If you’re thinking of visiting the Cotswolds or you are coming to stay in England, then the Cotswolds is just a short journey taking only one hour and 40 minutes away from London on the train. The area stretches over 1164 km² with a population of around 139,000 people. The Cotswolds have been named as one of the largest areas of outstanding natural beauty in England. There are several tour companies in the Cotswolds that operate regular tours on weekends and weekdays so you can see the stunning Cotswold attractions, the rolling hills of the countryside and the charming market towns.
Charming English Countryside
Wherever you go in the Cotswolds, locals will smile and nod because visitors to the area are always welcomed. The Cotswolds is a haven of English heritage countryside, having some of the most breath-taking and historical places in England and the most unspoilt area that has avoided development. The Cotswold area is well-known for being one of the largest contributors of the English wool trade but has remained unspoilt and peaceful over the years since the cloth trade moved to the north of England. The Cotswolds is beautiful with picture-perfect villages, pretty Cotswold market towns and several historical sites in the region. The chocolate box villages have charming thatched cottages, secret gardens and well-kept village greens. Cotswold market towns are usually busy with large market squares that held sheep markets in the past as a weekly occurrence. Now there are occasional farmer’s markets and weekly markets.
Discover the Cotswolds
Travelling to the Cotswolds is easy because it is so accessible. You can get a train to the Cotswolds from London or if you’re coming from abroad, the nearest airports are London, Birmingham and Bristol. Many tourists visit the area on touring coaches that drive around market towns stopping for short times in various places to show you some of the local attractions. The Cotswolds is popular with tourists and visitors come from all over the world to see the beautiful Cotswold views with the lush green rolling hills and the charming, characteristic market towns. Cotswold tours take you around Oxfordshire, North East Somerset, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and various parts of Wiltshire to show you the magnificent map of the region.
Attractions in The Cotswolds
There are many local attractions in the Cotswolds and it doesn’t matter what time of year you visit the area, it always looks magnificent with charming market towns, pretty villages and a huge range of attractions. In spring, daffodils line the banks and wildflowers fill the long grass in the Meadows. There are carpeted bluebell woods and some beautiful places to walk where you can breathe in the fresh air and look out to the countryside in all its beauty. In the autumn, Batsford Arboretum is incredible for a visit, with majestic oak trees, beech trees and horse chestnut trees, the views are filled with the colours of autumn in brown, green and yellow. Blenheim palace in Woodstock is one of the most famous landmarks in the Cotswolds, giving visitors the perfect impression of a grand Cotswold estate that resides in 2000 acres of land where Sir Winston Churchill once lived. TV celebrity Adam Henson’s Cotswold Farm Park is near Guiting Power, the Cotswold Wildlife Park is just outside Burford, Blenheim Palace is in Woodstock and the Model Village is in Bourton-on-Water. The Cotswolds is also known for having some of England’s most beautiful and famous castles with many royal connections. Berkeley Castle, Sudeley Castle and Kenilworth Castle are the most well-known castles in the Cotswolds area.
The Secret Cottage Tour
The Secret Cottage Tour picks up guests from the local train station in Moreton-in-Marsh and takes them around the area of the North Cotswolds in our luxury Mercedes minibus. We don’t go hungry and stop for tea and coffee and a pastry in the morning at a delightful village cafĂ©. We bring you to our home The Secret Cottage, a typical Cotswold 500-year-old thatched cottage in the morning for tea and coffee and a pastry. We return at lunchtime for a tasty home cooked buffet lunch, also offering a traditional delicious Cotswold cream tea in the afternoon! After the six-hour tour, we make sure that you are back at the train station to get your train to London, so you are back in time for the evening. The Secret Cottage Tour caters for small or large group tours and we give you a wonderful time taking you all around the Cotswolds to see the beautiful places. We advise our guests to book as soon as possible, to avoid disappointment!