The Cotswolds is one of the UK’s most glorious destinations. Rolling, lush, green hills are peppered with traditional villages of houses built from local honey-coloured sandstone, with of course, the thatched roof much represented. With charming cottage gardens, stone bridges, dry stone walls and tiny parish churches standing sentinel next to manicured village greens and duck ponds, the Cotswolds is the very essence of the cliché most used to describe it – chocolate box picture country.
Its natural beauty and attractions have drawn tourists and visitors for centuries, and this large area of central south west England is the location of many luxury holiday homes. Buy a beautiful holiday home in the Cotswolds and your choice can include converted water mills, old manor houses, barn conversions, and rural idylls hidden down leafy lanes.
Maybe you prefer the purpose-built, ultra-modern, sympathetically blended into the landscape, but with all manner of conveniences. Modern luxury waterside homes in the Cotswolds offer the full vacation experience. Beautifully built, elegant homes clustered around well-conserved lakes provide a secluded holiday with a host of amenities, and plenty of waterside and water-borne activities. And of course, with the Cotswolds on the doorstep, there’s a whole host of holiday excursions to be enjoyed.
The Cotswolds covers an area of Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and into Wiltshire. It takes in gorgeous, historical towns and cities like Bath, Cirencester and Tewkesbury, as well as well-facilitated market towns like Burford, Moreton-in-Marsh and Chippenham. The villages of the Cotswolds range from the tiny, but perfect Lower Slaughter, to the antique hunters’ Mecca of Broadway, and top tourist favourites like the beautiful Bourton-on-the-Water. The glorious countryside supports every outdoor activity, although many visitors are very content with just wandering the pretty villages, or browsing the boutiques and shops of the smaller towns.
For anyone staying in a holiday home in the Cotswolds, the food and entertainment is a big plus factor. The Cotswold foodie scene is strong and thriving. From simple but hearty pub grub, to Michelin Star fine dining, the area’s eateries make the most of the delicious local produce – particularly the fruits from the orchards of Worcestershire and meat from the old, heritage breeds of cattle, sheep and pigs, much favoured by Cotswold farmers.