Coates Mill

Best picnics

We suggest popping to the grounds of Sudeley Castle (see activities).

Best walks

There are several walks around Winchcombe including one that passes the front of the cottage – the Cotswold Way. This runs 102 miles from Chipping Campden to the city of Bath right through Winchcombe. Demanding ramblers will want to conquer Cleeve Common at 317m-high, for the view. Go to www.nationaltrail.co.uk/Cotswold/ for more information.

Shopping

Cheltenham is six miles away. Visit Montpellier for individual boutiques and craft and specialty shops. Head to Suffolks to find most of the town's antiques stores.The Promenade is your best bet for clothing, shoes and jewellery, as well as bookstores. From the Promenade, take Regent Street to High Street, which is mostly pedestrian-only, and you'll find brand-name stores in the Beechwood Shopping Centre & Regent Arcade.

Activities

Sudeley Castle was the last resting place of Katherine Parr, the sixth and surviving wife of Henry VIII, and this magnificent house and foliage-filled gardens made modern-day headlines when Liz Hurley tied the knot there. Visit Chipping Campden, one of the Cotswolds’ most famous honey-coloured stone villages, with buildings dating from the 14th century. The Church of St James has fine monumental brasses. Visit Hidcote Manor Gardens, nearby now a National Trust property.

Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum on Clarence Street in Cheltenham
GL50 3JT (01242 237431) is open Monday to Tuesday 10am–5.20pm (from 11am on the first Thursday of the month); closed Bank Holidays. The Arts and Crafts design movement began in this area in the 19th century, and this is an acclaimed collection of furniture, textiles, ceramics, carvings, silver and more.

Snowshill Manor, near Broadway (01386 852410) is 15-mins drive away, is the fruits of Charles Paget Wade’s labours and obsessions; he collected so many examples of fine craftmanship from around the world he eventually ran out space and had to move out;

An Arts & Crafts triumph, thatched-roofed Hidcote Manor Garden and its pretty leafy grounds are a lovely afternoon out.
 
Cheltenham is no slouch when comes to festivals – it hosts ones of a jazz, science, music and literature bent: the Cheltenham Festival of Literature (www.cheltenhamfestivals.com) is held every October, is attended by eminent writers such as Stephen Fry, Maya Angelou and Bret Easton Ellis.

Cheltenham Races (National Hunt Festival, etc) http://www.cheltenham.co.uk.

Restaurants

No 5

+44 (0)1242 604 566

For special-occasion Anglo-French dining, book a table at No 5 well in advance – it’s tiny.
5 North Street, Winchcombe

Pubs

Wine and Sausage at the White Hart Inn

+44 (0)1242 602 703

A cheery, modern gastropub within a hotel, which is as suitable for relaxed sausages and mash-type lunches with family, as it is romantic dinners of hearty roast lamb or rib-eye steak. Bar snacks are served from noon until 9.30pm and include tasty Ploughman's and pack-a-punch sandwiches.
High Street, Winchcombe, Gloucs

Corner Cupboard

+44 (0)1242 602303

For local beers and real ales, pop to the Corner Cupboard on Gloucester Street, Winchcombe; a five-minute stroll from Coates Mill, it’s a proper local.
Gloucester Street, Winchcombe, Gloucs

The Plaisterers Arms

+44 (0)1242 602358

This pub offers a wide range of homecooked meals, and has a large child-friendly beer garden.
Abbey Terrace, Winchcombe, Gloucs

The Kings Arms

+44 (0)1242 244403

If it's a pub lunch you fancy, this is the perfect spot if you're on your way to Cheltenham.
High Street, Prestbury, Cheltenham

Cafes

Jurie’s Tea Room

+44 (0)1242 602469

There is no shortage of tea rooms, but this Japanese-owned, award-winning cafe on the is a diamond among too-conventional tourist traps.
High Street, Winchcombe, Gloucs

For a full list of eating and drinking recommendations in Cotswolds, check out our Cotswolds restaurant guide

For a full list of recommended activities in Cotswolds, check out our Cotswolds destination guide

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