# Cotswolds

Gentle hills, dry-stone walls and villages that look like scale models. You can cover them by car in two or three days, or by train and bus if you choose your base well.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/england/cotswolds · Revisado: 2026-11-11

## What are the Cotswolds?

A band of limestone hills west of London, protected as the Cotswolds National Landscape (until 2023 it was called an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). It covers about 2,040 km², the largest of England's National Landscapes, spread mostly across Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, with parts of Wiltshire, Somerset, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. It is not a park with an entrance fee: it is villages, farms and public footpaths, and you can visit it freely.

## How do you get there from Spain?

There are three gateways. Bristol is roughly an hour by car from Castle Combe and the south. Birmingham is the best for the north (Chipping Campden, Broadway, Stow). London works if you are travelling without a car: direct Great Western Railway trains leave Paddington for Moreton-in-Marsh in roughly an hour and a half.

By car you drive on the left, with clockwise roundabouts and single-track roads between stone walls. Hire a small car, an automatic if you are not used to changing gear with your left hand.

## Can you go without a car?

Yes, if you sleep in Moreton-in-Marsh. From the station, the Pulhams 801 bus links Moreton with Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water and Cheltenham, on Sundays too. Bibury and Castle Combe are off that route: for them you need a car or a taxi.

## Dónde está
- Cerca: Stratford-upon-Avon (a 34.8 km), Oxford (a 37.3 km), Bath (a 69.2 km), Salisbury (a 90.2 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Bibury and Arlington Row** (1 h · With a pushchair, on the tarmac path · On your own · free): What it is and what you see
Bibury is a small village on the banks of the River Coln, about 10 km north-east of Cirencester. What draws people is Arlington Row, a terrace of stone houses that began in 1380 as a monastery wool store and became weavers' cottages in the 17th century. Today it belongs to the National Trust and appears in almost every photo of the Cotswolds. William Morris is said to have called Bibury the most beautiful village in England.
In front of the houses lies Rack Isle, a meadow that floods in season and is protected by the National Trust as a wildfowl reserve; in late summer a small herd of Belted Galloway cattle grazes on it. The walk is completed by St Mary's church, of Anglo-Saxon origin, and the bridge over the Coln, next to The Swan, the village hotel.
Arlington Row: what to know
The houses cannot be visited. Almost all are private homes, and numbers 1 and 9 are National Trust holiday lets; there is no access to the houses or their gardens. The path in front is public, though: look and take photos from there, keeping your voice down, without peering into windows or sitting on the steps. Car access to the row is reserved for residents, because the street is narrow and steep.
Bibury Trout Farm
Beside the bridge is Bibury Trout Farm, a fish farm founded in 1902 by the naturalist Arthur Severn to restock the local rivers with trout. It is the plan that lasts longest with children:

What you do: stroll among the ponds, feed the trout and, if you like, catch your own in the fishing area, with a loan rod subject to availability.
Opening hours: 9:00 to 16:00, with last entry at 15:15. Fishing, 10:00 to 15:00, weather permitting.
Price: £9 adults, £7.50 ages 3 to 15, £8 over 60s and £49.50 for the family ticket. People with disabilities enter free.
Parking: its own costs £8. At the moment the street by the main entrance is closed and you reach the rear entrance by following the signed diversion.

There is a shop and café, which serves its own trout.
Getting there and parking
By car. There is free parking on the street and in front of the trout farm, but it is not National Trust parking and it fills up at weekends and in summer. If there is no space, the Trout Farm has its own paid car park.
Without a car. The nearest station is Kemble, about 22 km away. The 855 bus links Cirencester with Bourton-on-the-Water via Bibury.
How long
An hour is enough for Arlington Row, Rack Isle and the bridge. With the trout farm, allow two or three hours. Combine it on the same day with Bourton-on-the-Water or, if it rains, with the Corinium Museum in Cirencester.
With children and a pushchair
The National Trust describes a flat, tarmac path in front of Arlington Row and around Rack Isle. It is narrow in places and crosses a narrow bridge over the mill channel, but it is manageable with a pushchair. Dogs, on a lead, are welcome on the path.
When to go
Early in the morning or late in the afternoon, and best on weekdays and outside summer: the street parking fills up at weekends and in season.
- **Bourton-on-the-Water and its miniature village** (2 h 30 · All ages · Village free · Model Village £4.95 · Birdland £14.95): What it is and what you see
Bourton-on-the-Water is the most visited village in the Cotswolds: it has about 3,300 residents and receives some 300,000 visitors a year. The River Windrush runs through the centre, shallow, and is crossed by five low arched stone bridges built between 1654 and 1953. Hence the nickname "Venice of the Cotswolds". A good part of the centre is a conservation area, with 114 listed buildings. In summer a medieval-style football match is played in the river.
Besides the walk beside the water, the village has three paid attractions a few minutes' walk from each other: the Model Village, Birdland and the Cotswold Motoring Museum.
The Model Village
It is a replica of the village itself at 1:9 scale. It was built in 1936 by the owner of The Old New Inn in the garden of his pub, to attract visitors, and opened in 1937.

Opening hours: 10:00 to 17:30 on British Summer Time, and 10:00 to 15:30 in winter. Closed on 25 and 26 December, and on snow days.
Price: £4.95 adults, £4 ages 3 to 13, £4.50 over 60s; under 3s free.
Payment: card only, at the gate. No booking.
Accessibility: many paths are too narrow for wheelchairs; people with disabilities enter free through a side gate. Pushchairs are not allowed: there is a place to leave them at the entrance. Assistance dogs only.

You can see it in half an hour.
Birdland
A bird park with nine acres of gardens and woodland, with the only breeding group of king penguins in England and Humboldt penguins.

Opening hours: every day 10:00 to 16:00, last entry at 15:00. Closed on 24 and 25 December.
Price at the ticket office: £14.95 adults, £11.50 ages 3 to 15, £13.95 over 60s and students; under 3s free. Online, £1 less per ticket, with a booking fee of £1.50.
Dogs: welcome on a short lead.

Check the penguin feeding times on their website before you go.
Getting there and parking
By car. There are paid car parks on Rissington Road, a minute from Birdland, and on Station Road, about five minutes from Birdland. On some weekends extra paid parking opens at Bourton Vale cricket club, at Manor Fields and at The Cotswold School. At weekends and on holidays they fill up early: arrive early.
Without a car. The 801 bus links Bourton with Stow-on-the-Wold, Moreton-in-Marsh and Cheltenham, also on Sundays with less frequency. Moreton has a direct train from London. From Bibury, the 855 bus.
With children
This is the Cotswold village for going with small children. In summer they paddle barefoot in the Windrush, which is shallow in the centre: keep an eye on them all the same. They love the Model Village, although you cannot go in with a pushchair. Birdland, with the penguins, is good for a morning.
When to go
Early, or late in the afternoon in summer. At weekends and during school holidays the village and its car parks fill up. In winter it is quiet, but the attractions close earlier.
Combine it
Stow-on-the-Wold is close, on the same 801 bus. The Cotswold Farm Park is nearby, for another morning with children. For a meal in the area, The Porch House, in Stow.
- **Chipping Campden and its Market Hall** (1 h · All ages · On your own · free): What it is and why it matters
Chipping Campden is a small market town in the north of the Cotswolds, of about 2,300 residents, which in the Middle Ages was one of the great centres of the wool trade. What sets it apart is its main street, the High Street: a long curve of honey-coloured stone houses from the 14th to the 17th centuries, almost without a break, protected as a conservation area since 1970. Here the Cotswold Way begins, or ends, the 164 km path that runs to Bath.
What to see, from end to end

The Market Hall. The covered market of 1627, in the middle of the High Street. It was built by Sir Baptist Hicks, the town's great lord, so that traders and farmers could sell under cover. The locals bought it and gave it to the National Trust.
Grevel's House. The house that William Grevel, a wool merchant remembered as "the flower of the wool merchants of all England", built around 1380. It is private: you see it from outside.
The almshouses of 1612. The houses that Hicks built for twelve pensioners and which still serve that purpose.
St James's church. A "wool church", a church paid for with wool money, with 17th-century monuments, among them Hicks's.
What remains of Campden House. Hicks's mansion was burned by the Royalists in 1645 and what survives is the gateway and two Jacobean banqueting lodges.

In the early 20th century the town was a focus of the Arts and Crafts movement: in 1902 C. R. Ashbee's Guild of Handicraft arrived, and it operated until 1907. A cooperative of craftspeople still works in the Old Silk Mill.
How long
An hour to walk the High Street, step into the Market Hall and reach the church. If you are going to walk the first stage of the Cotswold Way, allow the whole day: we explain it in Cotswold Way from Chipping Campden to Broadway.
When to go
All year round, best on weekdays and early. On the first weekend of June the Cotswold Olimpicks are held at Dover's Hill, on the outskirts, a rural games festival that began in 1612, was suspended in 1852 and revived in 1963. If you go that weekend, expect more people.
Getting there and parking
By car. The town is at the northern end of the Cotswolds, near Broadway, which is the end of the first stage of the Cotswold Way. If you are going to walk, arrive early and park for the whole day.
Without a car. The station no longer operates: it closed in 1966. The nearest is Moreton-in-Marsh, about 13 km away, with direct trains from London Paddington; from there, a taxi.
With children
It is a short walk, with no attractions for children. For a day with children, combine it with the climb up Dover's Hill, an open hillside with views over the Vale of Evesham.
Where to eat and sleep nearby
In Broadway, a few kilometres away, are Russell's Fish & Chips and the hotel The Lygon Arms. In Moreton-in-Marsh, The Manor House Hotel and the Redesdale Arms.
- **Cotswold Way from Chipping Campden to Broadway** (3 h · 9.6 km · Keen walkers from 8 years · On your own · free; Broadway Tower paid): The route in numbers

Distance: 9.6 km (6 miles), one way.
Elevation: 173 m of ascent and 241 m of descent.
Time: about 3 hours' walking, not counting stops or the visit to the tower.
Difficulty: easy to moderate. A short, steep climb at the start and a long descent at the end.
Waymarking: it is the first stage of the Cotswold Way, one of England's National Trails, and it is very well waymarked in both directions, with the acorn of the national trails.

The Cotswold Way runs 164 km from Chipping Campden to Bath along the western edge of the hills. This stage is the shortest way to try it in a day.
Step by step

Chipping Campden. You set off from the High Street of Chipping Campden, where the Market Hall of 1627 stands.
Climb to Dover's Hill. The climb up the Cotswold escarpment begins straight away. At the top is Dover's Hill, a natural amphitheatre on a spur of the escarpment, with open views over the Vale of Evesham. The Cotswold Olimpicks are held here on the first weekend of June.
Fields towards Broadway Tower. The path continues across fields to Broadway Hill, at 312 m, the second highest point in the Cotswolds.
Broadway Tower. A 20 m tower built in 1798–1799 by James Wyatt for the Countess of Coventry. William Morris stayed here as the guest of a friend, who rented it as a holiday home. Its three upper floors hold a museum and at the top there is a terrace; nearby, a Cold War nuclear monitoring post from the late 1950s can also be visited. Both visits are paid: check hours and prices on the Broadway Tower website.
Descent to Broadway. From the tower, the path drops to Broadway, a village linked to the Arts and Crafts movement, where the stage ends.

How to get back
The route is one way only. You have two options: go back the same way, another 9.6 km and the climb to the tower, or take a taxi from Broadway back to Chipping Campden to collect your car. If you are travelling without a car, the nearest station to both is Moreton-in-Marsh, which you can also reach by taxi.
Where to start and park
In Chipping Campden, on the High Street and nearby. Arrive early and park for the whole day.
When to go
It can be done in any season. Clear winter days, spring and autumn give the cleanest views; late spring and early summer, the meadows in flower. If it starts to rain heavily or there is fog on the top, you can cut it short by returning from Dover's Hill to Chipping Campden.
Water, shade, children and dog
Do not count on anywhere to buy water until Broadway Tower, which has a restaurant. Bring water and something to eat.
With children, from about 8 years old and used to walking, especially if the plan is to go one way and come back by taxi. A teenager will like carrying the map and looking for the acorns on the posts. Dogs are fine; in fields with livestock, keep yours on a lead.
Eating and sleeping in Broadway
In Broadway, Russell's Fish & Chips for a meal on arrival, and The Lygon Arms if you stay the night.
- **Cotswold Farm Park** (4 h · Ages 2 to 10): What it is
The Cotswold Farm Park is a farm open to the public near Guiting Power, close to Cheltenham. It was founded in 1971 by Joe Henson to protect endangered native breeds of livestock, and today it is run by his son Adam Henson, known in the UK for presenting countryside programmes on television, with his partner Duncan. It is a visit designed for children aged 2 to 10: animals you can touch, bottle feeds and covered and outdoor play areas, so it works in the rain too.
What you do
The general admission includes:

Discovery Barn: the small animals' barn, where you can hold chicks and see rabbits, guinea pigs, hens and ducklings.
Animal Barn: bottle-feeding lambs and kids, every day at 11:30 and 15:30. This is the star moment: arrive with time to spare.
Rare Breeds Walkway: the rare breeds walk, with animals you can feed.
Adventure Barn: covered play area, with ride-on cars and a ball pit.
Outdoor play: jumping pillows, swings, a zip wire, sandpits, pedal tractors and more.
Woodland and conservation area: trails, an observation beehive, a mud kitchen and an obstacle course.

Paid separately are the Tractor Farm Safari, a trailer ride pulled by a tractor with a small fuel supplement, and the Fun Rides, with their own ticket. There are also Highland cattle experiences, from £50.
Allow half a day.
Opening times and dates
It is open almost all year; at the end of November 2026, 9:30 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:30. In 2026 the farm closes from 2 to 26 November and reopens on the 27th with its Christmas programme, Christmas on the Farm, with tickets from £48.95. The calendar changes by season and in winter there are closed days: check the calendar on their website before you go.
The restaurant and shop, The Ox Shed, opens separately, Monday to Friday also in November, 10:00 to 15:00.
Tickets and booking
Tickets are bought on their website, with a discount if you book ahead ("Book Ahead & Save"). Prices change by date: the booking calendar gives you the price for the day you choose.
Getting there
The address is Guiting Power, Cheltenham, GL54 5FL; if your sat nav does not recognise the postcode, use GL54 5UG and follow the brown tourist attraction signs. It is close to Bourton-on-the-Water and Stow-on-the-Wold. Without a car, count on a taxi.
Dogs
Dogs are welcome at The Ox Shed, in the event fields and on the Wildlife Walk, a walk of about 3 miles, about 5 km, around the perimeter of the farm. They are not allowed in the animal farm, according to its own website: confirm before you go if you are bringing a dog.
Sleeping on the farm
The farm has its own campsite, cabins and glamping tents. We explain it in Cotswold Farm Park campsite. Nearby, in Upper Slaughter, is Lords of the Manor.
- **Stow-on-the-Wold** (1 h 30 · All ages · On your own · free): What it is and what you see
Stow-on-the-Wold is a small market town of about 1,900 residents, on top of a 244 m hill: it is the highest village of those we suggest in the Cotswolds. The Fosse Way, the Roman road that is now the A429, passes through it. For centuries it lived off wool: Daniel Defoe reported that in the 18th century as many as 20,000 sheep were sold in a single day.
What you come to see is around the market square, surrounded by buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries, with shops and tea rooms. Among them is St Edward's Hall, which is now the library. Look out for the narrow lanes that lead down from the square between the houses: sheep were driven along them to market.
A couple of steps away is St Edward's church. After the Battle of Stow, on 21 March 1646, in which Sir Jacob Astley's Royalists were defeated a mile north of the town, hundreds of prisoners were held in it. Beside its north porch grow some ancient yew trees that frame the door.
How long
An hour for the square, the lanes and the church; two if you stop at the shops or for something to eat or drink. It is more a place for strolling and eating than for seeing monuments.
A good base
Stow is in the middle of the area: Bourton-on-the-Water and Moreton-in-Marsh are close, as are the Cotswold Farm Park and Daylesford. If you are travelling without a car, the Pulhams 801 bus links it with Moreton-in-Marsh, which has a direct train from London Paddington, and with Bourton-on-the-Water and Cheltenham, also on Sundays with less frequency. Kingham station, on the same line, is a short taxi ride away.
Getting there and parking
By car, along the A429 from Moreton or from Bourton. Arrive early at weekends: the town is small and parking is limited.
When to go
All year round. Best on weekdays, with fewer people. Twice a year, in May and in October, the Stow Horse Fair is held, in a field near Maugersbury. On those days the extra traffic blocks the roads around. If you are not going to the fair, avoid those dates.
With children
There are no attractions for children in the town: it is a short walk. For a day with children, combine Stow with Bourton in the morning or with the Cotswold Farm Park.
Where to eat and sleep
In the town is The Porch House, an old inn with seasonal British cooking and rooms. Nearby, in Daylesford, next to Kingham, Daylesford Farm, and in Kingham, The Wild Rabbit.
- **Castle Combe** (1 h · All ages, downhill from the car park · On your own · parking from £0.50 an hour): What it is and what you see
Castle Combe is the southernmost of the villages we suggest, already in Wiltshire: it is about 8 km north-west of Chippenham and about 16 km north-east of Bath. It has 356 residents, Cotswold stone houses and no modern buildings: in the historic centre no new house has been built since around 1600. That is why it has served as a film set for movies such as Doctor Dolittle (1967), Stardust and War Horse.
The village has two parts. Up on the plateau, Upper Castle Combe, where you park. Down in the Bybrook valley, the old village, which is what you come to see:

The market cross, from the 14th century, at the crossing of the main streets. It is a reminder that this was a wool and cloth village, which declined in the late 18th century when the river's flow dropped.
St Andrew's church, listed at the highest grade, rebuilt in 1850–1851 but with its 15th-century tower.
The Manor House, the 17th-century manor, now a hotel.

The name comes from a 12th-century castle of which only earthworks remain. The Scrope family owned the village for more than five centuries, until 1866.
Getting there and parking
You cannot drive into the village. You park at the top, in the Dunns Lane car park in Upper Castle Combe, and walk down for about ten minutes; the return is uphill. The car park belongs to Wiltshire Council and is paid: according to the rates published in 2026, £0.50 for the first hour, £1.30 for two hours, £2.40 for three hours and £6.60 all day. The meters accept coins, card and payment by app. The parish council warns that it fills up fast: if it is full, do not park on the village streets, which belong to residents. More in the entry for Castle Combe parking.
Without a car it is complicated: Chippenham, about 8 km away, is the nearest town with a station.
How long and when to go
An hour to go down, walk around the village and climb back up. With a cup of tea, an hour and a half. Go early or late in the afternoon, preferably on a weekday: it is a small village and the car park fills up. South of the upper village is the Castle Combe racing circuit.
With children and a pushchair
It can be done with a pushchair, but bear in mind the climb back to the car park. There are no attractions for children: it is a short walk, and it stays that way.
Combine it
Castle Combe is set apart from the rest of the villages, to the south. The logical thing is to combine it with Bath, or to do it on the way if you reach the Cotswolds from Bristol or from the M4 motorway. The Corinium Museum in Cirencester is on the way north.
- **Cotswold Wildlife Park** (5 h · All ages · Adult £17.50 online · £19.50 at the ticket office): What it is
The Cotswold Wildlife Park is a zoo south of Burford, in Oxfordshire, set in the grounds of a manor house. It opened in 1970, when the Heyworth family, owners of the estate, decided to open the gardens to the public. Today it is run by Reggie Heyworth, son of the founder. It has more than 1,500 animals of around 250 species in 48 acres of enclosures, within 160 acres of gardens and parkland. It is a full-day visit: the park recommends at least four hours.
What you see

The big ones: white rhinos, Asiatic lions and giraffes, which you see up close from the Giraffe Walkway.
Humboldt penguins: with a talk and feeding every day at 11:00 and 15:00, in the Walled Garden.
Ring-tailed lemurs and the Madagascar area, which closes earlier than the rest: at 15:00 in winter and 15:30 in summer.
The Walled Garden: the house's old walled kitchen garden, with a sheltered microclimate, small mammals, birds and the tropical house.
Bradwell Grove Manor House: the manor house, from 1804, in Georgian Gothic Revival style.
The train: a narrow-gauge railway that has run since 1975 and leaves from its Bradwell Grove station; check with the park whether it runs on the day of your visit.

Opening hours

Summer (British Summer Time): 10:00 to 18:00, last entry at 16:00.
Winter: 10:00 to 16:00, last entry at 15:00.
Closed on Christmas Day. In 2027, from Monday 4 January to Thursday 4 February it is closed on weekdays; at weekends it opens 10:00 to 16:00.

Tickets
Buy online: it is cheaper and in the summer holidays tickets sell out.


TicketOnlineAt the ticket office


Adult£17.50£19.50
Child aged 3 to 16£12.50£14
Over 65£12.50£14
Under 3FreeFree


The online ticket is valid for a single day. Parking is free.
Getting there
It is at Bradwell Grove, Burford, OX18 4JP, south of Burford. Combine it by car with Bibury or Bourton-on-the-Water. Without a car, count on a taxi.
With children and teenagers
It works for all ages. For the little ones, the penguins and lemurs; for older ones, the rhinos and giraffes from the walkway. Organise the day around the talks: penguins at 11:00, lunch, and Madagascar before it closes. It is 160 acres: with small children, bring a pushchair.
Where to eat
Nearby, in Burford, is Huffkins Burford, for lunch or afternoon tea on the way out.
- **Corinium Museum, for a rainy day** (1 h 30 · From 7 years · Adult £8.70 · ages 5 to 16 £4): What it is and why it matters
The Corinium Museum, in the centre of Cirencester, tells the story of the town and the Cotswolds from the Stone Age to the Victorian era. Its strength is the Roman material: Cirencester was Corinium Dobunnorum, one of the important Roman towns of Britannia, and almost everything on display came out of its soil. The museum was born in 1938 from the merging of two private collections, those of the Bathurst and Cripps families, and today it holds more than 60,000 pieces. It passed to Cotswold District Council and reopened in 1974; the latest major refurbishment, "Stone Age to Corinium", was completed in 2020.
It is the Cotswolds visit for a rainy day: all under cover, in the centre of a town with shops and cafés.
What you see

The Roman mosaics. Floors from the 2nd to the 4th centuries, among them the 4th-century Orpheus mosaic and the hunting dogs mosaic.
Roman sculpture and daily life. Reliefs and gravestones, and household objects: knives, brooches, earrings, a comb.
Prehistory. Neolithic tools, pottery, pieces from the Iron Age hillfort at Bagendon and "Rusty", the skeleton of a dog from that period.
Anglo-Saxons. Grave goods, above all from the Butler's Field cemetery in Lechlade.
Middle Ages. Cirencester Abbey and the wool trade.

The building includes part of Abberley House, an 18th-century house. The galleries are modern and bright, with interactive exhibits.
Allow an hour and a half.
Opening hours
According to its ticketing website, Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 16:00 and Sunday 14:00 to 16:00. In spring and summer the hours may be extended to 17:00: confirm on the museum's website before you go. Closed from 24 to 26 December and on 1 January.
Tickets


TicketPrice


Adult£8.70
Over 65£7.15
Concession (students and others)£5.50
Ages 5 to 16£4
Under 5Free
Family (2 adults and 2 to 4 children)£23.10


The museum asks you to book online. You choose the day, not the time: with the booking you can arrive whenever you like during that day. With the National Art Pass, entry is free.
Getting there
It is on Park Street, Cirencester, GL7 2BX, in the centre. By car, park in the public car parks in the centre. The nearest railway station is Kemble; from there, a taxi.
Accessibility and children
The galleries are modern; for details of wheelchair access, call the museum on 01285 655611. For children there are interactive exhibits and activities on some dates: check the events page on the website. From about 7 years old they get a lot out of it; for the youngest, an hour.
Combine it
Bibury is about 10 km away. If the rain clears, carry on to Bibury by car or on the 855 bus.

## Dónde comer
- **Huffkins Burford** (Café, Burford, €€). Qué pedir: scones with cream and jam, or an afternoon tea.
- **The Porch House** (Restaurant, Stow-on-the-Wold, €€€). Qué pedir: a seasonal dish from the British menu and a pint of draught beer.
- **The Wild Rabbit** (Restaurant, Kingham, €€€€). Qué pedir: the dining room's seasonal menu.
- **Russell's Fish & Chips** (Takeaway, Broadway, €). Qué pedir: battered fish with chips, at a table or to take away (takeaway is not eaten on its terrace).
- **Daylesford Farm** (Market, Daylesford, near Kingham, €€€). Qué pedir: bread, cheeses and vegetables from the farm for a picnic.

## By car: The easiest way, driving on the left
With a car you can see the northern villages one day, Bibury and Burford another, and drive down to Castle Combe on the way to Bristol. Journeys take 20 to 40 minutes.
Presupuesto orientativo: 130–200 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **The Lygon Arms** (Spa hotel, desde 280 € / night): A historic inn on Broadway's high street, with a spa, indoor pool and play area. Ask about the children's pool hours before booking.
- **Lords of the Manor** (Hotel, desde 390 € / night): A former rectory with a garden in one of the quietest villages, ten minutes from Bourton. For a couple who want to dine well without getting in the car.
- **The Swan Hotel** (Hotel): Sleeping in Bibury is the only way to see Arlington Row with nobody around: before nine and after six.
- **The Manor House Hotel** (Hotel): You step off the train with your suitcase and five minutes later you are inside. The 801 bus leaves the station for Stow and Bourton.
- **Redesdale Arms** (Hotel): A high-street inn with a restaurant and free parking behind. The junior suites with a sofa bed work for a family of four.
### Servicios
- **Castle Combe parking**: Dunns Lane, in Upper Castle Combe · paid · walk down to the village · fills up early

## Car-free: Possible, with a base in Moreton-in-Marsh
The train from Paddington gets you to Moreton in an hour and a half. From the station, the 801 bus reaches Stow and Bourton. Bibury and Castle Combe are out of reach: either a taxi, or you skip them.
Presupuesto orientativo: 120–170 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir without a car
- **The Manor House Hotel** (Hotel): You step off the train with your suitcase and five minutes later you are inside. The 801 bus leaves the station for Stow and Bourton.
- **Redesdale Arms** (Hotel): A high-street inn with a restaurant and free parking behind. The junior suites with a sofa bed work for a family of four.
### Servicios
- **Moreton-in-Marsh station**: Direct trains from London Paddington · about 90 min
- **Kingham station**: Same line as Moreton · for Daylesford and Stow by taxi
- **Pulhams 801 bus**: Moreton · Stow · Bourton · Cheltenham · also on Sundays, with fewer buses

## Luxury: Manor houses and seasonal cooking
The Cotswolds have some of the best-kept country house hotels in England. Choose one with a restaurant: in the evening, in the small villages there is not much else.
Presupuesto orientativo: 280–450 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir in style
- **The Lygon Arms** (Spa hotel, desde 280 € / night): A historic inn on Broadway's high street, with a spa, indoor pool and play area. Ask about the children's pool hours before booking.
- **Lords of the Manor** (Hotel, desde 390 € / night): A former rectory with a garden in one of the quietest villages, ten minutes from Bourton. For a couple who want to dine well without getting in the car.

## By campervan: Club campsites, without overnighting in the villages
The villages have narrow streets and small car parks. The practical thing is to leave the motorhome at a campsite and get around from there.
Presupuesto orientativo: 40–60 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir in a campervan
- **Moreton-in-Marsh Club Campsite** (Campsite): From the Caravan and Motorhome Club. You leave the motorhome parked and take the train to Oxford or the bus to the villages.
- **Cotswold Farm Park Campsite** (Campsite): Pitches for motorhomes, caravans and tents, plus pods and safari tents. Sleeping here includes entry to the farm on every day of your stay.
### Servicios
- **Moreton-in-Marsh station**: Direct trains from London Paddington · about 90 min
- **Castle Combe parking**: Dunns Lane, in Upper Castle Combe · paid · walk down to the village · fills up early

## With young children: Farms, a shallow river and short distances

With children under six the Cotswolds work very well if you choose two things a day and no more than 40 minutes' drive between them. A pretty village lasts them half an hour; a farm, a whole morning.

### What works best
Cotswold Farm Park: bottle-feeding lambs, chicks and covered play for rainy days

Bourton-on-the-Water: the river for getting their feet wet and the Model Village at their height

Cotswold Wildlife Park: big animals and room to run, with a pushchair

Bibury: a flat path for the pushchair and trout to feed

### Sleeping
Cotswold Farm Park Campsite, with the farm included

Inns with a family room in Moreton or Stow

### Eating
Huffkins in Burford, with afternoon tea for children

Picnic with bread and cheese from Daylesford Farm

### Keep in mind
Village pavements are narrow and made of stone: take a lightweight pushchair

Car seats: ask for them when hiring or bring your own

The Farm Park closes for part of November; check the calendar

### Qué hacer with young children
- Bibury and Arlington Row
- Bourton-on-the-Water and its miniature village
- Cotswold Farm Park
- Cotswold Wildlife Park

## As a family: Villages, animals and a walk made to measure

With children of different ages, alternate a village with something to do: Bourton with Birdland, Burford with the Wildlife Park, Chipping Campden with a stretch of the Cotswold Way. For a family of four, allow £60–80 per day for attractions and £60–90 for a pub meal.

### What works best
Cotswold Wildlife Park: a full day, for all ages

Cotswold Way to Broadway: 9.6 km with a tower at the end

Bourton-on-the-Water: river, model village and birds in one walk

Corinium Museum: the plan for a rainy day

### Sleeping
Redesdale Arms, with junior suites with a sofa bed

The Lygon Arms if you want a pool

### Eating
Russell's fish & chips in Broadway

The Porch House in Stow, with pub cooking

### Keep in mind
Buy August tickets online: they sell out

The car tires you out: no more than three villages a day

### Qué hacer as a family
- Bibury and Arlington Row
- Bourton-on-the-Water and its miniature village
- Chipping Campden and its Market Hall
- Cotswold Way from Chipping Campden to Broadway
- Cotswold Farm Park
- Stow-on-the-Wold
- Castle Combe
- Cotswold Wildlife Park
- Corinium Museum, for a rainy day

## With teenagers: Better if they walk, worse if it is only villages

To be honest, five stone villages in a row bore a teenager. What works is giving them something to do: carrying the Cotswold Way map, cycling the minor roads or spending a day at the animal park.

### What works best
Cotswold Way to Broadway: three hours with a climb you can feel and the tower at the end

Cotswold Wildlife Park: giraffes, lions and a long day

Corinium Museum: Roman Britain for a rainy day

### Sleeping
Moreton-in-Marsh: they can get around on their own on the 801 bus to Stow or Bourton

Hotels with connecting rooms, such as The Lygon Arms

### Eating
Takeaway fish & chips in Broadway

Pubs with simple cooking in Stow

### Keep in mind
Mobile coverage fails in the valleys

Each pub decides until what time it admits under-18s: ask when booking

For an e-bike, the minimum age in the UK is 14

### Qué hacer with teenagers
- Cotswold Way from Chipping Campden to Broadway
- Cotswold Wildlife Park
- Corinium Museum, for a rainy day

## With a dog: Dry-stone paths and inns that welcome dogs

The Cotswolds are easy to explore with a dog: all seven places to stay in this guide accept them, almost always with a supplement and in specific rooms. Your dog can come with you through the countryside on the Cotswold Way and on village paths, on a lead where there is livestock. Where it cannot go is the Model Village in Bourton or the Cotswold Farm Park farm.

### Walks
Cotswold Way from Chipping Campden to Broadway, 9.6 km: on a lead in fields with livestock

Bibury: on a lead along the path to Arlington Row

Cotswold Farm Park: the Wildlife Walk, about 5 km around the edge of the farm

Birdland, in Bourton-on-the-Water, on a short lead

### Where to sleep
The Swan (Bibury) and The Manor House (Moreton): £20 per night, £10 more for each additional dog

Lords of the Manor, ground floor only, and The Lygon Arms: £30 per night

Redesdale Arms: in some rooms, £20 per dog

Campsites in Moreton-in-Marsh and at Cotswold Farm Park: dogs accepted; at the latter, book it with the pitch

### Good to know
Say so when booking: only some rooms accept dogs, and they are not allowed in the main restaurants

Bourton Model Village: assistance dogs only

Cotswold Farm Park is closed from 2 to 26 November 2026

Russell's Fish & Chips, in Broadway: dogs outside only

### Qué hacer with a dog
- Bibury and Arlington Row
- Bourton-on-the-Water and its miniature village
- Cotswold Way from Chipping Campden to Broadway
- Cotswold Farm Park

### Dónde dormir with a dog
- The Lygon Arms: In designated rooms, £30 per dog per night; over one year old; not in the spa or the Grill
- Lords of the Manor: Ground-floor rooms only, £30 per night; not in the restaurants
- The Swan Hotel: In dog-friendly rooms, £20 per night (£10 for each additional dog); tell them when booking
- The Manor House Hotel: In dog-friendly rooms, £20 per night (£10 for each additional dog); tell them when booking
- Redesdale Arms: In some rooms, £20 per dog; tell them before booking
- Moreton-in-Marsh Club Campsite: Dogs allowed, with a dog-walking area on site; check the conditions when booking
- Cotswold Farm Park Campsite: On the grass pitches; the dog is booked along with the pitch

## Consejos

### Pick a base and don't pack your bags every day
Moreton-in-Marsh or Stow-on-the-Wold put almost everything within 30 minutes.

### Start with Bibury and Castle Combe
They are the most photographed. First thing in the morning you see them without crowds; at midday, with coaches.

### Walk, even if only for an hour
The Cotswold Way between Chipping Campden and Broadway shows the landscape you cannot see from the car.

### Always carry a waterproof
It rains often and the weather changes fast. Grass paths turn muddy.

### Pay by card, but carry a few pounds
Almost everything takes contactless; some village car parks and the odd honesty box do not.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How many days do I need?
Two full days for the main villages. Three if you want to walk a stretch of the Cotswold Way or visit a farm with children.

### Do you have to pay to enter the villages?
No. The villages and footpaths are free. You pay for parking and for specific attractions, such as farms, animal parks or museums.

### Is it hard to drive on the left?
The oddest parts are the roundabouts and the narrow roads with no hard shoulder. Distances are short: go slowly and let the locals pass.

### Can you go with small children?
Yes, it is one of the easiest places in England with children. There are farms, a large animal park and flat villages with a river. What tires them is hopping from village to village in the car.

### Can you do it in a day from London?
You can, by train to Moreton and bus to Stow and Bourton, but you come back feeling you have seen two villages. One night changes the trip a lot.

### What is the Cotswold Way?
A National Trail of about 164 km between Chipping Campden and Bath, waymarked in both directions. You can walk it in day-long sections.