The 10 best Cotswold holidays for 2024

Chequerboard fields stretch over softly rolling hills, tall church spires punctuate villages of honey-coloured stone and wildflower meadows embellish smoothly winding valleys. Extending from Chipping Campden in the north to the outskirts of Bath in the south, the Cotswolds is 800-or-so square miles of nigh-on perfect pastoral England. The bucolic landscape reflects centuries of interplay between man and nature: ancient sheep-grazed pastures, deftly managed woodland of beech and oak, 4,000 (ish) miles of skilfully crafted dry-stone walls. In many respects, visitors might be forgiven for thinking they’ve time-warped back to an altogether kinder, gentler era here.

This is, of course, an ideal setting for families, with plenty of campsites, glampsites, imaginative hotels and safe activities to choose from. There’s plenty of outdoor action for all ages too, as vigorous or leisurely as you like. The Cotswolds presents immensely rewarding cycling terrain on quiet roads and lanes that provide a mix of easy-going undulations and energising bracing contours. There are walks galore, with about 3,000 miles of public footpaths, some offering undemanding strolls, others with bracingly steep stretches and immensely pleasing panoramas (you’ll experience all variations on the Cotswold Way long-distance trail).

Once home to William Morris and other members of the Arts and Crafts movement, the Cotswolds retains an arty heartbeat as well. You can explore this strikingly rich legacy in its galleries, gardens and architecture, and tune into this enduring sense of creativity by mastering new skills: there’s a first-rate range of workshops and classes to enjoy, from photography to cookery and floristry.

Whether you’re after inspiration for fresh-air exploits, family forays, aesthetic adventures or stimulating masterclasses, here’s our selection of the finest experiences to enjoy in the Cotswolds.

Walk the Cotswold Way

A strong contender as the nation’s most idyllic long-distance trail, the Cotswold Way can be walked in sections or completed in its entirety within five to 10 days. The 102-mile footpath passes through honey-stone villages, woodland and meadows and winds up steep hills with spectacular views. The Cotswold Walking Co organises hiking holidays to suit fitness levels and time constraints, arranging itineraries, luggage transfers and accommodation (they’re well-versed in appealing guesthouses). The eight-day trip taking in the complete trail is effortful without being a relentless slog: the shortest distance per day is nine miles, the longest 15.

How to do it: The Cotswold Walking Co (cotswoldwalkingco.com) offers an eight-day trip from £1,015 per person (based on two sharing a room).

Go glamping on a farm

Between handsome Northleach and pretty Bourton-on-the-Water lies the arcadian retreat of Notgrove. It’s a farm and holiday haven with cottages, pods and spacious safari tents that boast three bedrooms, a woodburner and flushing loo, making them ideal for families. The outlook is appealingly rural, with extensive views across rolling fields. The set-up is captivating: there are farm walks to enjoy and safe cycle routes to follow (with bikes on site to use), and the animals here – alpacas, goats and donkeys – are charming and seem more than happy to be hugged.

How to do it: Notgrove Holidays (07760 33744, notgroveholidays.com) offers safari tents sleeping six from £300 for two nights.

Hone your camera skills

Walk through staggeringly beautiful parts of the central and northern Cotswolds while learning how to capture compelling pictures. Cotswold Photography Tours tailors trips for individuals or small groups, with prior skill sets ranging from beginner’s enthusiasm to advanced expertise. Tours can be arranged by car but the most spectacular are on foot. Walks can be of any duration, although three to seven hours a day are recommended, allowing time to get to magnificent countryside, improve your camera techniques and complete a circular route.

How to do it: Cotswold Photography Tours (cotswoldphotographytours.co.uk) offers walking tours from £115 per person or £75 pp for groups of up to five. Stay in the northern Cotswolds at handsome Seagrave Arms (01386 840192, theseagravearms.co.uk) with doubles from £120 per night.

Eat, sleep and stretch at a yoga retreat

Replenish body, mind and soul at a serene rural haven near Chipping Norton. With years of experience in running health holidays, Jiva Healing has devised a holistic wellness package, Creative Cooking, Conscious Eating and Yoga, which takes place over selected weekends at Brock Cottage near the Foxholes nature reserve. “Cottage” is something of a misnomer, however, since Brock is a seven-bedroom house complete with yoga studio. Here guests enjoy twice daily yoga and meditation sessions, walks in the woods, massages and cooking demos. The food is plant-based and guests receive recipes at the end of the break.

How to do it: Jiva Healing (jivahealing.com) offers two-night Cotswold retreats from £420 per person, based on two sharing a room.

Live in a treehouse

It would be a tall call to find luxury family accommodation more enchanting and adventurous than the three beautifully crafted treehouses at the innovative Fish Hotel near Broadway. Set in a small forest, these super-swish large wooden pods on stilts are accessed by rope bridges. They offer a host of delights, from outdoor wooden bathtubs on big wrap-around decks with fabulous views, to stylishly panelled interiors with underfloor heating. There’s an open-plan area with a double bed for parents and a separate children’s room with bunk beds.

How to do it: The Fish (01386 858000, thefishhotel.co.uk) offers treehouses sleeping two adults and two children from £595 per night.

Join a culinary masterclass

Top local ingredients coupled with creative rivalry among the region’s renowned chefs (five with Michelin stars) give the Cotswolds gourmet lustre. You can tune into the gastronomic excellence with aplomb by taking part in a cookery workshop at Daylesford, the famously stylish retail haven of organic produce, recherché deli fare and chic homeware near Stow-on-the-Wold. Learn to create sensational dishes with wow-factor looks in a Seasonal Dinner Party class or discover the art of fire-pit cooking, breadmaking and more. Classes include demonstrations, hands-on cooking, recipes and lunch.

How to do it: Daylesford (01608 731620, daylesford.com) offers full-day courses at £210 per person. Stay at sister enterprise, the epicurean Wild Rabbit (01608 692866, wildrabbit.co.uk) with doubles from £225 per night.

Make a brilliant bouquet

Bloomery, based in the village of Broadway, creates fabulous floral designs that showcase natural British garden flowers. This inspiring enterprise was set up in 2019 by the former fashion buyer Allyson Martin who now also runs floral workshops from the company’s studio. Here you can master the art of wreath-making or devising elegant hand-tied bouquets, chatting through the principles of floristry and learning about colour contrasts and scent as you do so. Workshops are in the morning or afternoon, leaving time to explore this especially glorious part of the Cotswolds.

How to do it: Bloomery (07905 272644, bloomery.co.uk) offers bouquet workshops at £83 per person. Stay at the chic Broadway Hotel (01386 852401, broadway-hotel.co.uk), with doubles from £180 per night.

Go exploring by bike

Pedal along the back roads of the northern Cotswolds, taking in some of the region’s most exquisite landscapes and villages – Ebrington, Chipping Campden and Snowshill among them. Cycle the Cotswolds has devised trips that can be car-free, arriving and leaving by train and bringing your own bike or renting one – hybrid (road-mountain bikes) or electric bikes will be delivered to your B&B. Its self-guided four-night Classic Cotswold break starts at Moreton-in-Marsh (complete with a mainline station) and provides options for gentler routes or more vertiginous exertion. Accommodation is in comfy inns or guesthouses.

How to do it: Cycle the Cotswolds (07468 412201, cyclethecotswolds.com) offers four-night trips from £545 per person (based on two sharing a room). Bike hire costs £120 (£165 for an electric bike).

Enjoy an Arts and Crafts tour

Discovering the legacy of the Arts and Crafts movement across the Cotswolds is like a treasure hunt – a journey with numerous delights along the way. Hidden Cotswold Tours arranges bespoke guided days out in an SUV; trips include an Arts and Crafts day out that might take in (depending on preference) Chipping Campden, still a centre for craft; Broadway Tower, once the eccentric holiday home of William Morris; Rodmarton Manor, built by Ernest Barnsley; and (a must) Morris’s Kelmscott Manor containing his wonderful collections. The company’s other themes for excursions range from historic houses to picturesque villages.

How to do it: Hidden Cotswold Tours (07712 306690, hiddencotswoldtours.co.uk) offers full-day excursions from £495 for up to six people. For an Arts and Crafts break stay in Kelmscott at the charming Plough Inn (01367 253543, theploughkelmscott.com) with doubles from £155 per night.

Visit spectacular gardens

Thanks to the historic wealth and lush nature of the Cotswolds, some of the nation’s finest gardens are dotted across the region. Head for an appealing concentration in the north, basing yourself at a prime garden hotel. Lords of the Manor’s eight breathtaking acres include a flower meadow, a walled garden and even a beautiful bog. From this haven explore the gardens of Hidcote and Kiftsgate near Chipping Campden (with a dramatic contrast of hillside designs), Snowshill with terraces, ponds and a model village, and the brilliantly planted Bourton House Garden.

How to do it: Lords of the Manor (01451 820243, lordsofthemanor.com) offers double rooms from £180 per night; summer garden tours with cream tea (£25 per person) take place on the last Tuesday of the month.