I have some relatives coming from Canada and they are very keen to visit the Cotswolds. Which town or village would you recommend for us to visit? They are really into their antiques so a few shops and somewhere to get a cream tea would be ideal.
Thanks Matt.

Bourton on The Water… At the weekend you literally can’t move for American tourists, rushing from one cream tea shop to another! 😉

Could try Broadway, or as a loop i could suggest the following cheltenham, Sherbourne, (pretty valley), Burford (shops), Bibury( riverside setting), then back up the Coln valley past Chedworth Roman Villa, maybe stop at a the mill pub at Withington before getting back to Cheltenham, bit of everything really

Broadway, burford, cirencester, stow on the wold, Moreton in marsh will all tick the antique and cream tea boxes

try Upper and Lower Slaughter, stanton or Naunton for pretty village action.

Chipping Camden on the list too if they want to go antiques shopping. And to be honest, pretty much anywhere in the Cotswolds for a pub/cream tea shop, you’ll not go far wrong. There’s brilliant pub’s all over the places in some of the smaller villages, The Plough at Ford is one place I used to enjoy going to after a ride, there’s several places in Broadway (and take them up Fish Hill in the car to scare them!)… Christ, make a few days of it, end up as far as Oxford, then make your way back…

I’m a bit blase about the Cotswolds these days, I’m from pretty close to them originally and then spent years living in Oxford, so used to commute between Oxford and my folks house through the Cotswolds lots.

try Upper and Lower Slaughter, stanton or Naunton for pretty village action.

Or Toddington for the Railway… 8)

when are they visiting? (some of the below are seasonal)

Bibury – quaint riverside setting where you can catch a trout, kill it and eat it

Cirencester – bigger town with some bigger shops and nice buildings, plus an outdoor pool, maybe a polo match.

Tetbury – pretty town with antique shops.

Bourton On The Water is great for meeting Chinese and Americans, take some plastic ducks and race em down the river.

Westonbirt Arboretum to hug a tree.

Chalford and take a walk along the High Street for some mighty twee pretty tiny English cottages that are older than their country, back along the canal (or extend up to the Sapperton canal tunel entrance) to Lavender cafe at the bottom of Cowcombe Hill (ok Stroud is just outside of the Cotswold District).

Burford is great for a wander around the shops, pick up some Burford brown eggs for a great ommlette.

Stow On The Wold for a nice wander around a market town followed by a pub lunch.

Moreton in the Marsh – as SotW

There are a LOT of fantastic blink and you miss them hamlets that are very pretty but there is not much “to do” there except to see how other folk live.

For cream tea you need to go to Devon!

Stroud, Stow on the Wold, Cirencester,Nailswoth, Painswick.

Or Toddington for the Railway…

Or not, landslide has partially closed the line.

Cirencester and Burford (is Burford still the top of the “most desireable places to live” list? Burford has the quirkier antique shops and great Deli’s

Tetbury has a good load of antique shops and Prince Charles’s shop is there which is surprisingly nice! From there head to Minchinhampton for tea,in the only tea shop, or go to Chalford the tea shop there is good. Painswick ( my home village) is pretty but dull as dishwater, tourists love it. Could also come from Tetbury to Nailsworth (where I live now) for tea and cake in Hobbs house bakery(the shop of the baker brothers on tv).