Things to do this Spring in the Cotswolds

I’m sure you’ll agree when I say that Spring couldn’t come soon enough!  After a tough long winter, what better way to nurture your soul than to immerse yourself into the heavenly landscape of the beautiful Cotswolds. 

We have pulled together a list that we hope will inspire you to visit this beautiful region  this coming Spring:

1. Visit the stunning gardens: The Cotswolds is home to many beautiful gardens that come alive in spring with colourful blooms and fragrances. Some of our favourite gardens to visit include Hidcote Manor Garden, Kiftsgate Court Gardens, and Painswick Rococo Garden.

2. Walk the Cotswold Way: The Cotswold Way is a 102-mile walking trail that runs from Chipping Campden to Bath. Spring is a great time to explore the trail as the countryside is in full bloom and the weather is mild.  Our gorgeous cottage, Honey Pot is located here and The Cotswold Way also passes through Winchcombe where the beautiful Bolt Hole is located.  Both cottages with their luxurious beds and roll top baths provide the perfect base after a day’s walking!

3. Cheltenham Jazz Festival: The Cotswolds is known for its many Spring festivals, including the Cheltenham Jazz Festival, 26th April - 1st May.  For more info including the line up visit cheltenhamfestivals.com/jazz

4. Historic landmarks: The Cotswolds is rich in history, and there are many historic landmarks to explore.  Sudeley Castle is an easy 15 minute stroll from The Bolt Hole, and Tewkesbury Abbey, just a 20 min drive away.

5. Sample the local cuisine: The Cotswolds offers some of the most fabulous food in the UK and we have sampled many of its wonderful pubs and restaurants!  A few of our favourites (all dog friendly) include The Mousetrap Inn, Bourton-on-the-water,  and just down the road from here are stunning Hideaway cottage and Little Gem cottage, both beautifully refurbished to the highest standards.  Also definitely worth a visit are The Corner Cupboard Inn in Winchcombe and The Sheep in Stow-on-the-Wold.

6. Visit the Cotswold Falconry Centre: A must-visit attraction for bird lovers and thrill-seekers alike. Set in 12 acres of stunning Cotswold countryside, the Cotswold Falconry Centre is home to over 150 birds of prey, including eagles, hawks, owls and falcons. Visitors can watch daily flying displays, handle the birds and even try their hand at falconry.

7. Take a gin-making course: Cotswolds Distillery offers gin-making courses where you can learn the art of distilling and create your own bottle of gin to take home.  During the course, you’ll have the chance to explore the different botanicals used in gin and experiment with your own combinations to create a bespoke recipe

8. Visit the Rollright Stones: The Rollright Stones are a mysterious ancient monument consisting of a circle of standing stones and a nearby dolmen. Legend has it that if you count the stones three times and get the same number each time, you will be granted a wish. The stones are just a 10 min drive from our beautiful, Cotswold stone apartment The Loft.

   Rollright Road, Little Rollright, Chipping Norton OX7 5QB

9. Take a hot air balloon ride: The Cotswolds is a stunning region to explore from the air, and a hot air balloon ride offers a unique and unforgettable experience.  There are several ballooning companies in the Cotswolds including Ballooning in the Cotswolds with launch sites at Cheltenham racecourse and also Shipston-on-Stour which is close to two of our gorgeous luxury cottages, Little Gem and Hideaway Cottage.

10. Try a traditional Cotswold sport: The Cotswolds is home to several traditional (and unusual!) sports, including shin-kicking which happens during the Cotswold Olimpick Games and involves two competitors kicking each other's shins until one falls over!  Or the famous cheese-rolling at Brockworth, where competitors race down a very steep hill chasing a rolling cheese. (Warning - not for the faint-hearted, injuries do regularly occur at these events!)

    Cotswold Olimpick Games:  Friday, June 2nd 2023, 4pm at Dover’s Hill, Weston Subedge, Chipping Campden.

    Cheese rolling at Coopers Hill:  Monday, May 29, 2023,  Brockworth, Gloucestershire

Best Breakfasts in the Cotswolds

Winter is upon us, and what better way to start the day than with a delicious breakfast in one of the Cotswolds favourite cafes!

If you are already familiar with Unique Cotswold Cottages then you’ll know by now that we aim to pick only the best experiences for our readers, guests and their four-legged friends!  So, without further ado, let’s jump straight into some of the best breakfasts and dog-friendly cafes the beautiful Cotswolds has to offer…

Chipping Campden 

• Bantam Tea Rooms Located right on the main high street in a quintessentially Cotswold building which dates back to 1693.  Before it was an eatery it had several other past lives including serving as a butcher’s shop, a dairy and an antique shop.  Now firmly established as tea rooms, the all day breakfast menu is simple offering the full English, vegetarian breakfast or smoked salmon & scrambled egg on toast.  Only the best quality local ingredients are selected for their menu so grab a table and tuck in!  The coffee is “delicious” and if their selection of cakes is too much of a temptation, pop back for afternoon tea or take it away with you.  Just a two minute walk from our gorgeous stone cottage Honey Pot, wake up feeling refreshed after a restorative night’s sleep in Honey Pot’s luxury bed.   What more do you need to start your day?!

bantamtea-rooms.co.uk

High St, Chipping Campden GL55 6HB

No reservations, just come along. 

All day breakfasts 9.30am – 5.00pm every day except bank holidays

🐶 Dog friendly 

• Vegetable Matters Don’t let the name fool you - meat option breakfasts are available  if that is what you crave!  This local farm shop and cafe offer a ‘Build-your-own breakfast cooked fresh to order’, all the produce is locally sourced or locally grown and very fresh.  After breakfast why not browse the farm shop for delicious, fresh and local ingredients.  Vegetable Matters farm shop & cafe is just a seven minute drive from cosy Honey Pot which is fully equipped with its own kitchen if you love to cook.

Vegetable Matters

May Ln, Ebrington, Chipping Campden GL55 6NJ

Cafe open for breakfast Tuesday-Saturday 8.30am - 3.30pm, closed on Sundays

🐶 Dog friendly

• Blockley Cafe “...more than just a cafe”. The Blockley Cafe  is loved by a community of loyal locals, foodies and visitors to this beautiful part of the country.  It is a hidden gem, tucked away in the village of Blockley, just a 10 minute drive from our gorgeous luxury cottage, Honey Pot, which has its own parking space with EV Charger.  Wake up safe in the knowledge that your car is charged and ready to take you off for a fabulous slap up breakfast or brunch. The Blockley Cafe is chef run and this shows in the impressive menu.  Expect “delicious, beautifully presented dishes that are lovingly created with the finest local and artisan produce.” 

blockleycafe.co.uk

Bell Ln, Blockley, Moreton-in-Marsh GL56 9BB

Serving Breakfast 9am -12pm every day.  No bookings, just turn up

🐶 Dog friendly 

Winchcombe 

• The White Hart Inn  “We cook simple, rustic food without pretension with a focus on flavour and generosity”.  With the emphasis on good food and friendly service, this is a great stop for a hearty breakfast after your morning walk with your pooch, who is also welcome - all they ask is that dogs remain on a lead.  The White Hart is just a two minute walk from the Bolt Hole, our luxurious hideaway, furnished to the highest quality for your comfort with luxury bedding and roll top bath. 

whitehartwinchcombe.co.uk

High Street, Winchcombe GL54 5LJ

Serving breakfast 8:00am – 11:30am, bookings taken via website

🐶 Dog friendly

• Hayles Fruit Farm - if you’re after some good old traditional cuisine this is for you!  The breakfast menu has all the usuals from Eggs Benedict to the Full English with a few vegetarian options including spelt toast with smashed avocado with cherry tomatoes, rocket, eggs and dukkah. You will be fuelled and ready for a day’s walking in the Cotswolds!  And if cider is your tipple, it is brewed on the farm so pop to the farm shop and grab yourself a bottle or three of Badgers to enjoy back at The Bolt Hole.   Hayles farm shop prides itself on stocking a wide range of home grown and locally sourced goods.  So, if you are a foodie and love to cook, fill your boots because The Bolt Hole’s kitchen is fully equipped to a high standard and has a double oven!

haylesfruitfarm.co.uk/orchard-kitchen

Winchcombe, GL54 5PB

Open for full breakfast 9am - 11.45am, Thurs - Sun. Open for breakfast toasties 9am, Mon - Wed

No need to book

🐶 Dog friendly

Bourton-on-the-Water

• The Croft Restaurant -  with views of the River Windrush, The Croft has a tantalising menu of breakfast dishes including a Full English, their ‘Croft Breakfast’ -  which is the full English but bigger, you’ll possibly need a big walk to work this one off!  There are also lighter options including scrambled eggs with smoked salmon on sourdough, poached eggs and avocado or granola, vegan yoghurt & berry compote among other dishes.  Grab a seat by the window and plan your day while gazing at the river.

thecroftbourton.co.uk/

Open for breakfast 9 - 11.30am every day except Wednesday.

No bookings taken for breakfast

A discretionary 10 % service charge will be added to your bill

🐶 Well behaved dogs are welcome

• The Riverside Café - “Great Breakfast. Super location and dog friendly” as recently reviewed by a happy customer.  As you’ve probably guessed, this friendly cafe offers great value for money and is right by the river.  Worth noting that it gets busy pretty quickly so grab yourself a table as soon as you can!  A meander down from Little Gem, our beautifully refurbished cottage with log burner and high spec furnishings, takes only seven minutes.  Enjoy a lazy morning after a restful sleep in Little Gem’s luxury bed with 500 thread count bedding and Hypnos mattress. 

Riverside, Bourton-on-the-Water GL54 2BP

Serving breakfast 9am - 12pm every day except Wednesday

No bookings taken, just turn up

🐶 Dog friendly

• Bourtanical - Flower themed cafe in Bourton with a menu option to build your own brunch.  Some other breakfast dishes on the menu include a full English, vegetarian full English, or if you have a sweet tooth there’s the brioche french toast dusted with powdered sugar, berries and maple syrup.  Situated on the picturesque riverside and just a seven minute walk from our cosy haven, Little Gem - luxuriously furnished for a perfectly restorative stay.  Bourtanical offers vegetarian, vegan & gluten free options and your doggy is welcome too!

https://www.bourtanical.com/

Riverside Bourton-on-the-Water, Bourton-on-the-Water GL54 2DP

Open 0900-1700

Booking is advised

🐶 Dog friendly

Stow-on-the-Wold

• The Hive - one recent visitor describes The Hive as “first class, delicious food, super warm welcome and exemplary customer service.”  This lovely, dog friendly cafe has grown a reputation for its fantastic customer service and fabulous food.  Breakfast and brunch at The Hive is served from 9am - 11.45am and until 2.30 pm on a Sunday if you love a lazy Sunday (who doesn’t?!)  Just a minute’s walk from The Hive is The Loft - our very special hideaway for couples and their four legged friends, complete with luxury furnishings and the highest quality bedding for a wonderful night’s sleep.

thehivestow.co.uk

Digbeth Street, Stow-on-the-Wold GL54 1BN

Breakfast served 9am - 11.45am, Mon, Thurs, Fri, Sat and 9.30am - 2.30pm, Sunday. CLOSED on Tuesday & Wednesday

No bookings, first come first served

🐶 Dog friendly

• Lucy's Tearoom with its chocolate box exterior has to be one of the most inviting cafes in the Cotswolds.  Inside doesn’t disappoint, described as a “quaint and cosy tea room, with its inglenook fireplace”, it has a lovely courtyard, a simple, no fuss breakfast menu, and many a happy customer describing “great food and service” - you can see why it’s so popular!  At Lucy’s they strive to use their own home grown or locally sourced ingredients for their menu - and now they serve doggy ice cream too, so even your furry friend can get in on the action!  Just a two minute walk from The Loft, take our guest walking map with you and plan your hike over brekkie!

lucystearoomstow.com

The Square, Stow-on-the-Wold GL54 1AB

Breakfast served 10am to 12pm Mon to Fri and 9.30am to 12pm Sat & Sun

No bookings taken for breakfast

🐶 Dog friendly

10 EXCITING THINGS TO DO IN THE BEAUTIFUL COTSWOLDS IN AUTUMN 2022

Autumn is nearly upon us, so are you wondering how to tune in to take in the colours, feast on the harvests, get wellies on and walk some of the most stunning countryside the UK has to offer? 

Then hunker down with your favourite people and pets in a cosy pub with a real fire and a top notch roast?

And perhaps how to add some culture to the mix and lose yourself in some classical music or a literature festival?

If this sounds tempting read on for some fabulous things to do and visit this season in the beautiful Cotswolds…

1. Westonbirt Arboretum or Batsford Arboretum

Westonbirt arboretum near Tetbury is staggeringly beautiful in Autumn as the leaves give the most beautiful display of golds and reds.  It will depend on the weather as to when the colours will be at their peak so it is worth checking their website and social media for updates.

Batsford arboretum is offering photography workshops from the 23rd - 30th October and is just a short drive from Honey Pot, The Loft, The Bolt Hole and Little Gem.

2. Royal Gardens at Highgrove or a visit to Sudeley Castle

The Royal Gardens at Highgrove so you can catch both of these in a day visit if you wish.  These stunning gardens are open to the public for guided tours on selected dates between April and October.  If you want something a bit special you can book one of their Champagne Tea & Garden Tours.

Sudeley Castle, nicknamed ‘The hidden gem of the Cotswolds’ is just a stone’s throw from The Bolt Hole.  This Autumn Sudeley is offering archeological dig experiences, searching for the remains of a long-lost Tudor garden built for Katherine Parr.

3. Enjoy Sunday lunch in one of the best dog friendly pubs with an open fire.  The cotswolds offers some of the best eateries in the UK, two of which are on the doorstep of our luxurious dog friendly cottages.

• Winchcombe - The Corner Cupboard Inn  This 15th Century Inn located in Gloucester Street, Winchcombe is definitely worth a visit!   It has charm aplenty with roaring fires, oak beams and all the character that its age suggests.  A real ale bar and a comprehensive wine list excites the connoisseur. Ingredients are sought locally and food served daily.

• Stow on the Wold - The Stag @ Stow (formerly The White Hart) 

A 'boutique' style Inn, which has been refurbished throughout. The Inn has two cosy bars, open fires and an atmospheric dining room. Hearty food is served during the day, with finer dining in the evening. All food is sourced locally and prepared on site.

• Bourton-on-the-Water - The Mousetrap Inn

This beautiful, cosy and quirky freehouse pub welcomes you and your four legged friends.  Cosy up round the fire and order something wonderful from the fantastic menu.  “Our small team of talented chefs create delicious dishes, with a focus on working with local suppliers to source sustainable produce and reducing food wastage while doing justice to the brilliance of the Cotswold larder.”

• Chipping Campden - The Ebrington Arms

This beautiful 17th century pub is “widely acclaimed as being one of the country’s finest inns, being at the centre of The Cotswolds, and in a hidden idyllic village”.  The Ebrington has won the CAMRA North Cotswold’s Pub of the Year Award four times over, and as soon as you visit you’ll know why!  A truly special place serving award winning homemade food that has held two AA rosettes and a Bib Gourmand for the past seven years running. They also feature in the Good Food Guide, Michelin Guide and Good Pub Guide, and were awarded 'Escape of the Year 2016'.

4. Classical music in Northleach and Cheltenham

Northleach’s Church of St Peter and St Paul, only a 10 minute drive from Little Gem, is hosting a Neopolitan Night concert on 4 November for the Cotswold Festival of Music.  

On the 24th September the Cheltenham Chamber Orchestra are performing the ever-popular Mozart Overture to The Magic Flute, followed by Adam Heron (BBC Young Musician piano finalist 2018) performing Mozart’s piano concerto No 20 in D minor.  The concert will be held on the 24th September at Cheltenham Town Hall, just a 20 minute drive from The Bolt Hole https://guide2.co.uk/gloucestershire/events/cheltenham-town-hall-events-1/ 

5. Cheltenham Literature Festival

Cheltenham is the world’s first literature festival and with more than 1000 authors from the worlds of fiction, poetry, film and TV, sport, food, travel and politics it really is a feast for any bookworm of any age.  Stephen King, Stanley Tucci, Jamie Oliver and a whole host of famous names will be at the festival which runs from 7-16 October.  Cheltenham is an easy drive from The Bolt Hole or why not take the train?

6. Burford Literary Festival

If you prefer a smaller event then Burford Lit Fest may be just your thing.  It has been described as "the real literary festival" and the organisers say “many of our events are bijou and this enables the events to feel more like a conversation than a presentation”.  Burford Lit Fest runs 22nd - 25th September 2022.

7. Autumn Classic Historic Race Day At Castle Combe

If you love classic cars this is not to be missed!  The event will be “celebrating the first Porsche driving in the UK at Castle Combe 70 years ago on the 4th October 1952, by Claude Bannister in a Porsche 356!” 

The Classic Historic Race Day will take place on the 24th September.  It is a little bit further to travel but well worth the visit if you are an enthusiast.  Our closest cottage is Little Gem in Bourton-on-the-Water.

8. Heritage Open Days

England’s largest festival of history and culture is nearly upon us and this is your chance to explore hidden places and try out new experiences.  The festival allows visitors free access to historical landmarks that are either not usually open to the public or would normally charge an entrance fee.  Heritage Open Days runs from 9th - 18th September https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/ 

9. Tour & Tasting At The Cotswolds Distillery

The Cotswold Distillery produces spirits of an exceptional quality.  Visit for a gin or whisky blending masterclass or one of their award-winning Tour & Tastings - and if you fancy indulging they also offer a Tour & Tasting with lunch!

Why not book a taxi from The Loft in Stow on the Wold or Honey Pot in Chipping Campden, just 15 minutes away.

10. Say Cheers To Cheltenham Wine Festival

If wine is more your thing the The Pittville Pump Room hosts The Cheltenham Wine Festival, on Saturday 29th October 2022. With a choice of over 250 exciting wines, this is your chance to taste, discover and learn about different wine styles, grape varieties and the people and special places behind them. 

Our guests dining favourites in Bourton-on-the-Water

Bourton-on-the-Water has lots of delicious cafes, tea rooms, pubs and restaurants and is the home to Little Gem Cottage🍴☕️🍻 ⁣

Heres a couple of our guests favourites

⁣
🔸 The Mousetrap Inn has a range of locally brewed ales, delicious breakfast and dinners⁣ and dogs are welcome
⁣
🔹The Rose Tree Restaurant (pictured) has lovely home cooked meals for lunch and dinner ⁣and has a lovely outside area for lunches (dogs are welcome outside)

Weird and Wonderful Cotswolds

Here is the latest unusual event in the Cotswolds:

The Shipston Wool fair - always on the end May bank holiday. This time 27th May 2019. The whole weekend the town is decorated with knitted pieces everwhere - on the lampposts, in shop doorways and more. On the 27th May the fair in the town square has rare sheep, bands, food and craft stalls and activities for children.

Local Market days

Market Days

There are a wealth of local markets around the area. Below is a list of some of them, (these are subject to change around bank holidays and Christmas).

The farmers market in Bourton-on-the-Water is on the fourth Sunday in the month - 9:30am to  1:00pm

Stow-on-the-Wold farmers Market runs once a month in the square on the second Thursday of the month - 9am until 1:30pm

The Winchcombe farmers market is on thethird Saturday in the month – 9am to 2pm

Stratford-upon-Avon farmers market is the first and 3rdSaturday of each month -  9am-2pm 

Cheltenham farmers market is on the second and last Friday of each month, on the pedestrianised area of the Promenade, outside Cavendish House -  9am to 2pm

There is a weekly retail market in Moreton-in-Marsh on Tuesdays - 8am-2pm