4 Days in The Cotswolds | What to See, Eat and Do in 2025

The thing I always tell people about visiting London is to not just stay in London. There's just one hour out of the city there is a wonderland of English countryside, chocolate box villages and an incredible farm to table dining scene just waiting for you to discover. Just before summer my husband Ryan and I set out on a four-day road trip around the Cotswolds to explore one of Britain's most beautiful regions and here is everything we did, the places we stayed and all of the food we ate to hopefully inspire you on your own escape to the countryside. This morning we caught an Uber, a train, a bus and then picked up our rental car in Oxford and now we are in the beautiful British countryside. We did not manage to have any breakfast before we got on the train so that was the very first stop. We drove about 20 minutes outside of Oxford to a spot called the Cotswolds Guy which is like a little farm shop and also a cafe and you know when you haven't had breakfast and there's just one specific thing you want, all I wanted was like a really hearty breakfast and an excellent coffee and they did both of those. We had like this bacon and egg bat with like handmade sausage patty in it, so good. Massive cup of coffee, highly highly recommend if you were in the area. We are all fueled up for the rest of our day which is going to be like a very typical Cotswolds English countryside day. We're going to drive around, we're going to see a lot of beautiful things, we're going to go to a couple of cute villages and then we're going to make our way to the other side of the Cotswolds to check into our hotel for the night which I cannot wait to show you. I've been looking forward to this hotel for so long. I've only been driving for like about 20 minutes so far and honestly I've not stopped smiling because summer is when like the English countryside just comes to life. It's so beautiful, so lush and green and some of the laneways that you're driving through are honestly just incredible so let's get going. Our next stop is a gorgeous village just 30 minutes away called Morton in Marsh. It is the first of many of these little chocolate box villages we're planning to visit over the next few days and this one in particular had plenty of beautiful laneways and small independent shops to wander around. It is also home to the Cotswolds Cheese Company shop which is just a must visit for your evening cheeseboards if you are staying nearby. Just a little bit further northwest is the town of Broadway which is one of the bigger villages in the Cotswolds but even so it is packed with so many charming spots. One thing I will never get tired of is how these old homes are absolutely taken over with greenery in the summer. I think this might just be my dream front door. We stopped by Broadway Deli, a colourful boutique grocer brimming with everything from housemaid baked goods to preserves to a pretty impressive craft beer selection and of course I couldn't resist ducking into guilt trip doughnuts for an afternoon pick-me-up before we got back on the road. We just checked into our hotel that we're staying at The Rectory which is a little bit like southwest of the centre of the Cotswolds so it's really like well located if you want to explore the more southern part and the part that's closer to the city of Bath but the whole reason we're here is because six months ago my friend Melissa said to me that the restaurant at this hotel was the best meal she has eaten in England so far so I found the restaurant, I booked the restaurant and then I booked the hotel. Those are the priorities so that is dinner tonight but before we get to dinner why don't we do a little bit of a hotel tour. Tucked away in the sleepy village of Crudwell is The Rectory, a boutique hotel that oozes understated sophistication. The building was originally the rectory to the neighbouring All Saints Church constructed with Cotswold limestone and is now a grade two listed building. The grounds here are the definition of peacefulness with a gorgeous garden for evening cocktails and even a heated pool for those slightly better British summer days. The rooms themselves were incredibly homely boasting a humble elegance and calming colourways. We booked a medium room which came with this magnificent bath and includes a made-to-order breakfast in The Rectory. Next up we're on to dinner and this takes place in this fairytale glass house overlooking the gardens. The space just gives off a super comfortable and cozy atmosphere, a dream backdrop to devouring seasonal meals with a focus on getting the basics right. Short travel produce with sharp cooking techniques to make the natural ingredients shine. And after all that we ended this pretty perfect first day in the Cotswolds with an evening sunset stroll. Well that was a morning we got stuck in a little bit of traffic going down one of the narrow country roads. One of the farmers was moving his cows so we got stuck and just kind of sat and watched all the cows move from field to field. Honestly a lot of fun. And now we are at a place called Castle Combe. Now Castle Combe is dubbed as one of like the prettiest villages in England and therefore it is very popular. And last time we tried to visit this place it was the middle of August on a sunny Saturday, in the middle of the day. Not a good recipe at all, we could not get a car park. However we have just arrived and this is our pick of the lot for the car park so I'd say hopefully we've picked a good time. Let's go have a wander around and see what Castle Combe looks like. There is no denying it, Castle Combe does look like something straight out of a fairy tale. The village does in fact take its name from a nearby 12th century castle that over time was destroyed but to this day it is home to a charming main street, sweet little homes and a babbling stream. There is quite frankly not very much to do here so if you are visiting you only need about an hour making it the perfect first stop of the day to beat the crowds. Now if you're wanting to add the Cotswolds onto a London holiday but you just don't have the time or the budget to do a road trip, I highly suggest checking out the sponsor of this video Get Your Guide. I've been using Get Your Guide for years and they really are one of the travel planning tools I can't go without. They offer more than 110,000 curated things to do in 150 countries from your favourite attractions to more local experiences. Every food tour, hot air balloon ride or day trip you've seen me do on this channel has been booked through Get Your Guide and when it comes to a day trip from London there are so many cool itineraries to choose from packed with charming villages, historic sites and quite often an afternoon tea or pub stop. I've curated a bunch of my favourite day trips from London in the description so make sure to save those to your travel wishlist and check out Get Your Guide when you're planning your next holiday. Just 15 minutes away is our next destination, the village of Laycock and Laycock Abbey. This is actually a National Trust site so you will need to pay to enter the Abbey grounds but you can explore the village for free. The Abbey itself is beyond enchanting so it makes complete sense that many parts of it served as the set for Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films, from the school's corridors to both Professor Snape and Professor Quirrell's classrooms. At some point the Abbey was also a residence so you can explore this part and even see the site where the first photograph was ever produced which was this window right here. Laycock village was equally beautiful brimming with these historic homes overgrown with greenery and a fair few honesty shops to browse so definitely bring some cash if you want to pick up some goods. From here we continued on another 20 minutes to Bradford-on-Avon. This is a gorgeous little market town to wander through filled with cute stalls, cafes and shops. Although it might be most well known for these iconic bridge tea rooms, the cozy dining space here is decked out in all sorts of trinkets that will transport you back to Victorian times and of course it is mandatory to at least get some tea and a scone while you're here. After a 50 minute drive home we are now sitting out in the garden enjoying a drink, working out for what is probably a mandatory on any like countryside holiday in the UK and that is a pub meal. Good morning it is day three of our little countryside road trip. We have woken up and had the most beautiful breakfast in the hotel restaurant. I just cannot get over how gorgeous that greenhouse sort of area is and the food delicious and very sadly we are checking out of this hotel today because we are making our way up towards the other side of the Cotswolds. Well we're actually staying more in Oxfordshire area in a gorgeous little cabin tonight so I can't wait to show you but we have one goal for today and that is to basically collect as much delicious bits as possible on our way up there for our dinner tonight. I've come to the conclusion that the Cotswolds is just an incredible area to explore if you are a foodie so we're basically going to go to a whole bunch of little farm shops. We're also going to go to a Saturday farmer's market and see how much good things we can pick up and we'll just wave goodbye to my beautiful bathtub. Okay let's go. Stop one of the day was Jolly Nice Farm Shop, a mecca for all things tasty. This place has room upon room of fresh produce, locally made goods and plenty of bakery treats. I could have bought so much here but we walked away with cheese and crackers which I thought showed very good self-control. We continued on to Stroud Farmer's Markets which happens on a Saturday and is one of the largest and best farmer's markets in the UK. I just love the vibe here. The stalls are set up in these little laneways winding through the centre of town and the atmosphere is just so chilled and relaxed. We got some meat and fresh veggies for dinner and oh my gosh these donuts, they were just exceptional. Just 10 minutes away from Stroud is probably one of my favourite villages we visited on this trip. Hayneswick is just such a quiet little gem. We were greeted by these magical yew trees surrounding the church as soon as you enter the town. Every corner here is like a storybook especially on this day with beautiful blue skies. We couldn't have asked for a better place to stroll around. We've just arrived at our next accommodation but I thought before I show you around why don't we do the only type of haul you'll probably ever see on this channel and that is a food haul of all the farm shop bits. Starting with the very first item I picked up that kind of started this idea of picking up little bits from different farm shops for our meal tonight and that is baked apple and custard all butter biscuits for tea and we got that from the Cotswolds guys on our very first morning. Then our first stop this morning was Jolly's Farm Shop where we got a couple of cheese sporty bits, some nice crackers, fig honey and extra virgin olive oil, cheese and then this little fig and apple chutney to have with it as well. We also got strawberries from there too. Honestly I love a British strawberry, they are the best. Next stop Stroud Farmer's Market which kind of inspired dinner for tonight. This giant thing of heirloom tomatoes all all different colours and we've got some green ones down there so we're going to do like a pesto sort of mozzarella tomato salad thing with that. We also got some meat to have with dinner and then after that only 10 minutes up the road we went to Painswick and we popped into this very cute little store called Meadow and we met a guy in there who was restocking the eggs that he sells in the store. So we were talking to him and he told us the names of all the chickens that laid these eggs and we thought why not let's do it for breakfast. So we got that and then our very last stop was a place called Burford Garden Centre. This place is like the mega of all garden centres, you could very easily spend like three or four hours in there but we just picked up a couple of little bits for drinks, some gin, a Cotswolds malt whiskey and coffee for tomorrow morning. So that is our haul, I think we've done pretty well and this is going to make a nice spread tonight but now why don't I give you a tour of this pretty unique and frankly beautiful cabin we're staying in. Technically located in Oxfordshire just outside of the Cotswolds, the Mirror Houses are a truly unique nature stay. They're tucked away in a peaceful woodland on a family farm and the cabins themselves are obviously mostly mirrors on the outside reflecting the beautiful surroundings. It is a perfect spot to disconnect with all of the fantastic wood-fired hot tub. We've had the most relaxing day, we slept in late, we made a delicious breakfast with those eggs and fresh bread from yesterday, leftover tomatoes, pesto, it was so good. Then we went for a walk, the nice thing about staying in the countryside or on a farm is that there's usually like quite a lot of little walkways or laneways you can do. We took one that was called the Oxfordshire Way and it just sort of pops out at the village on the other side of the farm which is a very small village but was very cute, just has a pub, a post office and a church so that was lovely. And we came back, enjoyed all of the nature, enjoyed the spa for the last time and now we are off to have our last delicious meal of the trip. I've booked in at a pub that I'm very excited about, it's only been open since about the middle of last year and it's already like on the top 50 gastropubs list for the UK and a lot of what they do is about sourcing their ingredients very locally, direct from the farmers which I love so I cannot wait to try the food. Let's stop talking about it and let's go and eat one last delicious meal in the countryside. The Bull is located in Chalbury and I know at this point I'm going to sound like a broken record here but this is also a beautiful town to walk around and enjoy. I'm going to tell you that this is one of my favourite pubs I've ever been to and I wish I was exaggerating but I think the ambience here will probably convince you, just such a cosy spot. And the food here it is truly indulgent, from a simply spot on whiskey sour to their signature soda bread to this magnificent chicken pie, this type of meal is just what makes me love gastropubs. And that brings us Cotswolds vlog to a close, we are very full and very happy. If you like this video you might also like my bath vlog so I will link that up here for you and while you're here why not subscribe, it would be lovely to have you here and I will see you in the next video.