If you are looking to explore a part of the idyllic English countryside, the Cotswolds is the perfect place to do so. The Cotswolds is an area just west of London with several small towns and villages. I took a tour of the Cotswolds on a day trip from London and absolutely loved it. Here is a list of 8 charming villages that you should visit in the Cotswolds!
Lower Slaughter
Lower Slaughter is my favourite village that we visited in the Cotswolds. This village has been inhabited for 1,000 years! The River Eye runs through the village and there is a 19th-century water mill. The village is filled with adorable limestone homes and a stunning manor house turned hotel; Lower Slaughter Manor.
Upper Slaughter
As you would assume, Upper Slaughter is just north of Lower Slaughter. This village also has a beautiful manor house that has been turned into a hotel; Lords of the Manor Hotel. Make sure you visit the medieval St Peter’s Church.
Great Tew
Great Tew is an adorable village straight out of a storybook! The village is filled with thatched-roof cottages and topiary.
Chastleton
A main attraction in the village of Chastleton is Chastleton House. This stunning Jacobean house was built in the early 1600’s. Chastleton House is considered “the birthplace of Croquet.” Walter Whitmore Jones, a former resident of Castleton House, codified the rules of Croquet at the house in 1866. Directly adjacent to Chastleton House is St. Mary’s Church. This church was built around 1100 and has a beautiful churchyard.
Icomb
Icomb is a tranquil village with beautiful honey-stoned cottages.
Wyck Rissington
The village of Wyck Rissington is spread out along a long central village green. It is regarded as being an unspoilt Cotswold village with beautiful traditional-style Cotswold stone homes.
Adlestrop
Novelist Jane Austen visited the stunning Adlestrop House several times and it is said that she drew inspiration from the village for her novel Mansfield Park. The village is the subject of Edward Thomas’s well-known poem, “Adlestrop.”
Cornwell
In the film The Holiday, Cameron Diaz and Jude Law go for lunch at the beautiful Cornwell Manor. I loved seeing this manor house because The Holiday is one of my favourite movies!
I hope you enjoyed this list of 8 charming villages to visit in the Cotswolds!
To read my blog post, “A Perfect Day Trip to the Cotswolds,” click here.
