The Cotswolds: Quintessentially British

Welcome to the Cotswolds. This area of outstanding natural beauty is famous for its chocolate box villages and rolling green hills and over the next few days we're going to show you the best things to see in this beautiful region as well as some hidden gems. Chipping Camden was mentioned as far back as the doomsday book as having 300 residents and having two mills which were worth around 20 pounds. The name Camden actually derives from the old English meaning small enclosure. The town grew to particular prominence and wealth during the 1300s thanks to the presence of the wool trade and more specifically a breed of sheep known as the Cotswold lion. Unfortunately this prosperity didn't last very long. Luckily the town found a new industry in the silk trade but by the 1800s this too had died out. The town experienced somewhat of a revival in 1902 when a Londoner decided to move his arts and crafts guild here. Although that didn't last very long either it did cement Chipping Camden as a prosperous town which continues to this day. Now the High Street is considered to be one of the most beautiful in Britain and it boasts over 270 listed and historic buildings. Today one of the most memorable monuments in town is the Market Hall which is owned and run by the National Trust. The Market Hall dates back to 1627 and it was bought in 1942 by the National Trust from the Knoll family. It's now been restored to its former glory, wooden rafters and all. It's open 24 hours a day and is completely free to visit and because it's open day or night you can come in here to shelter from whatever weather there happens to be including obviously sun like today or the rain because it does rain a lot here. There are of course loads of little boutiques to explore but if you want to see even more history then we can head into the church. The St James church is really ornate even by standards of the Cotswolds and that's because this church was built with proceeds from the wool trade. Connington isn't home to a great deal of attractions in fact the main attraction here is all of the beautiful architecture. It's even home to what is probably the most photographed cottage in the Cotswolds, the Rose Cottage. I think a lot of people don't realise that there is lavender growing in the UK because it's definitely something you associate more with the lavender fields of Provence. However the Cotswolds has several farms and this one you can visit. It's quite expensive because it's £7.50 and it's just to access the field and the best time to visit is in July and August. This is obviously the only time you can visit as this is when the lavender is in peak bloom. Technically the lavender here blooms a few weeks later than in Provence but once you're here you can visit the shop which has all kinds of lavender products including a lavender ice cream. One of the best aspects of visiting this farm is that compared to a traditional lavender farm you have all kinds of different varieties so you've got a lot of different shades of purple. Another aspect of visiting the farm which is quite cool is that you can head into the distillery where you can learn how they make lavender essential oils. If you're visiting then the best colour to wear is either white, a pastel or yellow as this really pops against the lavender for beautiful photos. Obviously you also want to visit on a clear and sunny day like today and luckily you don't have to buy your tickets in advance you can just walk up on the day and buy them. According to the town's own website Broadway is allegedly the most beautiful town in the Cotswolds so let's go and see if that's true. Each town in the Cotswolds has its own unique name and this is known as the jewel of Cotswolds. There's not a great deal of things to do here but there are lots of shopping opportunities and eateries. One thing that's particularly great about Broadway compared to other Cotswolds towns is that there's hardly any parking on the road here and so you'll get views of beautiful cottages without being surrounded by all of the vehicles. Now unless you're going to go shopping you don't need a great deal of time here only half an hour or so so let's go to our next destination. Broadway Tower is the highest castle in the Cotswolds and it offers commanding views over the surrounding region. You do have to pay to go inside but if you stick to the footpath it's completely free to admire from its exterior and you can also enjoy the sweeping views. The porch house has a history dating back to 947 common era and is alleged to be the oldest inn in England. Stow-on-the-world is one of the largest towns in the region. It's home to a lot of antique shops and is particularly famous for its market square. It's also got a few hidden gems that you won't want to miss while exploring the Cotswolds region. Obviously no one knows this for sure but it is alleged that the two eutrees guarding this door of the church inspired J.R.R. Tolkien when he created the Mines of Maria and the Doors of Durin in Lord of the Rings. Despite its name Lower Slaughter remains one of the most beautiful villages here in the Cotswolds. In fact walking around feels like stepping straight into a postcard. Small bridges pepper the river eye which is full of fish and full of narrow little bridges which you can cross. The houses themselves are incredibly beautiful and little has changed here since 1906 and that's because no new buildings have been built since that time. And despite the fact that the river is very calm and narrow here and you would want to bathe your feet in it there is a sign saying private water no entry at any time except for Miss Arden is a tiny little village which is tucked away from pretty much everything. The nearest town is Stroud which is a 20-minute driveway. However this village is home to what one of the things the Cotswolds is most famous for and that's beautiful gardens. So let's go and check out the Miss Arden gardens. The estate was recorded as far back as the Doomsday Book in 1086 when the Musar Norman family is recorded as living here. They gave their name to the village. Most of the gardens which can be seen today probably date back to around 1620 which was when the house that is now on the estate was constructed. Today you can wander around the gardens for around 12 pounds although it's free for historic houses members. It is one of the pricier things that we've listed in this video but I do think it's a gorgeous escape and definitely a different activity from just visiting the villages. For the summer only there's a sculpture trail which you can follow around the gardens. There's also a small cafe on site where you can get things like iced coffees, quiches, filled croissant and sweet foods like rocky road. Boughton-on-the-water is yet another beautiful Cotswold village filled with honey-coloured cottages. However the difference between this town and a lot of the others in the region is that there are actually a few activities here which are perfect for all ages. This includes a motor museum, a maze and this model village. This is an exact scale model replica of Boughton-on-the-water. Everything is one to nine and it was actually created in the 1930s by a publican who really wanted to attract more people to his pub and so he created this attraction in order to get people to come here so that they would go to the pub and eat and drink afterwards. Today you can still visit for a small fee. It's quite small but it's very delightful. Normally there's also a replica of the river but it's currently not running because there's a leak. Something that's quite cool is while the buildings haven't changed much since the 1930s apart from some renovations, the actual names of the businesses have been updated as they have changed in the village itself. The most meta thing about this place is that there's a model of the model but I don't know if there's a model inside the model inside the model. We just looked again and there is indeed a model inside a model inside a model but my eyes aren't good enough to see if there's a model inside that. There is indeed a model inside a model inside a model inside a model but I genuinely can't see the next time. Today you still have to exit the model village via the tap room so it's still great marketing. The rest of the village is also lovely to stroll through. The river Windrush passes through Boughton and so you can wander alongside it and go over all of the narrow bridges. It's also a great spot to go dog watching. Honestly I think one of the best things about visiting this region is that even if you're not going to stop at every village because that's impossible, every time that you're driving between stops it's just truly stunning scenery and it's amazing to imagine that people actually live here. Burford is yet another Cotswolds town which grew to particular prosperity between the 14th and 17th centuries thanks to the wool trade. However this time we're in Oxfordshire. This is widely regarded to be the gateway to the Cotswolds because of its easy transport links to London. Today it's home to lots of honey-coloured cottages, shops and even the oldest pharmacy in England. I would say the main downside to visiting this town as opposed to all of the other ones in the Cotswolds is that the high street is really busy with through traffic and so you won't be able to capture as many beautiful shots and it's really noisy. Robert Reveley's is allegedly the oldest pharmacy in England and has been in operation since 1734. If you want to learn more about the history of Burford including the wool trade then you can visit the Tolsey Museum which is open from 2 to 5 pm daily. Unfortunately it's not time for opening yet and so we'll have to give it a miss this time. This kind of tombstone is typical from the wool trading period and there are lots of them in the St John's Church cemetery in Burford. Bybury is somewhere I've been to three or four times and every time I've had so much anxiety parking here because it's very busy. However a hot tip is that you should park near the trout farm because there is a lot of space here and your car is less likely to be in a narrow space Bybury is yet another charming village with just a few hundred residents but the main attraction here is Arlington Row which is a beautiful set of historic houses. When you're visiting the Arlington Row do remember that they are people's homes and so be respectful, don't peer into people's windows, don't knock on doors, that kind of thing. We've just stopped at a cute little cafe for a quick iced coffee. It also happens to be in Tetbury which is the official home of Charles and Carmilla. Highgrove is the name of the residence of Charles and it's also the name of his official brand. This is pretty much as close as you can get to the royal family and you can go inside and shop for different kinds of souvenirs including tea towels, produce, wine and everything else. Like almost everywhere else in the Cotswolds, Tetbury has its own postcard worthy area and that is the Chipping Steps. These medieval steps are lined with weavers cottages and are a photographer's dream. Painswick has been attested as far back as 1086 when the area that's here was mentioned as a dairy farm in the doomsday book however the name Painswick didn't appear until 1237 in the records. During the middle ages much like many of the other towns in the Cotswolds this town became particularly prosperous thanks to the wool trade and many of the houses built during that period still survive today leaving beautiful medieval architecture pretty much every turn that you take. Now Painswick is referred to as Queen of the Cotswolds thanks to how beautiful everything is. There's loads of little shops and eateries to explore but the main joy is simply wandering around and admiring the architecture. There's also one thing you can't miss and that's what we're going to go and see now. No one is really sure when St Mary's church was first built but there was a priest listed as living here in the doomsday book in 1086 and so we know that there must have been some kind of church here on site at that time. However the most interesting story about this church has to be all of the yew trees here. You see local legend tells that there are 99 and the reason for this is that every time a 100th yew tree is planted it dies and so this graveyard is destined to only have 99 yew trees forever. Painswick village rugby club was formed back in 1872 making it the oldest village rugby club in England. If you're looking for a particularly unique experience or historic one then you can follow the heritage trail including a visit to these stocks. They're known as spectacle stocks because as you can see they look a little bit like a pair of glasses and they date back to the 19th century. They've been locked so the public can no longer use them. If you're looking for amazing views of the Cotswolds then Painswick beacon is less than a mile away from the town and offers incredible stunning views over the surrounding countryside. You do have to walk up through a golf course in order to get here so do be wary when you're coming from the car park. Thank you so much for watching and don't forget to like and subscribe for more UK travel content. See you next time!