Cotswolds Activities

Worth getting out of bed for

Cotswolds itinerary

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Viewpoint

Just north of Stow-on-the-Wold, the Broadway Tower is a glorious folly, built like a mock castle and perched 312 metres above sea level, offering soul-soothing views across the Severn Valley to the Welsh mountains.

Arts and culture

The Arts and Crafts design movement began in this area in the 19th century, and its influence is everywhere: Kelmscott Manor, the house William Morris shared with Dante Gabriel Rossetti, is well worth a visit (www.kelmscottmanor.co.uk). There are more Arts and Crafts wonders at Rodmarton Manor in Cirencester (+44 (0)1285 841253) and Hidcote Manor Garden, near Chipping Campden (+44 (0)1386 438333). The Cheltenham Festival of Literature (www.cheltenhamfestivals.com), held every October, is attended by eminent writers such as Stephen Fry, Maya Angelou and Bret Easton Ellis.

Shopping

Stow-on-the-Wold is the epicentre for antiques – but equally worthwhile is a pokeabout in the dusty shops of Burford, Cirencester, Moreton-in-Marsh and Tetbury. Cotswold markets are invariably rewarding: head for Moreton-in-Marsh on Tuesdays, Tetbury on Wednesdays, and Cirencester on Mondays and Fridays. Foodies can also spend many happy hours in Tetbury’s House of Cheese (www.houseofcheese.co.uk), home to a life-affirmingly wonderful selection of fromage, as well as chutneys and pickles; and pick up mouthwatering luxuries at the pre-eminent Daylesford Organic Farm Shop, which also has an excellent café and an indulgent homewares shop (www.daylesfordorganic.com).

Daytripper

Possibly the most tranquil attraction in the sleepy Cotswolds, the national arboretum at Westonbirt (www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt) has one of the world’s most spectacular tree collections. You can happily spend a day kicking up leaves and gazing at the neck-crickingly tall redwoods. Take a picnic – and binoculars.

Perfect picnic

Bourton-on-the-Water, just a few miles from Stow-on-the-Wold, is an idyllic English village where trees dreamily dip their branches into the River Windrush as dragonflies skim its surface. Laze the afternoon away on the riverbank with filled baguettes (cheese and pickle, prawns in seafood sauce, or lamb and mayo) from Norah’s Pantry (+44 (0)1451 820815).

Walks

Walking in this neck of the woods is a joy. Pick a section of the 105-mile Cotswold Way. Alternatively, the South Cotswold Ramblers website offers an exhaustive list of tantalising trails in Gloucester and other towns in the region (www.southcotswoldramblers.org.uk).

Road trip

From Tetbury to Chipping Campden via The Duntisbournes and Bibury. Getting off to a civilised start in prosperous Tetbury, our Cotswolds jaunt is geared towards unhurried exploration, all chocolate-box views and mellow-stone hamlets. There are gastropubs galore along the way and, in terms of impossibly attractive high streets, we’ve saved the best till last. read more…

Children

Kids love Romans almost as much as they love dinosaurs. Take them to Cirencester where, on your command, they can poke around the ruins pretending they’re centurions. Then it’s on to the town’s revamped Corinium Museum, which offers a range of child-friendly, Roman-centric activities (www.coriniummuseum.co.uk).

Activities

A favourite with Princes Charles, William and Harry, Beaufort Polo Club near Tetbury is one of the finest places in the country to take in a chukka or two (www.beaufortpoloclub.co.uk). Up the horsepower at Castle Combe, a racing circuit where you can take a selection of seriously fast cars for a spin – or keep it simple and go go-karting (www.castlecombecircuit.co.uk). For a flying lesson or trip in a microlight, contact Kemble Flying Club near Cirencester (+44 (0)1285 770077; www.kembleflyingclub.co.uk). Taking it down many more notches, haven’t you always wanted to try dry-stone walling? Volunteer to repair dry-stone walls or partake in altruistic hedgelaying and tree planting from bases in Cheltenham and Gloucester (www.gvcv.org.uk). Bliss out at the fabulous Rococo Garden at Painswick (www.rococogarden.org.uk), which was completely overgrown until the 1970s. Now restored, it’s a wonderful place in which to surround yourself with birdsong and bee buzz.

And...

Before railway timetables were first drawn up in the mid-19th century, villagers in Stroud set their time by the sun. Being some 90 miles west of the meridian, noon was nine minutes later than in Greenwich. Some locals are still campaigning to bring back what was known as Stroud Time.