The Cotswolds get a bad reputation for being too pretty for their own good — all thatched roofs and coach parties. But go on a Tuesday in late spring, stay somewhere small, and you'll find the version that made everyone fall for them in the first place.
Where to stay
Skip the big-name country hotels for one trip and try a village inn instead. The rooms are simpler, the breakfasts are better, and you'll wake up to the sound of a churchyard rather than a coach engine.
Lower Slaughter, Bibury, and the Coln Valley are the ones I keep coming back to. Book a room above the pub if you can — the walk downstairs to dinner is one of life's small joys.
The morning walk
Set an alarm for seven. Walk out of the village before the day-trippers arrive. The light between seven and nine is the reason the Cotswolds photograph the way they do — everything after that is just brochure lighting.
Where to eat
- The Wild Rabbit, Kingham — a fire, a garden, a menu built on what's in season
- The Pig on the Beach's Cotswolds cousin — book the pantry table
- Daylesford Farm for a slow Saturday lunch and a wander round the shop
- Any village bakery you pass before ten a.m. — buy the last cardamom bun
What to photograph (and what to just look at)
The temptation is to try to capture everything. Don't. Choose one street, one doorway, one view from the pub garden. The best pictures I've taken here are the ones I nearly missed because I was busy putting my phone down.
“A weekend in the Cotswolds isn't about seeing it all. It's about walking slowly enough that the place has time to notice you back.”
“A weekend in the Cotswolds isn't about seeing it all. It's about walking slowly enough that the place has time to notice you back.”
Want to see how I put this into practice? Take a look at my services or get in touch to talk through a project.
