A Cotswolds Road Trip

In October we decided to finally embark on a small road trip to explore the Cotswolds. This has been a long-time dream of mine. Antique shops. Book shops. Cosy cafes. Farms. It all just speaks to me. The thought of visiting in Autumn (my favourite season) and seeing all the leaves turn orange and drinking warm hot chocolate couldn't help but make me feel cosy. I was thrilled to finally be going.

It did not take long to plan our road trip. There are a wealth of different villages all with something unique to offer. The Cotswolds stretches through many counties including Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Somerset, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. It is safe to say that you would find it tricky to explore all of the Cotswolds in one day! We found it hard to narrow down the list of locations for our weekend away. We have already planned a second trip for another time using the places that didn't make the cut this time.

We started our trip in Stow-On-The-Wold. There was a very small car park opposite a pub just off the high street. Upon arrival, it was clear to see that this was a very popular tourist destination and a place you should add to your Cotswold Bucket List. I loved walking around the various antiques and gift shops. There were lots of quirky finds. The antique shops welcomed visitors and it truly felt like walking around a museum admiring all of the different trinkets. I particularly enjoyed looking at the vintage designer accessories and jewelry - imagining the person who might have owned such beautiful pieces. There were also lots of magnificent cafes, sweet shops and places to feed a sweet tooth! Here I had the first of many lovely hot chocolates (I don't drink tea or coffee and this is my excuse to feed my unhealthy hot choc habit!).

Next, we visited the lovely village of Bourton-On-The-Water. This was another busy location but parking was incredibly easy. There was lots of space at the car park just near Birdland Park and Gardens. This is probably the Cotswolds that you would recognise from images on the internet or Instagram! Lots of sweeping streets, stone cottages and teeny bridges over gently flowing water. It was stunning! Whilst at Bourton-On-The-Water we didn't really have many plans. We didn't want to visit Birdland (as we are both scared of birds!) but it sounded like great fun from where we were stood outside! Instead, we just walked and waited to see what took our fancy. We went to some shops, I particularly enjoyed the Cotswold Distillery shop and bought myself a gin cocktail! Then I saw that there was a motor museum where you could see Brum (a small yellow car famous on British children's television). Unknown to me, the beginning scene in Brum was filmed in the motor museum and was one of my favourite shows when I was little. I had to see it! The Motor Museum, although small, was incredibly cute and packed...and I mean PACKED full of interesting cars and demonstrated what life was like in the Cotswolds during different eras. I loved it. It was a very enjoyable and unexpected part of the day.

From here we realised that we were not too far away from Diddly Squat Farm Shop - famous from the Amazon Prime show Clarkson's Farm. It was heading towards lunchtime and we thought what better place to stop, have a bite to eat and possibly a cider! When we got to the lane the farm shop was on we were amazed. Cars were parked down the entire length of the lane, squeezing into any spaces that they could find. Luckily, one became available quite near the gates just as we were driving passed. There was a large queue to get into the farm shop which is small but full of fantastic produce. Around the back of the shop is a station where you can order food from a food truck and also try some of the Hawkstone Lager and Cider that Jeremy produces. The food truck served things like burgers (beef or halloumi) or chips (I had the truffle parmesan fries and they were amazing!). It was a little pricey for what it was, but equally, it wasn't just your regular burger and chips from a van so I can understand why you were paying a little more. It was quite easy to find a seat to eat as not everyone in the queue for the shop stays for something to eat - however I would recommend it to make a stop here worthwhile. The views from the barn where you eat are stunning - a real sweeping view of the traditional British countryside.

After spending some time eating and enjoying our drinks we got back on the road for our final stop of the day in Bibury. This was the quietest of all the locations that we visited during the day. Bibury is famous for its Trout Farm and also the 'most photographed row of houses in Britain'. Arlington Row is made up of cottages built in the 14th century. It epitomises the Cotswolds and is completely charming. It is incredibly popular and a great Instagram spot! The Trout Farm has a little cafe, so I got a drink (another hot chocolate) and explored some of the local scenery. I could have explored Bibury a lot longer but as it was getting late in the afternoon and we still hadn't made it to the hotel yet we decided to go.

The hotel we booked is called Wild Thyme and Honey. I cannot speak highly enough of the hotel, it was completely stunning and just what I pictured from a traditional countryside hotel. The amenities were amazing - including Hunter welly boats that you could borrow for exploring. The rooms were trendy and modern but still hadn't lost the cute and cosy feel that I was after. Dogs are allowed in the hotel but you wouldn't have known as the rooms were spotless. However, I loved seeing them in the pub part of the hotel at dinner and breakfast. The hotel has a covered courtyard complete with a log fire, twinkly lights and lots of blankets. As I mentioned we went in October but spent a good hour sitting outside in the courtyard having some drinks. After a busy day of exploring I was so pleased to settle down in the hotel with a book. I am desperate to go back to this hotel again, it felt so calm and peaceful with a bit of luxury thrown in too!

After a relaxing night of sleep and great food, we began our journey home. Our final stop on the road trip to break up the journey was to stop at Blenheim Palace. It was truly incredible! I did not know much about Blenheim Palace before I went - only the link with Winston Churchill - so didn't know what to expect. It was huge and incredibly beautiful. I particularly liked the different signs that helped with self-guided tours. I paid most attention to the movie/TV signs because I love to know what is filmed where. I was amazed to find out that Harry Potter was filmed on the grounds of the palace. Of course, it is hard not to be impressed with the ranging history of the palace too! We paid for a ticket for inside the palace and the grounds too and I am glad we did because on a sunny day it was great to see Blenheim Palace from the magnificent gardens and stroll around the lake.

As you can see we packed an awful lot into our two-day trip around the Cotswolds but are nowhere near finished yet!

Have you been to the Cotswolds? What is your favourite place to visit there?