Take a Step Back in Time in a Holiday Cottage in The Cotswolds

If it's relaxation and old world charm that you crave, then a cottage holiday in The Cotswolds is the perfect tonic to modern life. The Cotswolds embodies the picture perfect village; warm yellow limestone houses with roses round the door, a gently meandering stream flowing past dreamy cottage gardens. Make an English Country Cottage your Cotswolds retreat, for a short break or long stay, and spend lazy days basking in serenity.

Accommodation with Nature on the Doorstep

With England's largest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty as a holiday backdrop, it's impossible for nature enthusiasts not to enjoy a break in a Cotswold holiday cottage. This unique environment of gently undulating hills is home to some of England's finest countryside, and not surprisingly, many rare species of wildlife can be found here. Within easy reach of our range of Cotswold holiday cottages you'll find nationally important beech and yew woods with spectacular seasonal colour, half of the country's flower-rich limestone granite, and endangered wildlife such as breeding horse shoe bats, the rare snail Laurea Semproni, and unique Cotswold penny cress.

Choose an English Country Cottage with a view out over rolling patchwork fields with dry stone walls, and spend your holiday unwinding in the Cotswold's unspoilt beauty. There are over 3,000 miles of public footpath to explore, not to mention inspiring places of interest such as the National Arboretum at Westonbirt in Tetbury, Crickley Hill Country Park, Slimbridge Wetlands Centre, and Cotswold Farm Park, home to Britain's most comprehensive collection of rare breeds and farm animals. You'll be enjoying the same timeless countryside that inspired William Morris and Laurie Lee.

Character Cottages Steeped in History and Heritage

Our range of holiday cottages in the Cotswolds exemplifies traditional English character, and renting one of them is like taking a step back in time. But, whatever chapter of history you want to delve into, you'll find plenty of interesting sites nearby. Use your holiday cottage as a base to explore Sudeley Castle, at Winchcombe, last home and burial place of Catherine Parr, one of Henry VIII's many wives, or walk the magnificent Roman road, the Fosse Way.

Berkeley Castle has 850 years of history to engage you, while Tewkesbury's 14th Century Abbey boasts the largest Norman tower in the country. Examine Charles Paget Wade's art and craft collection at Snowshill Manor, Broadway, or take a trip on a 2ft gauge steam train at the North Gloucestershire Railway. And if that's not enough nostalgia, then our range of Cotswold holiday cottages contains many that are well within reach of the historic towns of Cheltenham, Gloucester, Bath and Oxford, all with their own piece of history to re-tell.

Choose a Cottage Holiday for Culture and Cuisine

Old Spot bacon, Bilbury trout, Cerney Ash goat's cheese and Blaisdon Red Plums - there are plenty of local Cotswold delicacies to encourage you to unleash your inner gourmet and make the most of the self-catering facilities in your holiday cottage. Wash it all down with a traditional locally-brewed beer such as Jouster or Donnington Ale. And if you can tear yourself away from the comfort of your holiday cottage, then the region has a long standing reputation for hearty hospitality and you'll find real treats waiting in the traditional Cotswold Inns, and humble farm tea rooms.

The Cotswolds is famed for its quintessentially English gardens, and many are open to visitors. You could easily fill a short break getting lost among the rambling roses, without straying too far from your holiday cottage. Cotswold's finest gardens also play host to a wide variety of music and open theatre events during the summer, most unusual perhaps is Cornbury Music Festival in July, described as an eclectic, eccentric musical carnival - a dynamic summer festival disguised as a country fayre and lovingly crafted, very English open air party, tailor made for the whole family.

Holiday Homes near the Highlights and Hotspots

As you would expect from a region with gentility and refinement, the Cotswolds is a worthy home to, and inspiration for, many fine examples of art and literature. Our range of Cotswold holiday cottages often rented by visitors wanting to experience the region's many antique, book and art fairs. Stow-on-the-Wold in particular is renowned for its wealth of salerooms, galleries, antiques and fine art. By contrast, March brings the Cheltenham Gold Cup, one of the biggest meets in the British racing calendar, and a great highlight to your holiday if you time it right.

There are lots of great family days out to be found, with steam railways, a model village, wildlife parks and falconry centres. Or get active on foot, cycle or horseback, and explore the many Cotswold walking, cycling and bridle paths. The region's best kept secret is the Cotswold Water Park, which includes an excellent inland beach and facilities for kayaking or windsurfing. However you spend your Cotswold cottage, you’ll want it to last forever.

Visit our availability search page to find your next holiday cottage in the Cotswolds.

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