Cotswolds newbie - any suggestions?

[tellmewhentheLangshiplandscoz]

So we're looking at here for the October break and it's a part of the country we've not visited before but boy it looks lovely.

Here's our wish list ... any suggestions on a good town?

• 1.5 hours tops drive from Leicester would be ace although happy to go a bit further afield if location really good
• We like to park car up on arrival and preferably not use it again until we leave so a good handful of pubs, some restaurants and coffee shops we can walk to easily of an evening is ideal. It would be fab if those options were not mega expensive. We do love our food so any really special places to eat as a treat would be a nice bonus.
• Lots of good walks on our doorstep and interesting things to see and do locally
• A supermarket either not to far a walk away or an easy 10 minute drive so we can stock up although we're hoping to make little piggies of ourselves on local produce as much as possible.
• Bus into nearby bigger towns always a good bonus

So far from my googling Broadway looks nice and Winchcombe really pretty (they apparently used to duck suspected witches in the river there! Love things like this) but I'm starting to feel a bit overwhelmed with choice! I did initially look at Cirencester which looks lovely and very compact which is perfect for us however I'm not sure if there's enough there to do.

We will probably look for an Air BnB unless anyone can recommend nice cottages/houses/lodges we can hire?

We're a family of 3 btw, DD is 13 and whilst happy holed up watching Netflix loves a good walk when she gets going (although definitely fair weather ) provided there is hot chocolate and cake at the end.

Also, I've looked at menus for a few places and prices seem quite steep for food, I.e. £15 upwards for a main course (this was sausage and mash)! Is this typical for Cotswolds? Am I being tight?!

I don't want much do I?

Thanks in advance.

Following! Hoping for an Easter break this year.

Fingers crossed for some suggestions, MN is great for this sort of thing!

Broadway is beautiful and I go once or twice a year, but I don't think it meets many of your requirements if I'm honest. I also tend to only go for a night or two, as there isn't masses to do. If you do choose Broadway and want good food, I'd definitely book tables. It gets busy - there's often a bit of a fight for an overflow table outside the chippy when the weather is good!

I've never been to Winchcombe but people recommend it often, so hopefully someone who has been will be able to jump in.

If you want to stream Netflix, I'd make sure that the internet wherever you choose is good. I've stayed in two hotels in Broadway which were gorgeous but the internet was so poor that you couldn't take an audio-only Zoom; they'd never have coped with Netflix. To be fair to them, they are countryside hotels for people to get lost in rather than work, but I'd expected that I could finish a bit of work off on Friday afternoon

Burford, Stow on the Wold, Chipping Campden are also good options. Winchcombe is lovely but there’s not a great deal there, but it is a bit cheaper than the prettier tourist towns.

Broadway lovely but very expensive for food & drink, but you will find this across the whole area as it’s not a cheap place to eat out. Local produce is lovely but you will pay for it, especially in one of the small towns.

I don’t think you can really get away with parking up and not using a car, as you’ll be very limited by what you can get to.

Broadway is lovely, and lots of good places to eat. But though it certainly ticks your walking box, you are going to have to get in the car to go to things, apart from if you get the steam train to Cheltenham and I think you can get the bus to Moreton in Marsh which is good for Sezincote/the Arboretum.

You are going to pay a premium to eat in somewhere pretty like Broadway I'm afraid as their costs are higher. Jump in the car and drive down the 10 minutes to Evesham over the Cotswolds line and prices are cheaper

I forgot Winchcombe. Its really pretty in the centre, but less to do than Broadway apart from the castle, and much more restricted public transport

Mmmmm, much to think about thanks all for your replies, they're really helpful.

We're definitely not averse to a day out with the car (I guess we're only looking at three full days away if you take off arrival and departure day) but don't feel the need to have a Day Out every day so a base down with a few reasonably priced pubs/cafes with walks and places to Potter for a few days is perfect.

I shall look into Burford, Stow on the Wold, Chipping Campden, thanks Porridge. How ££ are they? God I sound tight, think I was a bit 😳 at the prices I'd initially seen .... makes sense now you've told me about Broadway. Which does look lovely.

What's Cirencester like?

I think Cirencester would suit better it’s a little town so has shops, chain restaurants, an arts centre etc. I really like a day out there. It’s much bigger than Broadway or Winchcombe.

If there isn't enough to do in Cirencester, then there will be even less to do in Broadway or Winchcombe.

Cirencester does have thing sot do on foot. Arts, crafts, museum, restaurants.
the rest of the Costwolds are pretty much villages with much less to do than that.

And unless you are in the town centre, you can't do anything without a car. (and there is no public transport)

Also, outside of bigger towns, Costwold internet and phone reception are dire.

In terms of costs, Costwolds is one of the most expensive places to live in the country and the prices reflect that.

For walks, while it is all pretty, the walks are limited by the farmland. You need to download some circular walks and have a look at what is actually on offer. Although Cirencester has a massive 'park' which is nice.

I live a few miles from Cirencester. I have a love/hate relationsjip with it all having grown up there, it is very pretty, probably better in the summer, but there are drawbacks.

I grew up a few miles outside Cirencester. The cotswolds are very “look at the pretty village” touristy. There’s not a lot of variety. And you will need to get in the car if you want to find different things to do.

Nice places to visit:

Burford - Cotswold wildlife park & Birdland.
Bourton on the water - beautiful model village, pubs, cute shops.

Westonbirt arboretum near tetbury is a nice place to visit.

I personally find eating out in the main Cotswolds villages to be just as expensive as Central London. It’s a really expensive place to live & it’s hard to get staff.

The main villages are really small, they’re not even market towns really. It would be hard to stay entertained very long unless you really put your efforts into long walks.

Burford is a tiny bit cheaper (not much) and a little bit bigger and has the added advantage that you can day trip to Oxford via the park & ride if it’s raining.

Not the Cotswolds, but Cotswolds-lite and nearby is Malvern.

Lots of amenities, beautiful scenery and walks, a supermarket in the town centre and very reasonably priced.
Quite like a seaside town but nestled in the English countryside.
Inspired Tolkien, Lewis and Elgar with its beauty.
A holiday retreat dating back to the Edwardian era, famous for its "regenerative" magic.
Buses and trains into Cheltenham and historic Worcester.
Evesham and a variety of castles etc within easy drive.
A day out in the Cotswolds is a short car ride away.

@steppemum

If there isn't enough to do in Cirencester, then there will be even less to do in Broadway or Winchcombe.

Cirencester does have thing sot do on foot. Arts, crafts, museum, restaurants.
the rest of the Costwolds are pretty much villages with much less to do than that.

And unless you are in the town centre, you can't do anything without a car. (and there is no public transport)

Also, outside of bigger towns, Costwold internet and phone reception are dire.

In terms of costs, Costwolds is one of the most expensive places to live in the country and the prices reflect that.

For walks, while it is all pretty, the walks are limited by the farmland. You need to download some circular walks and have a look at what is actually on offer. Although Cirencester has a massive 'park' which is nice.

I live a few miles from Cirencester. I have a love/hate relationsjip with it all having grown up there, it is very pretty, probably better in the summer, but there are drawbacks.

Thanks steppe, this helps.

@PeeAche

Not the Cotswolds, but Cotswolds-lite and nearby is Malvern.

Lots of amenities, beautiful scenery and walks, a supermarket in the town centre and very reasonably priced.
Quite like a seaside town but nestled in the English countryside.
Inspired Tolkien, Lewis and Elgar with its beauty.
A holiday retreat dating back to the Edwardian era, famous for its "regenerative" magic.
Buses and trains into Cheltenham and historic Worcester.
Evesham and a variety of castles etc within easy drive.
A day out in the Cotswolds is a short car ride away.

Ooooh that sounds interesting, thank you.

Thanks to everyone for replying .... I think we may need to consider location for a "holiday mostly on foot" and perhaps consider the Cotswolds for a night away.