rides. Get a proper equestrian experience with miles and miles of fantastic horseback trails.

Want to bring your dog on holiday with you? The Cotswolds are very dog-friendly… many pubs, cottages and attractions even cater especially for them! There’s no need to leave man’s best friend behind when you go on holiday… the Cotswolds is one of the most dog-friendly areas of the UK. There’s plenty of open countryside and public walkways to exercise them on too!

Did you know that nearly all of the “Harry Potter” movies were filmed on location at different locations in and around the Cotswolds? Not only that, but well over thirty Hollywood blockbusters as well as British films have been shot in the area! Check out the tourist information centres (or search online) for the locations… and even take an organised tour!

There are also quite a few strange traditions that take place in the Cotswolds. These are usually scheduled throughout the year, and they’re great fun! From Wool Sack Day, where men carry heavy sacks of wool through a course, to Cheese rolling, which is hilarious (and dangerous!)

So despite the Cotswolds’ heritage and quaint atmosphere, there are still plenty of activities, sights and experiences to keep even the most thrill-seeking teenager entertained!

By Anna Louise Phillips

Anna Phillips represents Jigsaw Holidays, specialists in supplying Cotswold Cottages and character properties for the ideal Cotswold break.

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The Cotswolds, set in the Southern area of England, was recently rated 2nd in the ‘Fine Living Top 10: Paradises On Earth’, by a well-known Men’s Online Magazine, for locations around the world that seem to have remained untouched by civilisation. If you don’t believe this statement, you obviously haven’t visited the Cotswolds. With many towns and villages, the Cotswolds holds some truly spectacular gems when staying in Cheltenham or the surrounding areas.

Cheltenham Spa

Cheltenham, rich in Georgian architecture and historic past, make this one of the most interesting Towns in the Cotswolds. With a vast range of shops, museums, gardens and an array of festivals, including the famous Cheltenham Gold Cup, visitors flock in big numbers. Set in the West of the Cotswolds, finding accommodation in Cheltenham would be recommended, as it acts as the perfect gateway to the rest of the Cotswolds, with easy road, and railway access.

Bourton-on-the-Water

Sometimes referred to as ‘The Venice of the Cotswolds’, Bourton-on-the-Water is a very historic village, with cottages and houses dating back to the Elizabethan times. The River Windrush flows straight through the village, along the main street, with small stone bridges providing regular crossing points. It is an extremely popular tourist destination in the summer and is great for just sitting and watching the ducks on the river. It is equally busy in the winter and autumn, with particular areas of interest being the Miniature Village, Model Railway and the Cotswold Perfumery.

Broadway

Broadway is the largest of the Cotswold villages set in Worcestershire, and is referred to as ‘The Jewel of the Cotswolds’. A short drive from the village centre is the Broadway Tower, set in Broadway Tower Country Park. The tower, which was constructed in the late 18th century, has spectacular views over thirteen counties on a clear day. A range of boutiques, gift shops, tearooms and cafes, make this an ideal, and must see village, to stop at during your visit to the Cotswolds.

Chipping Campden

One of ‘the most beautiful villages in the UK’, Chipping Campden is an ideal venue for a holiday, or a short break. The ancient town has many places of interest, with beautiful buildings, providing a mix of architectural styles, including St James Church, the Market Hall, and the Old Silk Mill. The village was host to the ‘Cotswold Olympics’, which was founded in 1612, long before the modern Olympic Games had even been established. Even today, this version of the games takes place every summer. With so much to see and do, you will have to come back more than once to fit everything in!

Stratford-upon-Avon

Stratford-upon-Avon is the birthplace of William Shakespeare. Known for it’s easy road and rail access, it is the perfect destination for a day out or a short break. The town sits on the banks of the River Avon, which was once a key trade route. Now, the River is used mainly for a number of leisure activities that involve all of the locals. Like many of the other towns and villages in the Cotswolds, the town is surrounded by superb rural countryside. Bursting with culture and history, ‘Shakespeare’s Stratford’ is a delightful surprise.

Stow-on-the-Wold

Stow-on-the-Wold is one of the most visited placed in the Cotswolds. The Market Square is the feature point of the village, with an ancient cross at one end, and 19th Century stocks at the other. Despite the village having a wide and open appearance, there are many alleyways and small passages which link up to the square, all of which are begging to be explored and followed. Home to the oldest accommodation in the Cotswolds, and for that matter in England, is The Royalist Inn, with history tracing back to 947AD. Many ghostly tales have been heard about this inn.

Quite simply, the Cotswolds is the largest ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ in England and Wales. Set in an extremely picturesque area of Southern England, it is brimming with history and culture. Whether you spend one day, or one week in the area, you will have to return to see all of its true magnificence. With Bourton-on-the-Water, Broadway, Chipping Campden, and Stow-on-the-Wold all within 14 miles of Cheltenham, staying at a 5 star luxury hotel in Cheltenham, is the obvious choice to get the most out of your break.

For 5 star luxury accommodation in the Cotswolds, please contact us at Beaumont House Hotel today.

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Keith Harding’s World of Mechanical Music

This is a living museum of the various kinds of self-playing musical instruments that brought entertainment to our great grandparents when this was the only type of music available other than real musicians before the birth of radio broadcasting which started in 1924.

The museum houses an amazing variety of self playing instruments and automata that might have been found in the home all in superb condition, and presented as a live entertainment by their well-informed guides. Many of the items are for sale, as this is a constantly changing collection.

All the instruments are maintained in the most perfect possible order in their world-famous workshops on the premises.

Listen to Grieg, Paderewsky, Rachmaninov and Gerschwin giving concert performances of their own compositions, ‘live" on their reproducing pianos, in the intimacy of our Victorian music room. Savour the decadence of "Cabaret" with a performance on their 1920s Berlin café piano. Hear the latest in "hi-fi" from the 1930s on our enormous E.M.G. handmade gramophone.

Open all the year round, seven days a week.  Further information can be found on their website at www.mechanicalmusic.co.uk

Yet another great day out in the idyllic Cotswolds

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