Katherine4

Hello there,

I realize this is the millionth time this question has been posted, but I’ve got specific criteria for the best Cotswold base that I’d like to ask about. For a 5 night stay at a self-catering cottage in August with a plan to explore villages and countryside, what would you suggest with these priories in mind:

1. The top priority is a village with an abundance of charm and beauty.

2. A village with at least one high quality place to eat or buy groceries nearby. By high quality I don’t mean fancy, just fresh, good quality food.

3. A less touristy village unless the degree of charm and beauty makes the crowds worth it.

4. And (a lower priority but would be nice) walking trails to beautiful countryside accessible right from the village.

Thanks very much for reading and weighing in!

ChgoGal

I expect the Cotswolds experts would want a little more insight in to your plans. I'm no expert, but would you be renting a car, or using public transportation to visit other places? What are your preferences & priorities? Walking/hiking the countryside, or meandering a high street and weekend market, and ducking in to a tea shop/pub, or visiting a historic place and if yes, is that Georgian/Regency, or Tudor, or Roman, etc.? Do you like cooking all your meals, or do you want to have your evening meals out? It seems you'd be able to pick up basic food items in many villages to stock your cottage frig for breakfast and late night snacks.

Winchcombe was a wonderful base for walks, (and very close Sudeley Castle was a nice visit). Broadway and Chipping Campden are lovely to wander through. Snowshill was one of the prettiest. Moreton-in-Marsh offers easy walks to Sezincote and the Batford Arboretum, plus some easy bus/rail connections.

The National Trust offers holiday cottages, and I've always wanted to stay in one. (They have one on the grounds of Lyme Park that I would love.) Maybe check out their website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/holidays

Have fun planning!

Katherine4

Thanks for your reply! We want to do a little bit of everything. We will have a car. We don’t have ambitious plans for multi mile walks in the country every day but do want to do some countryside walks and exploring. We should be able to do a little bit of everthing as a part of our touring the area overall. We’ll eat out sometimes but also want to prepare meals at home.

Right now I’m focused on finding the best lodging from which to base ourselves using the criteria I mentioned earlier.

thanks again!

ChgoGal

Yes, it's so hard to narrow down! I expect you'll get some good feedback here. With a car, I'd probably want to stay in Broadway as I enjoyed the northern Cotswolds more than the south. Good luck!!

bilboburgler

August 24? Seriously? 25 might be possible but August is one busy month.

https://footpathmap.co.uk/ for footpaths
Car, or public transport? NB the roads can be very small.
How much money do you want to spend in £?

Katherine4

Sorry but what’s unique about 8/2024? I don’t live in the UK so I wouldn’t know

janisj

OK there are probably 50 villages that would be pretty/charming, have a good pub and/or restaurants, just about every village has public footpath and access to lovely walks. Most Cotswold villages are 'touristy' - goes with the territory. But only maybe Bourton-on-the-Water and Bibury are annoyingly so. Shopping is more of an issue but most villages, if they don't have a shop/grocery, will be close enough to one.

When in August?? All of August is high season but near the Bank Holiday is HIGHEST of high season. As bilboburgler says - At this late-ish date it may be a case of taking what you can get.

Really -- there are no ugly bits so you would be pretty safe booking in any village - once you find a property you think you'd like -- then google something like 'Pubs near [you name it] ' and it will show a map with pubs/restaurants in and near the place.

janisj

we were posting at the same time -- nothing special about August this year. August ANY year is the busiest month and self catering places tend to book up early. The bank Holiday is the last weekend in August and that entire week would be like 4th of July/Memorial Day/Labor Day all rolled into one availability-wise.

Katherine4

Oh, yes, I’m aware that it’s high season. But there are a ton of self-catering cottages still available which is why I was trying to narrow down a town or towns. We’ll be there in early August. Thanks!

janisj

Why not give us the links to a few properties you are considering and we can tell you about the town/village

geetika

Following, as this is something I’d like to do next year, in June or September. Katherine4, would you mind sharing your sources for holiday cottages, thanks. Sounds like a perfectly lovely vacation, hope you have great weather and enjoy yourselves immensely!

Katherine4

Geetika, vrbo is where I’m seeing most of them. There are also properties listed on private rental agency website, but I believe most of these are on vrbo, as well.

Janisj, I’ve found so many possibilities that I couldn’t link them all. But one cottage that looks particularly appealing is in Kingham. I’ll throw some other village names out there for your review, as well, if you have a moment. Thank you for the offer!

Katherine4

Poulton is another town that I’m seeing with a magical looking cottage. Thanks!

janisj

OK -- just quick because I'm out for several hours -- but Kingham is great. Not the prettiest village in the Cotswolds but a lovely village green, and two amazing destination pubs (both require booking in advance) The Kingham Plough and Wild Rabbit. I've stayed there once for a week in a cottage on the green and once for a couple of nights at the Plough. There is a small shop but major shopping would be in Stow-on-the-Wold 10 mins up the road.

janisj

Oh -- and there is also a train station (rare in the Cotswolds) -- so you can visit say Oxford without having to drive in the car-hating city.

bilboburgler

I stand corrected, it just felt too late. My bad

For me Burford is the best.
I would recommend you consider a walking route that takes you via a pub with the chance of bus home.
This is pretty useful https://www.traveline.info/ for bus routes
Yoiu may also find https://www.cotswolds.com/ useful

janisj

Burford is my very favorite -- Have stayed there probably 7 or 8 times. Once there were THIRTEEN of us and we rented an entire water mill that had been split into cottages and flats. The Mill was later split into individual homes but It looks like one of the cottages within the complex is still doing self catering - it would be a WONDERFUL place to stay but the August calendar looks spotty so don't think it would fit your dates. https://www.manorcottages.co.uk/cott...8&changeover=5

Burford is larger, bustling high street, beautiful church, LOTS of pubs/restaurants/cafes/shops. But there really aren't that many self catering places in the village.

But If the place in Kingham looks nice you could do a lot worse . . .

mjs

Just left the Cotswolds last week. Kingham is quite pleasant albeit small. Wild Rabbit has terrific but pricy food. Tesco superstore in Stow reasonably close. Would not stay in Burton on the water or Bibury due to congestion. Burford would be nice. Maybe Broadway?

Rocket79

Following, too! This is something I've wanted to do for years, in several spots, even up north in Yorkshire. I don't trust myself to drive on the right, though.

KarenWoo

Following along on this thread. Thinking of England, including the Cotswolds, and Ireland for Septembr 2025.

mjs, where did you stay?