The Secret Cottage tour takes guests through hidden villages, pretty market towns, past grand stately homes, showing you some of the most beautiful places you will ever come across. The difference with our tours is that you are invited into our home, The Secret Cottage for a fascinating tour of a typical Cotswold cottage that is nearly 500-years old. If you’re visiting England and want to explore the Cotswolds, then join our experienced team on a unique adventure. Our family-run private tour takes guests on around the north Cotswolds, discovering amazing views and places of the Cotswolds in a luxury 7-seater minibus.
Market Towns in the Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are famous for once being one of the largest suppliers to the wool trade. After the industrial revolution when the cloth trade moved to the north of England, the Cotswolds remained unspoilt and peaceful. You will notice that many of the market towns have narrow roads leading from the market square, built so that farmers could count their sheep going in and out of the market. Market towns in the north Cotswolds include Moreton-in-Marsh, Witney, Chipping Norton, Woodstock and Stow-on-the-Wold. A typical market town has a large market square where farmers once brought their flocks of sheep to the market. The town buildings including the town hall are built from the pretty Cotswold stone, a pale-yellow limestone famous to the area. Cotswold market towns typically have pretty gift shops, friendly cafes, cosy pubs and antique shops.
Villages in the North Cotswolds
Cotswold villages are typically found down long country lanes where clusters of pretty cottages sit on the edge of roads with perfectly kept gardens, sometimes a local shop selling fresh produce, a small church and perhaps a friendly, cosy village pub selling local ale. The north Cotswolds is famous for having some of the most charming villages in England. In fact, a street in the village of Lower Slaughter near Stow-on-the-Wold called Copse Hill Road was voted as the most romantic street in England by Google Maps two times. Many of the houses and cottages in the villages have thatched roofs, pretty, rambling rose gardens and mature shrubs that edge the garden walls. There are many rivers throughout the Cotswolds, often smaller streams meandering through villages where dogs and children paddle on a summers day. Pretty villages in the north Cotswolds include Churchill, Bourton-on-the-Water, Chastleton, Kingham, Sarsden, the Slaughters and the Oddingtons. Cotswold villages are idyllic, peaceful and wonderful to explore.
The Cotswold Hills
The views across the Cotswold hills are far-reaching and inspiring, especially from Broadway Tower where you can see as far as the Welsh Mountains on a clear day. The Cotswold countryside boasts gentle rolling hills with sheep, cows and horses grazing throughout. There are many famous stately homes open to the public and known for their magnificent architecture and well-tended gardens. Banks of daffodils line the country lanes and wildflower meadows spring to life in the summer. It’s no surprise that the Cotswolds has been noted as the second largest area of outstanding natural beauty in England and Wales. The countryside of the Cotswolds is unspoilt and beautiful.
Experience the Secret Cottage Tour
If you’re staying in London or want to experience a day in the Cotswolds, then book a daytrip with the Secret Cottage. Our 6-hour privately-run tour picks up our guests from Moreton-in-Marsh train station where you can get a direct train from London taking only 1 hour and 40 minutes. The unique experience of our tour is that we invite guests into our home The Secret Cottage and provide a delicious homecooked buffet lunch, then a traditional Cotswold cream tea in the afternoon. Discover charming hidden villages, beautiful Cotswold countryside, quaint market towns and impressive stately homes with the Secret Cottage Tour. See what our previous guests have said and read our 5-star reviews on Trip Advisor. Book today, to avoid disappointment.