The Cotswolds cover just over 800 square miles, nearly every one of those miles covered with gently rolling hills and fields and woods, amongst which can be glimpsed rows of charming cottages and ancient pubs, the whole of it steeped in thousands of years of history. We used to think such a vast expanse could only be explored properly by car, but we were wrong.
Come with us on a whistle-stop tour of two of the Cotswolds' loveliest towns, Cirencester and Tetbury, as we get about by train, bus, bicycle and canoe.
Day 1
After an early breakfast we caught the train from our local station, Bradford on Avon, to Kemble, near Cirencester. From there it was a bus ride through picturesque countryside to the town of Cirencester itself, once known as Corinium, the second-largest Roman settlement in Britain.
We checked into the (nearly as ancient) King’s Head hotel, a beautiful old coaching inn right in the centre of town, and set out to explore Cirencester Park. Lunch in the park was had at the lovely Roots & Seeds, where we met Sam, the passionate owner and head chef, and tasted their signature mixed roast sharing platter complete with all the trimmings. It was an extraordinary Sunday lunch!
After that we waddled around the park and made our way back into town, stopping at the Corinium Museum to look at some of the town’s history (which stretches back to the Neolithic era), as well as exploring some of the lovely boutique shops in the Medieval streets. By late afternoon our energy levels had returned, and we visited Henry’s Seafood Bar & Grill, on Gosditch street, for a couple of expertly made cocktails, before returning to the King’s Head for a superb dinner.
Day 2
Breakfast at the King’s Head (which Tom only found out afterwards is extremely haunted) was followed by a short bus ride to the Cotswold Lakes to the Real Outdoor Xperience. Here we met Matt, who took us for coffee and explained the large variety of activities (from bushcraft to archery) that you can enjoy just outside of town. We ended up canoeing on the lake just as the sun came out, paddling among swans and geese and feeling very chilled out indeed.
Just across the road we lunched at the Old Boathouse, enjoying a delicious summery meal on the first properly sunny day of the year. There we met John, from Cotswold Ebikes, who gave us a couple of extremely nice Bosch electric bikes and sent us on a circular tour of the local villages. We loved exploring beautiful places that were off the beaten track but still very accessible, and the Ebikes meant there was very little peddling involved, which was a bonus after another big lunch.
When we returned from our ride it was on to Tetbury, a nearby town we’d visited before but never stayed the night in. There we checked into Elephant cottage - a charming townhouse within easy walking distance of the centre - courtesy of StayCotswold. We had a stroll and dined in the luxurious (but surprisingly affordable) Close Hotel, which is now our favourite restaurant in the Cotswolds.
Day 3
The charming - and very French - Gilbertine Kitchen gave us breakfast in the morning, and then it was a short (two meter) walk next door to the award-winning Tetbury Police Museum, where Vicki gave us a brilliant tour of the cells and the courtroom, each of which was stocked with surprisingly realistic mannequins and a lot of fascinating history.
The bleat of goats just outside the museum window told us it was time for our next strange activity: the Tetbury pygymy goat walk. Kathryn, a part-time chef, had brought along two of her extremely sweet pygmy goats for us to walk, and we took Dawn and Joan on a stroll through Tetbury to meet the locals. Though Joan was slightly grumpy that morning, she and her sister got a lot of attention and back scratches, and it was lovely spending time with them.
When we’d dropped them off we climbed aboard another local bus for the six-minute ride to Westonbirt, a vast arboretum just south of Tetbury, where we took the treetop walk high amongst the foliage, surrounded by the first real blossom of the year. After lunch we caught the bus back to Tetbury and travelled on to Kemble station, tired and happy and ready for home, without once having to deal with traffic, parking meters, or three-point turns.
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