Cotswolds region - where to visit?

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manalishi

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On holiday next week to a cottage near Evesham, and we've already got a few days out planned already (Bath, Warwick, Stratford, etc). Maybe even Burford now that it's had so much PR this last week.

Anyone got any other or off-the-wall suggestions?

My GF is into horse/animal sanctuaries and the like, so something like that would be cool and a good contrast to the historic stuff. If there are plane/car museums or collections thereabouts, that'd suit me, too.
 
Bourton-on-the-Water is lovely and has a Car Museum!

http://www.bourtoninfo.com/

Don't know if you were looking to go further but RAF Cosford has a fantastic aircraft museum too

http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/cosford/index.cfm

And definitely go to Burford - Cotswold Wildlife Park is definitely worth a visit as is the Blue Cross on the road towards Carterton.
 
Moreton-in-Marsh & Stow are nice towns, next 2 towns from Bourton.

Broadway Tower is an intresting place aswell.
 
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At Bourton-on-the-water there is a nice Bird Garden.

If you like walking - Upper and Lower Slaughter are nice to visit and walk around.

Stow is "geared up" for the Tourist so most things there are over priced (antiques etc). Nice place to visit though.

Also Broadway is a nice place to visit. Lygon Arms one of the best hotels - so maybe a nice place for an afternoon tea.

Hope weather stays nice for you.
 
All within easy M5 reach from farther north, or the old A46 of course. Much more interesting than the likes of Bourton-on-the-Water (the car museum appears to have only 21 cars on display).

The museum is very small - it's not Beaulieu!!!
 
Bourton-on-the-Water is lovely - we drove 140 mile round trip just to go there for a late lunch a few weeks ago. Arrived at 1645. Gone by 17.45. Recharged the batteries though just being there.
 
Some fantastic suggestions there. Have had a quick Web search and Bourton, Stow, the Slaughters, Burford/Wildlife park, Broadway Tower are all definites.

That Woodchester Mansion thing is an oddball and it's only open occasionally - on this coming Sunday - so we may have to do it on the same day as Bath.

Slimbridge may be a bit too far - as is Cosford, but we'll see.

Aside from teh motor museum - any suggestions of other indoor places of interest? Just in case the weather plays up...
 
Pershore Abbey is my favourite place in that area - built in the year 789 it was one of the two seats of government in the UK at the time. It's tiny and incredibly evocative

The Lygon Arms is legendary

The BBC training centre at Wood Norton has a wonderful house which has been restored and is now open as a hotel. It features an original Thomas Crapper water closet, the scene for an OB (Outside Broadcast) when I was training there

One of the lecture theatres has foundations 6 feet thick - it's the site of a "secret" regional seat of government. So secret that an episode of Dr Who was filmed in there...

If you like cider there's a pub in Elmley Castle that brews on-site. I recommend having half a pint followed by a long lie down

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk
 
Pershore Abbey is my favourite place in that area - built in the year 789 it was one of the two seats of government in the UK at the time. It's tiny and incredibly evocative

The Lygon Arms is legendary

The BBC training centre at Wood Norton has a wonderful house which has been restored and is now open as a hotel. It features an original Thomas Crapper water closet, the scene for an OB (Outside Broadcast) when I was training there

One of the lecture theatres has foundations 6 feet thick - it's the site of a "secret" regional seat of government. So secret that an episode of Dr Who was filmed in there...

If you like cider there's a pub in Elmley Castle that brews on-site. I recommend having half a pint followed by a long lie down

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

One of the best places to eat is "Olivers" (if its still there) next door to the Lygon Arms in Broadway. I'd also suggest visiting a lovely little villiage called Wychncombe, near Cheltenham (also a lovely town)

I'd recommend visiting the villiages of Chipping Camden, Sunday Lunch @ Buckland Mannor, and dinning in Lower Slaughter Manor. Visiting the two Slaugher villiages is well worth doing, they are very picture esque. Bourten on the Water is lovely too. Its a wonderful part of the world and as a child had many happy familiy holidays there :thumb:

Its worth noting that the Gaydon Hertitage Center isn't a million miles away either, and as a museum its excellent and there may be driving activities on offer.
 
Theres also a house in Chipping Norton with a flighter plane in the front garden, I think the owner presents a certain Sunday night show ;)
 
Cotswold water park if the weather is like this weekend! they even have a beach and is near Cirencester.

Kate
 
Couple of eating reccomendations:

Bourton on the Water - Dial House Hotel, not expensive (at lunchtime) and doesn't attract the tourists like all the coffee shops and other places do. Top class food as well.

Bath - for the best pub food in Bath try the Old Green Tree in green street, small oak panelled, excellent Beer and excellent food (our regular work watering hole on Thursdays - although I'm on site in Swindon most of the time at present). Otherwise the Raven in quiet street and possibly the Salamander around the corner. Avoid all the other main street tourist pubs that will charge you nearly £10 for birds-eye fish and chips!

If you are NT members Dyrham park is worth poping into on the way in/out of Bath (if the weather's good).
 
All these places can be very busy with tourists, but seeing as you're going to be one, you may as well resign yourself to the fact it can be a bit nightmare sometimes.

I particularly recommend Stratford if you're into the history of the place and if you can schedule a visit to the RSC all the better, if that's your thing (although not sure what is currently performing right now, if anything major). Plus, lots of American tourists :)

Stow is particularly nice, it has to be said
 
For eating in Bath, there's only one choice:

Afternoon tea at the Pump House Restaurant in the Roman Baths.

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If you visit the waterparks then it would be worth checking our The Wild Duck in Ewing for lunch or dinner (it's only a couple of miles away).

Can not seem to find a website for it but great food and good wine list and ales
 
For eating in Bath, there's only one choice:

Afternoon tea at the Pump House Restaurant in the Roman Baths.
Full of american tourists though - Bath Spa Hotel would be a more civilised choice (SWMBO lived there when it was the Nurses home - went there a few years ago for a reunion, was a bit of a shock to see how well they'd done it up).
 

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