Costwold village recommendations

[shakespearegirl]

My brother is over from Australia in November and wants to stay in a village in the Cotswolds and use it as a base for exploring the surrounding area.

His only wishes are old, quaint, with ducks, a stream and good pub/coffee places.

There are only two of them and they will be looking to hire a cottage, they don't mind if they are not bang in the middle of town.

Any recommendations?

Thanks

 

[marty21]

Bourton on the Water

very biscuit tin/chocolate box stylie - fairly central for the Cotswolds, probably pricy though

 

[Rollem]

ooh i love bourton on the water, it has a model village what more could you ask for

too many tourists though

 

[Asriel]

Its also where Brum is filmed and has an excellent Motor museum, also close to Stratford (not that Stratford is worth going to).

 

[marty21]

Stow on the Wold as well, no stream there though, but plenty of other cotswoldy stuff

 

[marty21]

ooh i love bourton on the water, it has a model village what more could you ask for

too many tourists though

In like the model village at Corfe Castle (Not in this area I know) it has a model of the model village in the model village !

 

[shakespearegirl]

In like the model village at Corfe Castle (Not in this area I know) it has a model of the model village in the model village !

That sounds brilliant.

I think it needs to be one of the 'less touristy' villages.

They will be on a budget for accom and need to stay from the middle of the week to the middle of the week. Amazingly, even though loads of cottages are empty people don't seem to be overly flexible about check in days.

 

[mattie]

Castle Combe - it is a bit touristy but less so later in the year.

 

[quimcunx]

I stayed at Sudeley Castle in Winchcombe a few years back.

http://cottages.sudeleycastle.co.uk/

 

[Asriel]

That sounds brilliant.

I think it needs to be one of the 'less touristy' villages.

They will be on a budget for accom and need to stay from the middle of the week to the middle of the week. Amazingly, even though loads of cottages are empty people don't seem to be overly flexible about check in days.

If on a budget and they have transport, try Shipston On Stour, it should be much cheaper, then they can just cruise down the foss-way into the Cotswolds, also, Stratford about 9 miles away (like I say I wouldn't bother), and Warwick about the same.

 

[marty21]

or somewhere like Stroud, which is on the edge of the Cotswolds, also close to Bath, and probably cheaper than the real chocolate box bits

 

[shakespearegirl]

I stayed at Sudeley Castle in Winchcombe a few years back.

http://cottages.sudeleycastle.co.uk/

They look lovely but all fully booked during the dates in November

 

[mattie]

or somewhere like Stroud, which is on the edge of the Cotswolds, also close to Bath, and probably cheaper than the real chocolate box bits

Has a pretty good farmers' market as well.

Could also go to Tetbury? Not far away from Stroud. Loads of antique shops and an old marketplace:

 

[shakespearegirl]

Thanks everyone thats a great help, I'll look into the availability of cottages for them

 

[trabuquera]

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[trabuquera]

Chipping Campden and Moreton in Marsh also have nice market halls and are good-looking slightly chocolate-boxy places. Batsford is lovely too and has a terrific arboretum - it's a very tiny village though, don't know if they have any B & Bs.

 

[HerneHillBilly]

Snowshill is very nice and off the tourist track.

 

[marty21]

Snowshill is very nice and off the tourist track.

it is,I've stayed there, it has a lovely museum, packed with stuff collected by the previous owner, I think it's called snowshill manor?

 

[Skin]

Painswick is the place to stay!
Queen of the Cotswolds!
It probably has ducks in the valley. It is next to Slad home of "Cider with Rosie", Laurie Lee fame.
Also has a rococo garden.
Was formerly the home of Isabella Blow
Here is a history of Painswick

Here is a day out in Painswick in 1980

Most importantly I used to live there!

 

[Thora]

it is,I've stayed there, it has a lovely museum, packed with stuff collected by the previous owner, I think it's called snowshill manor?

I went to Snowshill manor as a child

 

[Gavin Bl]

I'm told that 'The Slaughters' (i.e. Upper Slaughter & Lower Slaughter) are nice villages, would echo Stow on the Wold and Winchcombe. Particularly enjoyed the walk up to the stone age burial mound above winchcombe, very nice stone work.

Also, there's a lovely C11th church in Icklesham? Icklefield? help me out someone?

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Lechlade, source of the Thames. Haven't been there since 1973 though so hopefully it hasn't changed too much.

 

[shakermaker88]

Stay the fu*k out of Cirencester where i live. Only joking, we could use the tourism.

Your best bet is Stoud/Minchinhampton/Box as its not too pricey and still looks very picturesque. Michinhampton has a boss Happy Shopper as well

 

[pennimania]

Painswick is the place to stay!
Queen of the Cotswolds!
It probably has ducks in the valley. It is next to Slad home of "Cider with Rosie", Laurie Lee fame.
Also has a rococo garden.
Was formerly the home of Isabella Blow
Here is a history of Painswick

Here is a day out in Painswick in 1980

Most importantly I used to live there!

Absolutely! Painswick rocks!!

 

[Pie 1]

My Grandmother's in Painswick Many happy holidays & weekends there. Shocked at what a 2nd home escape it's become in the past 10/15 yrs though.
Always remember a favourite long walk that ended up in the Woolpack in Slad & remember saying hello to Laurie Lee in there when I was a teenager sometime in the 80's.
Haven't been past there in years - Probably been Gastro'd by now hasn't it.

Chipping Campden's lovely - my folks live there.
Good mix of boozers & some beautiful walks & villages surrounding area.
Ebrington a couple of miles east, has a really fantastic pub.

 

[povmcdov]

I live less than a mile from Painswick.

The Woolpack hasnt been gastropubbed yet, but its not as good a pub as it used to be - beer is london prices now.

 

[shakespearegirl]

Thanks everyone. They chose Stroud and have found a picture perfect cottage to rent..

 

[marty21]

Thanks everyone. They chose Stroud and have found a picture perfect cottage to rent..

I like Stroud, it's a good base from which to explore the rest of the Cotswolds,and a nice place to hang out in, there is a Stroud poster, well, he lives in London now, he should be summoned to this thread!

 

[shakespearegirl]

Summon away Marty.. Any suggestions of good/bad/things to avoid/things not to miss will be passed on. Its one part of the UK I'm not familiar with.

 

[povmcdov]

The farmers market is worth visiting if it running while they are there. It has won the national award three times and runs on saturdays towards the top of the town centre. Painswick is a couple of miles outside stroud and is famous for its churchyard with clipped yews and table tombs, plus walking up to the top of Painswick beacon (where there are the earthwork remains of an iron age hill fort) offers really good views over the severn vale.

Slad valley is another good walk, especially if they have read "Cider with Rosie" by Laurie Lee which is set there. The pub mentioned in the book, "the woolpack" in Slad, is a really good country pub, and totally unspoilt, although its a bit expensive these days. I'd actually say that reading cider with rosie is a must if youre going to visit this part of the world.

Gloucester has a pretty impressive cathedral where bits of Harry Potter were filmed. Thats well worth a visit, especially if you can get on one of the tours they run on Saturdays. The docks are OK to wander round, but TBH its a bit of a dump overall. Most people prefer Cheltenham. Thats probably where you want to go if youre looking for art galleries, theatres etc. The shopping in cheltenham is OK too.

Bath is a must, as its not far down the A46, although I think to get a train there you have to change at Swindon, same as getting to Bristol (Cam and Dursley station outside stroud is on the direct line between Gloucester and Bristol though.)

Theres a tourist information office in the subscription rooms in the centre of Stroud.

One place to eat that I can really recommend is "the bell at sapperton" which is about 4 miles from stroud. Its not cheap but the food is really excellent. You will definitely have to book in advance though.

As for things to avoid, I'd stay out of the pubs towards the lower end of town at the weekend as they tend to be full of drunk kids, especially the "Lord John" wetherspoons. There are better pubs up the hill such as The Retreat and The Golden Fleece, but in all honesty the pubs out in the country are far better.