THE COTSWOLDS – World Travel

Broadway

WorldTravelDB.com — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 06:59:57 +0000

Quintessentially English, absurdly pretty and little changed since medieval times, Broadway is another stunning Cotswold village firmly on the tourist trail. The graceful golden-hued cottages set at the foot of a steep escarpment have inspired writers, artists and composers in times past, but today it’s tearooms, antique shops, boutiques, art galleries and coaches that line the village green.

The tourist office (852937; 1 Cotswold Ct; 10am-1pm & 2-5pm Mon-Sat) is in a shopping arcade off the northern end of High St.

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Burford

WorldTravelDB.com — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 06:59:57 +0000

Little changed since its glory days at the height of the wool trade, Burford is a stunningly picturesque place slithering down a steep hill to a medieval crossing point on the River Windrush. The main street and the quiet lanes off it are lined with higgledy-piggledy stone cottages, fine Cotswold town houses and the odd Elizabethan or Georgian gem. This incredible array of buildings attracts hoards of visitors, though, and the town can be frustratingly busy in midsummer. Add on a glut of specialist boutiques, tearooms and antique shops peddling flowery china and nostalgia and it can all feel a bit overwhelming.

The helpful tourist office (823558; Sheep St; 9.30am-5.30pm Mon-Sat Mar-Oct, 10am-4.30pm Mon-Sat Nov-Feb) has several leaflets describing walks in the local area.

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Chipping Campden

WorldTravelDB.com — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 06:59:57 +0000

The graceful curving main street of Chipping Campden is flanked by a wonderful array of wayward stone cottages, fine terraced houses, ancient inns and historic homes, making it a truly unspoiled gem in an area full of achingly pretty villages. Despite its obvious allure and the presence of chichi boutiques and upmarket shops, the town remains relatively unspoiled by tourist crowds and is a wonderful place to visit.

The helpful tourist office (841206; www.visitchippingcampden.com; High St; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri) stocks a town trail guide with some background on the town’s most historic buildings. On Wednesday from July to September you can also join a guided tour (1.30pm, tour £2) that leaves from the wonderful 17th-century Market Hall with its multiple gables and elaborate timber roof.

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Cirencester

WorldTravelDB.com — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 06:59:57 +0000

Affluent, elegant and steeped in history, the charming town of Cirencester is a refreshingly unpretentious place of narrow winding streets and graceful town houses. The lovely market square is surrounded by wonderful 18th-century and Victorian architecture, while the nearby streets showcase a harmonious medley of buildings from various eras.

Under the Romans, Cirencester was second only to London in terms of size and importance and although little of this period remains, you can still see the grassed-over ruins of one of the largest amphitheatres in the country. The medieval wool trade was also good to the town, with wealthy merchants funding the building of a superb perpendicular-style church. Today, Cirencester is the most important town in the southern Cotswolds, and retains an authentic, unaffected air, with the lively Monday and Friday markets as important as the expensive boutiques and trendy delis that line its narrow streets.

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Northleach

WorldTravelDB.com — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 06:59:57 +0000

Little visited and under-appreciated, Northleach is a lovely little market town of half-timbered Tudor houses, imposing merchants’ stores and late-medieval cottages. There’s a wonderful mix of architectural styles clustered around the gorgeous market square and the narrow laneways leading off it, but the highlight of a visit is the Church of St Peter and St Paul, a masterpiece of Cotswold perpendicular style. The large traceried stained-glass windows and collection of memorial brasses are unrivalled in the region.

Near the square is Oak House, a 17th-century wool house that contains Keith Harding’s World of Mechanical Music (860181; www.mechanicalmusic.co.uk; admission £5; 10am-6pm; ), a fascinating museum of self-playing musical instruments, where you can hear Rachmaninoff played on a reproducing piano.

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Painswick

WorldTravelDB.com — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 06:59:57 +0000

Largely untouched, totally unassuming and gloriously uncommercialised, Painswick is a real gem. This gorgeous Cotswold village is a maze of narrow winding streets lined with picture-perfect cottages, handsome stone town houses and medieval inns. Despite its obvious charm, Painswick sees only a trickle of visitors and you can wander the backstreets here and feel genuinely lost in time.

The village centres on St Mary’s Church, a fine perpendicular wool church surrounded by table-top tombs and 99 clipped yew trees. Legend has it that, should the hundredth yew tree be allowed to grow, the devil would appear and shrivel it. They planted it anyway –to celebrate the millennium – but there’s been no sign of the Wicked One.

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Stow On The Wold

WorldTravelDB.com — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 06:59:57 +0000

Stow has long held a strategic place in Cotswold history, standing as it does on the Roman Fosse Way and at the junction of six roads. At its heart is a large market square surrounded by handsome buildings and steep-walled alleyways originally used to funnel the sheep into the fair. Today the sheep have been replaced with tourists and instead of farmers brokering deals the town is full of antique shops, pretentious boutiques, tearooms and delis. It’s great if you’re on a pit stop from a coach tour, but all a little artificial if you’re looking for true Cotswold charm.

The tourist office (831082; Hollis House; 9.30-5.30pm Mon-Sat) on Market Sq sells discounted tickets to local attractions.

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Tetbury

WorldTravelDB.com — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 06:59:57 +0000

From medieval cottages to Georgian Gothic gems, Tetbury is an unspoilt town of stunning buildings and numerous antique shops. Once a prosperous wool-trading centre, Tetbury has managed to preserve most of its architectural heritage and is well worth a wander. A row of gorgeous medieval weavers’ cottages lines the steep hill at Chipping Steps and lead up to the Chipping, which is surrounded by graceful 17th- and 18th-century town houses. From here, it’s a short stroll to Market Sq, where the 17th-century Market House stands as if on stilts. Close by, the Georgian Gothic Church of St Mary the Virgin has a towering spire and wonderful interior.

Just south of Tetbury is the National Arboretum (880220; www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt; adult £5-7.50, under 18yr £1; 10am-dusk) at Westonbirt. The park boasts a magnificent selection of temperate trees, with some wonderful walks and great colour throughout the year, especially in autumn.

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Winchcombe

WorldTravelDB.com — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 06:59:57 +0000

Capital of the Saxon kingdom of Mercia and one of the most important towns in the Cotswolds until the Middle Ages, Winchcombe is now a sleepy place with the timeless charm of a typical Cotswold town. Beautiful houses line the streets, and the picturesque cottages on Vineyard St and Dents Tce offer quintessential Cotswold views. Fine gargoyles adorn the lovely St Peter’s Church and just outside the town are the evocative ruins of Cistercian Hailes Abbey (EH; 01242-602398; adult/under 15yr £3.30/1.70; 10am-5pm Easter-Oct), once one of the country’s main pilgrimage centres.

The town’s main attraction, however, is Sudeley Castle (604357; www.sudeleycastle.co.uk; adult/under 15yr £7.20/4.20; 10.30am-5pm Sun-Thu selected weeks Easter-Oct), once a favoured retreat of Tudor and Stuart monarchs. Much of the house is off limits to visitors, but you can get a glimpse of its grand proportions while visiting the exhibitions of costumes, memorabilia and paintings, and the surrounding gardens. To see the private apartments you’ll need to join the ‘Connoisseur Tours’ (Wednesday 11am, 1pm, and 3pm Easter to October, tour £15).

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