A Weekend in the Cotswolds

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Last month I spent a lovely few days in the Cotswolds with Lauren for her birthday. The hotel we stayed in really wasn’t the best but the time together, exploring the local area, was perfect – despite the rain!

We drove up early and stopped in Bourton on the Water, enjoying tea and cake at the Cornish Bakery before really starting to explore.

I have only been to Bourton on the Water once before and it was a very busy spring day so seeing it in January was a real treat. Yes, it was colder than the spring and summer but it was so much quieter too. It’s one of the Cotswolds’ most beautiful villages and draws tourists from all over the world.

We spent a couple of hours wandering around the village, taking photos at the river and exploring antique shops and boutique as well as visiting the Model Village – which was small but cute and so very, very old! Our time in Bourton on the Water was lovely.

Afterwards we put a pin in the map and ended up in Stow on the Wold. We parked all the way up a hill and had a lovely stroll down, easily finding the market square and the Tolkien Door at St. Edward’s Church – the most photographed door in the Cotswolds!

We ventured into a few charity shops and a bookshop as part of a really lovely potter around the village and then headed off on our way again. By this point we had missed lunch so stopped at a place we’d driven past countless times – The Prison Cafe – for a bite to eat.

This old prison has been converted into a cafe where you can still visit the prison cells and other curiosities around the site. We had loaded fries and a toastie to refuel and it was a really lovely place to sit and relax for a while.

It was then time to head to the hotel where we went for a swim before having dinner and relaxing in the room for the evening. We ended up having two different rooms across the two nights, and not the best of sleep, but the hotel breakfast buffet was fantastic – a definite highlight of the stay.

Sadly, when we woke up to our full day in the Cotswolds it was pouring down. But, we didn’t let this put us off and still went out as planned. Our first stop was Westonbirt Arboretum where we spent a couple of hours walking – mainly with our hoods up!

I would love to see the arboretum on a dry day, however, we definitely made the most of it and saw so much of the site – from sculptures and walkways to the Gruffalo and his friends. It was lovely despite the rain.

We then went to Gloucester and parked up at Gloucester Quays before walking into Gloucester city centre to explore. Our main stop was Gloucester Cathedral where we had another tea and cake stop before venturing inside – and it was a lovely break from the rain as well a beautiful cathedral and, unbeknown to me at the time, a Harry Potter filming location too!

We walked around the town centre, looking in a few charity shops before heading back to Gloucester Quays, admiring the boats in the docks along the way.

We made the most of the outlet shopping at Gloucester Quays before having a really lovely dinner at Zizzi. It was delicious and great value as Lauren has a tastecard which got us buy one get one free on each course. Oh I do love a bargain!

After another night in the hotel and a great breakfast, we checked out and started our drive back home, in pretty torrential rain. We stopped off an hour along the route in Cirencester – and what a gem this was!

We’ve never been to Cirencester before and it turned out to be a real charity shop haven, as well as having so many historic buildings and boutique-y shops too. It was the perfect place for a leg stretch and a mooch – and we may have bought one or two books too!

All in all we had a really lovely break away and it was so nice to go away for two nights instead of the usual one – it felt like a real break despite the awful sleep in the hotel! I cannot wait to see where our next little break away takes us.

If you’re looking for more inspiration for breaks away in the UK, these articles might help:

• A Break at Bridgewood Manor Hotel & Spa
• A Family Break at Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel
• A Spa Break at Old Thorns in Liphook Hampshire
• A Birthday Break at Bailiffscourt Hotel and Spa
• A Relaxing Break at Tylney Hall Hotel in Hampshire
• A Half Term Break at Retallack Resort and Spa Cornwall
• A Family Break at Whittlebury Park Hotel
• A Family Break at the Room2 Southampton Hometel