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Honey-hued cottages in chocolate-box villages, English-rose countryside, and a seemingly endless collection of cosy pubs and exquisite manor houses? It can only be the Cotswolds. Occupying a swathe of countryside to the northwest of London, this quintessential slice of English country life is as beautiful as you might imagine. In fact, in 1870, William Morris described Bibury as "the most beautiful village in England", and the statement still holds true today. Each village offers a different attraction: visit Chipping Campden for antique stores and rickety pubs; Bibury for the iconic 17th-century weavers' cottages of Arlington Row; Stow-on-the-Wold for fairy-tale churches; and Painswick for local ales and beautiful gardens. And if you need a few days to just be, the proliferation of hip hotels in recent years, many with Michelin restaurants and organic delis, blissful spas in converted stables, plunge pools and year-round tennis courts, might just help…
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<p class="rte-paragraph">The Cotswolds moves at the pace of a Sunday afternoon, even on a Tuesday. Wander through honey-stone villages where wisteria climbs every wall, then make time for Bibury — William Morris called it the most beautiful village in England, and Arlington Row's weavers' cottages are reason enough to agree, or Bourton-on-the-Water, threaded through with a shallow river and stone bridges. Chipping Campden is made for antique-hunting; a farm-to-table cooking class in a converted barn kitchen is made for everyone else. History lovers should detour to Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare's birthplace, or the French-inspired chateau of Waddesdon Manor and its sprawling formal gardens. Lace up boots for a stretch of the Cotswold Way, or take to the sky before breakfast in a hot air balloon for a proper look at the patchwork below. Out here, slowing down isn't optional. It's rather the point.</p>
Long, stomping walks, followed by a proper country pub lunch (and a generous slab of sticky toffee pudding) and absolutely nothing to do for the rest of the afternoon.
Hidcote Manor Garden, just outside Chipping Campden, is a network of outdoor 'rooms' created by American horticulturist Lawrence Johnston and one of the National Trust's most exceptional properties. It’s legendary among garden lovers and well worth a stroll.
Stay in the Cotswolds rather than travelling in from Cheltenham or Oxford. There are some fabulous (and very hip) boutique hotels, pub stays and sprawling estates to choose from.
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