The Cotswolds, hmmmmm….. where do I begin? I’ve visited the Cotswolds (in Southern England) several times and will never mark it off my to-do-list. Each time I visit these charming villages, I find new places to explore and new things to photograph. The Cotswolds are one of my favorite places to visit!
While living (and vacationing) in England, I did not have a driving permit, and could only visit the Cotswolds via private tour. I took several tours with Mad Max Tours and highly recommend them–especially if Charles is your tour guide. My family and I also hired a private care for a bespoke Cotswolds tour one day as well. In case you were wondering, the Cotswolds get their name from “wold” being a hilly place in Old English and Cots from the name of a farmer that used to farm the lands OR sheep enclosures (depending on who you ask).
With Mad Max Tours, I’ve taken both the full-day and half-day tours, I’ve even taken a few of the tours twice! The private car hire was expensive, but a good way to have full-control over your experience. Here’s a bit of info on the places I’ve visited and what I recommend!
Castle Combe – Must See
Castle Combe, England. Each time I visit these charming villages, I find new places to explore and new things to photograph. The Cotswolds are one of my favorite places to visit!
Often called ‘the most beautiful village in the Cotstwolds’, Castle Combe does not disappoint. It is a very small village, but absolutely stunning-especially if you can catch the flowers in full-bloom.
I shot one of my all-time-favorite images here. I call it ‘The Secret Garden’, though some people get a Tolkien-vibe from it. The best thing about this shot is the rest of the image you don’t get to see. I will leave you with your imagination. See Castle Combe if you can, it is beautiful!
Bibury – Must See
Bibury, England
Great for photographers and daydreamers alike, Bibury is a quaint village with some gorgeous scenery. Every time I’ve visited Bibury, I’ve heard the same thing: This is the most photographed village in the Cotswolds and Arlington Row is the the most photographed place in Bibury. I (of course) chose to photograph a different spot, but it is gorgeous nevertheless!
Lacock and Lacock Abbey –
Must See-for Harry Potter fans or Photography aficionados.
For all your HP Fans, you can see Harry’s Parent’s house! Also, many scenes were filmed at Lacock Abbey too! But, the coolest part of Lacock Abbey, for me, is that it contains the Fox Talbot Museum. Henry Fox Talbot is famous for his contributions to the invention of photography (calotype anyone?) and called Lacock Abbey home for some time.. There is a great exhibit there and I was honored to be at one of the birthplaces of photography.
Stonehenge – You should probably see this.
Stonehenge
Though not technically in the Cotswolds, it’s close enough to them to be included in this post. Stonehenge was cool to see, though it wasn’t one of the most amazing places I’ve visited. If you are in the neighborhood, may as well pop in and take a look (and an audio-tour). It’s worth checking out, but not a destination in and of itself.
Avebury Stone Circle – Must See.
I found the Avebury Stone Circles much much cooler than Stonehenge actually. A UNESCO World Heritage site as well, Avebury held much more magic for me than Stonehenge, especially since you could walk among the stones and actually touch them. I could write a whole post about the 45min I spent at the Stone Circles, but why not read about it on the English Heritage website?
Upper and Lower Slaughter –Not on my priority list.
The Road to Lower Slaughter
Upper and Lower Slaughter are pretty and you can easily visit both within 30-45min. Pop in if you are nearby but there are more interesting places to visit if you are short on time. In case you were wondering, slaughter means muddy place in Old English.
Bourton-on-the-Water – Not on my priority list.
Bourton-on-the-Water is a VERY popular place to visit and can be super crowded. None of our tours stopped at this location due to the crowds (and that our guides felt there were better places to visit). I did visit here one time with my Uni friends on a semi-guided trip. I agreed with our tour guides. The town is nice, there is good food to be had, but I’d rather spend my time elsewhere!
Stow-on-the-Wold – Lovely place to see.
Stow on the Wold St Edwards Parish
If you are a Tolkien fan, you may like to pop in to Stow-on-the-Wold and take a look at this amazing tree at St. Edwards Church. It is ‘rumored’ to have inspired the Moria door in Lord of the Rings. Pretty sweet if you ask me! The town is small, so you won’t need to spend too much time here!
Tetbury—Not on my priority list.
Tetbury is a nice village with a lot of history, some great cream tea and some wonderful little shops to pop in to. If you have nice weather and great light, you may be able to capture a few nice shots of Tetbury (I did not have such luxury). If you are short on time or the weather is dreary, I’d go elsewhere!
Want to visit the Cotswolds?
I suggest planning your trip in the Spring (in May) and time it so you can see the flowers in-bloom. None of the villages are very big, so it’s easy to see many of them in one day. If you don’t have a car and are happy seeing the highlights, Mad Max Tours is great!
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Really nice snapshot. I like the Bibury so much. Like I can stand there with you. Wish i can have a trip to England too.
Thanks so much!! I loved Bibury and all the little villages I visited in the Cotswolds! If you ever get the chance to go, definitely do 🙂
wow!!! I have been to almost all the Europe except the UK. I loved going through your post and the pictures! I wish I can visit the Stone hedge soon someday Thanks for such an inspiration <3
Thank you for reading!! The Cotswolds are one of my all-time favorite places!
My boyfriends dad lives in Wiltshire and we’ve drove past Stonehenge and Avebury stone circle so many times but I’ve never been to them and it annoys me! I think I’m definitely overdue a visit.
Really enjoyed this post. Wish your photos were bigger though 🙁
Thanks for reading! I’ll take a look and see about making some of the photos bigger – thanks for the feedback!! ‘Some’ of my UK photos are on my portfolio page if you’d like to look at those 🙂 I’ll try to make the in-post ones bigger. Have a great weekend!
Love your pictures mate. England sounds awesome. Do read our experience of the Leed’s Castle http://saltandsandals.com/journey-through-history-adventure-leeds-castle-england/
Would love to explore more of England. The Cotswolds sound lovely, especially Bilbury. Would also like to see Stonehenge. The whole area looks lovely.
It truly is a wonderful place! Definitely one of my all-time favorites! Thanks for reading 🙂
I am from the UK and have never visited the Cotswolds!! I have stopped off at Stonehenge before but none of the other places. Makes me think I need to go and explore my own country too 🙂
It’s always easier to explore when you’re somewhere other than home! It would make a great day trip or holiday weekend! Some lovely little pubs and places to stay! Thanks for reading 🙂
The Cotswolds are so high on my list, and e hope to get there this summer! Will mark the private tour name as we won’t be driving while we are there. Castle Combe looks straight out of a fairytale, my girls will love it!
Thank you very much for reading my post! If possible, I’d try to take your trip in May – Castle Combe is at its best when the flowers are blooming 🙂
Such an insightful post & your photos are great. I feel like everyone has the same feelings about Stone Henge. I don’t think it will ever be on my must see list!
Thanks for reading!! If I had a private tour and perfect light, then yeah–worth going haha! Plenty of other places to see 🙂
Never considered this place but it sure does look super cute! Stonehenge is a classic and seems like a sight to combine when visiting Cotswolds. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks for reading! Sorry your comment didn’t show up until now ^^ Definitely worth visiting if you have the opportunity!
Such cute villages! Some of these places could be really nice for weddings. And I liked how you included small fun facts into the post. Going to keep this place in mind when visiting Stonehenge. Can be a nice extra to the attraction.
Thanks for reading! I don’t think I’d ever turn down a day trip to the Cotswolds – I always see something new and charming 🙂
What a great post! I like your priority list as well as that will definitely help me plan my next trip here!
Thank you ^^
The villages look really cute- would love to visit someday. The picture from Castle Combe- is that a house?
Thank you ^^ The Castle Combe picture is from the side of the house, the little entrance to the back garden – I imagine it’s a secret garden 🙂
stonehenge was on my list but with all those cute spots around maybe I skip SH and follow your paths in the costwolds
If you are able to do a full-day tour with Mad Max, then you can still see SH and the highlights of the Cotswolds 🙂 I’m glad I saw SH, but I liked the Avebury Stone Circle better!
This is the best of the English countryside. The villages are so charming and picturesque. The cotswolds is really richly endowed by the beauty of nature.
I’ve never been to the Cotswalds, it’s so beautiful there!
It’s one of my all-time favorite places! I see something new and beautiful every time I visit 🙂
Honestly the most beautiful place in England. I love the Cotswolds. I dream of going there. Well done with this posts. Great place for some afternoon tea.
I couldn’t agree more! It’s definitely one of the places I’ll never tire of visiting! 🙂 Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment!
My Great Aunty and Uncle live on the edge of the Cotswolds and I try to visit them whenever I’m in the UK. It’s really quite picturesque isn’t it? I’ve admittedly long wanted to visit Upper and Lower Slaughter, purely for the names!
Oh that’s just lovely! One of my good friends lives on the outskirts now too and I can’t wait to visit her. I always enjoyed saying, I visited the Slaughters today lol! Best names 🙂
I prefer places that you can touch and interact with. Most tourist places are roped off or the ability to get close is limited. Seems like these tours let you get up close and personal!
They really do – except for Stonehenge, nothing was roped off 🙂