The Cotswolds, also known as the English countryside. Home of rolling wildflower fields, narrow streets and stone villages. It’s a sight to see, and an area to experience. It’s a region I’ve always wanted to visit, but hadn’t found the right time until last month {May 2019}! It was definitely still a bit chilly, but with everything in bloom, still a beautiful time of year to visit.
When Sterling and I were planning our 4-night stay in The Cotswolds, I honestly felt there was a lack of helpful information online. Therefore, I wanted to put together just 5 quick tips/things to know before you go! Granted, I’ll also be putting together a full comprehensive guide later this week. 5 Things to Know Before You Go is a series I try to do for every new place/city/region I visit. It’s my attempt to try and give some quick notes that I feel would have been helpful to know while planning!
THE COTSWOLDS, ENGLAND
- Northern Cotswolds is where you want to be. On a map, The Cotswolds looks like a large green area that spans around 2 ½ hours from top to bottom. While this is true, the area you’re most likely picturing in your head is the Northern region. Stow-On-The-Wold, Bibury, and even Painswick won’t disappoint.
- There is no night life. Not sure if that comes as a surprise, but we were expecting Pubs and such to stay open at least until midnight. No such thing around these parts. Maybe in some of the larger, grittier towns, but in the quaint remote villages expect all the restaurants and pubs to close shop around 9PM {10PM latest}.
- Make reservations. I always find this fascinating when visiting new places. Some communities {like Charleston even} are very reservation heavy, whereas other’s {like
- Prices are actually pretty affordable. Granted I know this is relative, but to us, we were surprise with the high quality of food at decent prices. In comparison to The States. A glass of wine was almost always under 10 {more in the 4-7 range}.
- There are no Ubers and few taxis. Not the end of the world if you have a car. However, if you’re headed to dinner in a different village and want to have a few cocktails, you should look into {or have your hotel} booking a taxi 1-2 days in advance.
Comments