Nestled between Oxford and Bath, the Cotswolds is one of the UK’s most picturesque regions, replete with honey-stone cottages, pubs with rooms and rose-filled gardens. The only difficulty, for a Londoner, is knowing which matchbox-sized hamlet to set as your satnav destination. Here, writer, photographer and Cotswolds resident Katharine Sohn rounds up five of the most charming villages to visit this summer and beyond.
Just a few minutes’ drive from Stow-on-the-Wold, Upper and Lower Slaughter have a timeless feel, with a water mill and two stone bridges crossing the River Eye. There’s limited cafés and shops, but that’s part of the appeal here. Instead of heading into a tearoom or browsing antiques, follow the mile-long trail by the water, part of The Wardens’ Way, then decamp to nearby Bourton-on-the-Road for a pub lunch.
Painswick boasts some of the most dramatic and beautiful views in all of Gloucestershire, with lots of trekkers passing through while doing the Cotswolds Way – many of whom will make a detour to Painswick House and its Georgian Rococo Gardens, the only surviving example of their kind in Britain. Also of note from a horticultural standpoint: the 99 yew trees that line the path to the 14th-century church St Mary’s.
This medieval town is the gateway to the Cotswolds, complete with a 12th-century church and streets lined with bijou thatched cottages. Matthew Freud – the PR maverick who opens his Burford Priory garden every year in time for the snowdrops – launched Bull just this year, and it’s rumoured he’s giving The Highway Inn, just a few doors down, more than a lick of paint, too. Before you leave, make a detour to Burford Garden Centre for some David Austin roses and locally made ceramics to bring home as souvenirs.
Tolkien readers flock to Stow-on-the-Wold to see St Edward’s Church – particularly its wooden door flanked by yew trees, which is rumoured to have inspired The Doors of Durin at the entrance to Moria in The Lord of the Rings. Cutter Brooks, the cult homeware shop known for its gingham towels, enamel glassware, and bobbin lamps, is due to close in the near future, so make a point of visiting now. And if you’re in need of sustenance? Head to the excellent deli D’Ambrosi for the likes of miso salmon and spicy papaya salad.
Today, Asthall Manor – the erstwhile home of the Mitford sisters, where Nancy penned chapters of Love in a Cold Climate – is run by Rosie Pearson, who organises On Form, a sculpture exhibition, in the garden every other year. Follow your visit with lunch at The Three Horseshoes, the latest pub-with-rooms from the Daylesford Stays empire, before strolling along the River Windrush to Swinbrook, where four of the Mitford girls are buried at the Gothic St Mary’s Church.
