The Cotswolds are a cluster of villages in Southwest England known for their charm and yellow/golden brick homes and buildings. If you’ve ever wanted to go for a visit, it’s only a 2 hour drive from west London via car. I would definitely recommend driving to this area of England if you can. There are buses to certain villages, but you won’t have the freedom to move between villages as easily. Keep in mind, we drive on the left side of the road in the UK and the roads can be really small.
I’m lucky and have a friend in London who drives (and loves it!) So a few of us decided to go for the day to some of the villages in the area. It was such a cute and simple day trip! I definitely recommend you come prepared with raincoats and brellies!
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Chipping Norton
If you watch Clarkson’s Farm, you know where I’m going with this first stop. This was all me! None of my friends have seen the show, but they humored me and we went straight there from London. It took 2 hours, and as cute as the area is, the farm shop was packed. The queue to get inside was around the entire parking lot. However, the parking situation was ok (iykyk). We parked and took some photos. However, I didn’t want to stand in the rain for an hour just to go inside the shop. It’s worth a stop if you are a fan, otherwise, it might be more worthwhile to spend your morning in another village.
Burton on the Water
A 25 minute drive from Diddly Squat is Burton on the Water. Probably the most well-known and busiest village in the Cotswolds. It is adorable here and there are tons of little local shops and restaurants/pubs. Even though it was a bit crowded (even in the rain), I would say it is worth the stop. We enjoyed wandering around here and decided to have lunch at The Croft. It was crowded, but worth the bit of a wait. I ate fish and chips, and had to try a half pint of each of the Hawkstone lager and cider (re: Clarkson’s Farm).
Some things worth mentioning are Once Upon a Candy Shop which is like walking into a fairy tale. OF course we bought some candies! Cotswolds Distillery is a cool spot to check out if you want to taste some locally produced whisky or gin. And The Cotswolds Motoring Museum is an interesting spot to learn about the history of automobiles in the 20th century. They have a collection of vintage cars as well. We didn’t go inside, but tickets to enter cost £9.60 if it’s something that interests you.
Lower Slaughter
This is more of a cute drive-through area, but you can definitely stop, have a wander, and take some photos! We loved it here because it’s full of the iconic golden colored homes and way less people. The name had me stumped, so I did some research! It turns out that slaughter comes from the old English word slough, which means muddy/wet/marshy. Honestly, fitting with the rain we had that day.
Bibury
Bibury was our last stop of the day. A much quieter village than Burton on the Water, but adorable! I would highly recommend a stop here on your way back towards London. It is also situated on the water, so you get those same vibes with way less people. They don’t really have the high street like Burton on the Water, but we found a pub to tuck into for a drink. The Catherine Wheel is a great choice, and on those nicer sunny days, they have a nice garden! You can walk around Bibury in 30 minutes I would say, but there are some steeper hills to climb!
So that was our day spent in the Cotswolds! Did you add any of these cute spots to your list for when you visit?
If you want to read more about day trips from London, I’ve written a few for you to choose from! London is such a great place to be based, so I’m grateful for the opportunity to be living in such an incredible city! The UK can get a bad rap for the weather, but it is such a beautiful place!
