www.cotswolds.com Visit the Cotswolds Contents Hundreds of miles, hundreds of places to stay and PAGES 4-5 hundreds of things to see and do. Where do you start? =^Ûgbg`ma^<hmlphe]l PAGES 6-7 Ma^Zglp^kblbgrhnkaZg]l'P^e\hf^mhma^H_Û\bZe Families and Activities PAGES 8-9 2010 Guide to the Cotswolds, featuring only inspected Ahm=Zm^lbgma^<hmlphe]l accommodation and our exclusive village-by-village PAGES 10-11 `nb]^'Bmlcnlmma^mabg`mha^eirhn\ahhl^pa^k^mh ;kbmZbglKnkZe<ZibmZeh_<nemnk^ stay and what to expect when you arrive. PAGES 12-13 Ebo^<nemnk^%D^r<hmlphe]>o^gml For the very latest information on everything, including PAGES 14-15 @^mNiZg]@hbgma^<hmlphe]l events, please visit www.cotswolds.com PAGES 16-17 *)<hmlphe]?hh]b^>qi^kb^g\^l PAGES 18-34 Towns & Villages PAGE 35 Accommodation Booking PAGES 36-47 <hmlphe]:mmkZ\mbhglZg] Accommodation Advertisements PAGES 48-73 Where to Stay PAGE 74 <hmlphe]lMkZo^eÛe^FZkd^ml INEEHNM;:<D<HO>K FZiZg]OblbmhkBg_hkfZmbhg<^gmk^l This 2010 guide is here to help you to get the most from a visit to the Cotswolds. For the latest information, keep an eye on our website, www.cotswolds.com. Meanwhile read on for ideas and inspiration. We can be traditional or contemporary, peaceful or breathtaking – a little research in advance will help you to be in the right place at the right time. Bg\en]^]bgma^`nb]^rhneeÛg]3 Our unique Towns and Villages guide – use it to find accommodation anywhere from an ‘unknown’ village to an historic market town. Comprehensive ‘inspected only’ accommodation guide. <ho^k3 Nick Turner, Snowshill, Lavender Stow-on-the-Wold www.cotswolds.com 3 DEFINING THE COTSWOLDS DEFINING THE COTSWOLDS The Cotswolds is an area pretty much universally acclaimed The Cotswolds are also fashionable. Celeb residents mix with as beautiful and essentially English. In the north Cotswolds true Cotswoldians who are always ready to bring them back there are well-known villages such as Bourton-on-the-Water, down to earth if needed. Stow-on-the-Wold and Chipping Campden whilst, to the south, the the area has a slightly wilder nature, especially in the beautiful The mix of wealth, a cosmopolitan population and strong Defining five valleys around Stroud. Around the edge, and infused with local communities creates an audience for what is a lively plenty of Cotswold character, are places such as Cheltenham, arts scene. For that reason we have declared ourself (someone Tewkesbury and Gloucester. had to) Britain’s Rural Capital of Culture (see pages 10-11). It’s true – you’ll find festivals, arts events, cultural happenings A farmer would define the Cotswolds as an area of gentle hills and galleries tucked away in even the smallest towns. Add and slow running streams good for arable and sheep farming, some top class sport and our amazing local food and market geologists enthuse over our oolitic limestone and gardeners culture and it all adds up to one of Britain’s most surprisingly head for National Trust gardens such as Hidcote Manor or to see vibrant places to visit. Cotswolds the glorious Kiftsgate Rose. The Cotswolds are also designated as In lbfie^m^kfl%ma^phk]<hmlphe]lk^_^kl England’s largest ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’. Above all, we recommend that you stay for longer than just to an area of gently hilly country spanning a day, an idea supported by the fact that the Cotswolds None of the above descriptions really explain the heart and must be the ultimate English touring base with Bath, over 100 miles (160km) north to south. soul of the Cotswolds. To do that you need to add a few extra Stratford-Upon-Avon or Oxford each nearby. ingredients, such as the warm, honey-coloured limestone that lies under and (in the buildings and stone walls) over the whole The second half of this guide lists the area. The limestone sleeps during the day and exudes warmth during the early evening. accommodation options open to you. Wardens Walk 10TH-11THCNER M>PD>L;NKR F>=B>O:E?>LMBO:E Tewkesbury has a fabulous medieval history and one of the best medieval townscapes in the country. The town was ruled by three medieval families for hundreds of years and in 1471, one of the key battles of the Wars of the Roses was fought there, bringing to an end the Lancastrian cause. The town marks the event during the second week in July by re-enacting the battle in a weekend of festivities. ppp'm^pd^l[nkrf^]b^oZe_^lmboZe'hk` FAMILIES AND ACTIVITIES FAMILIES AND ACTIVITIES TH Families and 4 JUNE <HMLPHE=HEBFIB<D@:F>L Each year, Dover’s Hill echoes with shouts and cheers of competitors and spectators as Robert Dover’s Cotswold Olimpick Games are celebrated near ActivitiesWe think that the Cotswolds are underrated for family Chipping Campden. Bands march, cannon fire, shin kicking, lots of holidays. "The Cotswolds is a Top 10 Staycation other rustic activities plus a rousing conclusion in the lighting of the bonfire, =^lmbgZmbhg'Fhk^maZg*+fbeebhg;kbmhglmhhd[k^Zdl fireworks and torchlight procession in their own country in the summer of 2009", all bring the town alive. ppp'hebfib\d`Zf^l'\h'nd according to a survey by Travel Supermarket.com The fun starts for toddlers with the Every respectable child loves a picnic Time and time again there are quirky Cotswold Farm Park (the original and the Cotswolds has some great discoveries to be made – for example and best!), model villages and mazes. wide open spaces. Ask at local Visitor Cirencester Open-Air Swimming Pool. Meanwhile there are wilder beasts Information Centres for details of It’s Britain’s oldest, run by volunteers, on offer at The Cotswold Wildlife Park. Painswick Beacon, Robinswood, Cleeve, and uses natural spring water. Children, ducks and geese get Crickley Hill and many more. The to meet each other on equal terms Independent newspaper named Selsley at the magical Slimbridge Wetland Common as one of the 50 Best Rural Centre. Our busiest attraction is the Picnic Spots in Britain. Our favourites National Arboretum at Westonbirt, include Rodborough – with the incentive a year-round favourite for level walks, of Winstones ice cream on offer, direct vibrant tree colour and great special from the factory. Nearby Stroud has events. The area around Berkeley Stratford Park and the Museum in the is great for families, with a ‘proper’ Park, both family friendly places and free. castle and Cattle Country’s playbarns and activities. At the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway, a reverse Teens and pre-teens love activities Christmas effect comes into play at the Cotswold Water Park near Bygone Times at Cirencester Open-air pool (all year round) as grandchildren see Cirencester, including cable the excitement in their grandparents’ eyes. waterskis and paintballing. The Cotswolds is a great sporting Shopping teens love Gloucester area. Premiership Rugby at Gloucester, Quays and everyone seems to love Cheltenham Racing, polo, County and the colour and excitement of our village cricket and local events such [kbeebZgm?Zkf^klFZkd^ml' as cheeserolling, woolsack racing and the Cotswold Olimpicks – an ancient celebration of sport. In the evenings, you’ll find village cinema shows, a surprising number of Activites on offer in the area go from theatres around the county and brilliant archery to zorbing, via cycling, pony surprises such as Giffords Circus. trekking and walking. This is circus Cotswold style, with hummus and pitta bread on the menu, For a list of events, activities and tour humans and horses on stage and bags operators, see www.cotswolds.com. of romance and style. Where else is For families looking for places to visit, a circus reviewed by Vogue? Giffords order or download our Attractions or Country Circus tours the area in 2010. Gardens print Guides. Westonbirt Arboretum Cotswold Farm Park 6 www.cotswolds.com www.cotswolds.com 7 HOT DATES IN THE COTSWOLDS HOT DATES IN THE COTSWOLDS Hot Dates in the Cotswolds Pabelm;kbmZbglZfZsbg`ablmhkrng_he]^]Zkhng]bm% ma^fZbgma^f^_hkmablZk^Zh_;kbmZbgbl\hgmbgnbmr' The Romans settled and became Anglo-Romans and life went on. Here we give you 10 key dates to highlight, bgZgZn`amberlbfiebÛ^]pZr%ma^lmhkrh_ma^<hmlphe]l' \+.));< *-ma<^gmnkr wool brings in the cash Hetty Peglars Tump, Nr Uley Cotswold wool commanded a high One of up to a hundred ancient lumps price and brought tremendous wealth or bumps in the local landscape. to the Cotswolds. This, in turn led to a Tewkesbury Medieval Festival Much later (c500BC), the Celtic tribes building boom for hundreds of years – loved a good hilltop fort and these really until the failure of cloth exports 1536+ 1871 >gm^kPbeebZfFhkkbl 2010 amazing places are often local beauty during the 30 Years War, beginning The Tudor dissolution of the monasteries, The Cotswolds became something of We rather like the idea that not too spots including the remains at Painswick in 1618. Wool ran the economy and such as Hailes Abbey, saw vast areas a backwater at the time of the industrial much has changed since the 1930s. Beacon, nr Stroud with unrivalled views the merchants built churches, houses of the Cotswolds change hands – from revolution, despite railway and canal For more ‘places to visit’ ideas, see of the Severn Vale, Forest of Dean and and manor houses. Wool processing Church to private ownership and this, developments and the building of the advertising section of this brochure the far away Malverns. dominated the Stroud Valleys, where in turn, led to construction of a new style mills in and around Stroud.