AIBU to think the Cotswolds are over-rated?

[Shoezembagsforever]

We went for a lovely long lunch with friends yesterday near Little Tew in the Cotswolds and then walked/drove around Great Tew and Woodstock before going home. I live in a town in East Sussex and go regularly to the countryside there. I’d actually never been to the Cotswolds though and was really excited as it’s become so popular.

I was actually disappointed though - the countryside seemed bleaker and flatter than East Sussex, but what bothered me most is that almost all the old houses we passed had been cleaned up so much that they looked a bit like dull beige new builds. In contrast the lovely old villages in East Sussex like Firle, Ditchling and Alfriston still look old and have character - it makes a huge difference.

Yes we went to Soho Farmhouse! Our friends are really lovely but, well, SohoFH is like all other Soho’s - 95% shallow posers. But at least the city based clubs are generally gorgeous spaces - this one had a lovely central restaurant and bar area, but the accommodation huts were looking tired, and our friends said it’s actually cheaper and far nicer to stay in a nearby Airbnb and just use all the amenities at Soho.

It is a pretty area but the people who live there are incredibly unfriendly if you move from outside the area (personal experience).
Also unless you're dressed in pastel corduroy trousers you'll never fit in😂

I agree - I used to live near there and found it over priced and a bit twee to be honest.

I'd rather go to the Lake District myself. Or somewhere in Wales. And a lot of places in Worcestershire are nicer I think too.

However, everyone's tastes are different - I know many people love it.

Sorry your day was a bit of a let down though.....

The Cotswolds is a huge area! It stretches from the Midlands almost as far south as Bath and from Gloucestershire to Oxfordshire! Seeing one little tiny little bit of it and saying it’s over rated is bonkers. If you went to say, Bexhill, would that sum up literally everything that East Sussex has to offer?

I never say this on mn but do bore off. I recently spent a time on Brighton. It was a shot hole. So…

I go to the Cotswolds and East Sussex fairly regularly due to family. Much prefer the Cotswolds. Prettier, better pubs, better roads. East Sussex has some pretty areas but trying to find a pub/hotel that's not insane price or alternatively pretty grim is hard and the roads literally terrify me.

Erm yes, sadly Brighton is in decline, but Hove is gorgeous!

Hove actually. But it’s not as pretty as the Cotswolds, no matter how you spin it.

You weren't in the right bit. The Slaughters, Bourton, Stanway, Broadway, Bibury etc are straight out a storybook or a Christmas jigsaw.

So you are a regular at these places full of 'shallow' people 🤔

Ah. I see now. Everyone (from London anyway lol) talks about SohoFH being in the Cotswolds. I guess it’s not!

It is in the Cotswolds I'd argue...right by Great Tew

Great Tew is not in the Cotswolds.

The three towns / villages mentioned are not representative of the picturesque Cotswolds. The landscape around the Tews is gently sloping hills, and the villages are not that aesthetically pleasing or stand out gorgeous. They are handily located for the motorway though, so referred to as a Cotswold getaway even though they are officially outside of the AONB.

I was just going to add the places you mentioned aren’t the quintessential villages of the Cotswolds everyone thinks of.
For me, it’s Chipping Campden, with its honey coloured stone. Lovely
i was born and bred in Bath, and exh was from Malmesbury which is on the borders
i I wouldn’t want to live in the Cotswolds, being a non driver but nice for a day trip.

I live on the fringe of the Cotswolds and I think much of it is incomparably pretty. But I don't much like treeless, rugged landscapes.

I absolutely love the Cotswolds, particularly the north, I always spend a week around Christmas there, you have visited the wrong villages I don’t recognise them as the Cotswolds at all, Broadway is stunning, straight out of a picture book, would love to buy a little cottage in Chipping Campden when I retire.

You were near Woodstock which isn’t what I consider the Cotswolds.

It’s just English countryside on the prettier end of the scale, with jaw droppingly expensive farm shops. Pretty and undramatic landscapes. Some nice gastro pubs. If you already live in the English countryside, it probably isn’t going to move your heart, compared to a city dweller.

Thanks for all the replies. I think me and my DH
need to spend a weekend exploring the places recommended on here, particularly towards next Christmas!

I agree. I’ve been once and it seemed very meh. Just sort of flattish fields. I do live in Yorkshire which is very hilly but was expecting something more dramatic. The villages were very pretty though.

I’ve spent extended time in the Chipping Norton area (had an ex who lived there). I think it’s the quaint architecture not so much the landscape that is considered really outstanding. But I think both are beautiful. If you go on a sunny day the gentle, rolling hills and the golden stone can be breathtaking.

I like it there. We've stayed in Woodstock with friends and then driven properly into the Cotswolds AONB on day trips with them. Always found it beautiful and we have had good times.

I've preferred them to anywhere I've ever visited in East or West Sussex.

The Cotswolds is such a beautiful area. It’s certainly not overrated. Some towns better than others and some postcard perfect . England has the most beautiful little villages you will ever see .

I’ve been to the Cotswolds and thought some of it was stunning, and I live an easy drive to the Yorkshire Dales where my heart firmly lives.

Woodstock isn't in the Cotswolds.

We love it. Hiking, medieval and romantic history, country fetes, nice pubs, lovely shopping, loads to do that's not expensive.

Like anywhere, you need to do some research, see where you'd like to visit. What you're interested in. Look at a map. Plan. Take control of your time and enjoyment factor.