We're really were spoilt for choice when deciding on our Top Five Cotswold towns, it’s almost an impossible task. We have settled on five which we think are the most beautiful and also have the most to offer whether it is great shopping, exceptional pubs, history, churches or setting. With just over 20 miles between the two furthest apart, they are all very accessible on one of our Cotswold Day Tours.
Our 5th place Top five North Cotswold Towns is Bourton on the Water.
5. Bourton on the Water
A real tourist magnet and in the summer months bustling with visitors from across the globe. Undoubtedly the water is the main attraction, where the shallow river Windrush flows under a series of small bridges. On a warm day it is full of paddling children and dogs having fun. There are ice cream shops, fish and chips in the high street and tea shops a plenty. Sit with a drink in one of the waterside beer gardens and watch the world go by. It is also home to Birdland with 9 acres of woodland and over 500 birds. Or visit the Bourton on the Water model village started in 1936. Bourton might be a bit brash and busy but it is always fun. Although one of the nicest times to visit as a local, is on a cold clear winter evening when the tourist coaches have gone, the cosy pubs and bright shop windows and , if you time it right, the Christmas tree, standing in the river reflecting all the fairy lights in its rippling surface.
Fourth place in our Top five North Cotswold towns is Burford.
4. Burford
The hugely attractive and ancient Burford high street sweeps downhill to the river Windrush and its medieval bridge. The church is one of the top 10 most visited in the country and has many Bale tombs, unique to the Cotswolds. There are some wonderful independent shops selling, amongst other things, clothing, home wares, gifts, jewellery, macarons, cheese and brushes! Stray off the main road and discover the quieter alleyways and side streets with glimpses of cottage gardens and bountiful wisteria in season. There are so many good places to eat with restaurants, pubs and tea shops or stay at a hotel frequented by King Charles 1st and Nell Gwynn. The view from the top of the high street is sublime with the beautiful stone cottages tumbling down the hill and the far green countryside beyond.
Third in our Top Five North Cotswold Towns is Chipping Campden.
3. Chipping Campden
Chipping Campden is one of the best preserved and most historically important towns in the Cotswolds. Its high street dates from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century. The fascinating market hall with its wonderfully worn floor dates from 1627. The town was built from the proceeds of the flourishing wool trade and has one of the finest wool Churches in the country, housing an ancient alter tapestry. The field adjacent to the church has the remains of Campden House, destroyed during the civil war but with two remaining, ornate banqueting houses, now taken over by the Landmark Trust, in which it is possible to stay. The Court Barn museum tells the story of craft and design in the Cotswolds and you can visit a working silver smith. Chipping Campden is set in the most beautiful rolling Cotswold countryside and with its picturesque thatched cottages, good selection of shops, pubs and restaurants, truly is a special place.
Second in our Top Five North Cotswold Towns is Stow-on-the Wold.
2. Stow-on-the Wold
Stow-on-the-Wold is the highest town in the Cotswolds. Perched on the hill with views in all directions it has a large square once used for sheep auctions. There is a lovely church with the much photographed Tolkien Door, where two old yew trees have grown on either side of the stone porch, expanding so much that they seem to have become part of the building. Look out for the iron boot scraper, slowly being engulfed by the twisting roots. There are lots of wonderful shops so if you’re after a pair of stylish boots, some sherbet lemons, a leg of lamb or a tea towel you’ll be well catered for. There is a strong history here of the Civil war, pop into the library to see some armour from the period. Or have a pint in the oldest pub in England, the Porch house. Tea shops abound, try our favourite, Lucy’s in the square. There are fish and chips an ice cream parlour plus all the pubs restaurants and hotels. Stow is a real place where the locals shop, visit the post office and go for a drink.
First in our Top Five North Cotswold Towns is Broadway.
1. Broadway
Well, one of them had to come first although, it could have been any of them really! Broadway developed with the growing stage coach trade on the road from Worcester to London. It was there to offer, not only a change of horses but also hospitality to travellers, something which it is still so good at today. There are numerous places to eat, from full on three course lunches, try the Lygon Arms Hotel (frequented by Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor) to Russell’s fish and chips. Or grab an alfresco bite at the superb Broadway Deli and sit on the green. There are some fantastic shops, Cotswold trading is one of our favourites, great for gifts and birthday cards. Oka interiors is beautiful, so is Susie Watson for home furnishings both in exquisite buildings. There are art galleries, a sweet shop, shoes, clothes and a great toy shop. When you have had enough retail therapy wander up to the top of the town, now a no through road where there are some truly wonderful houses and cottages. Or visit the Gordon Russell museum of mid century furniture. A short walk away is Broadway’s 12th century St Eadburgha’s Church with its grand Norman Columns and old timber roof. The fields around are full of lambs in spring and have lovely views of the Cotswold escarpment.
It is quite incredible, given the proximity to each other, how all the towns in our Cotswolds Top Five have such unique and distinctive characters, all of them have their own atmosphere and charm. This makes them all worthy of a visit, all equally enjoyed by our guests.
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