The Cotswolds

The Cotswolds are the quintessential English countryside, a region of gently rolling green hills dotted with honey-coloured stone villages that seem to have stepped from a storybook. Grown wealthy on medieval wool, its market towns and hamlets of golden cottages, ancient churches and manor gardens, linked by hedgerowed lanes and footpaths, are the picture-perfect image of rural England, at their loveliest explored slowly by car or on foot.

What you actually see

• The honey-stone villages - Bibury, Bourton-on-the-Water and Castle Combe.
• The market towns - Chipping Campden, Stow-on-the-Wold and Broadway.
• The rolling countryside - the green hills, lanes and footpaths.
• The manor gardens - the great gardens like Hidcote and Sudeley Castle.

When to go

Spring to autumn for green countryside, gardens and walking; spring and early summer bring blossom and long light. It is a region to explore slowly, ideally by car, over a few days rather than a single rushed visit.

Honest expectations

It is a spread-out rural region rather than a single sight, so a car and a few days do it justice; public transport is patchy. The prettiest villages like Bibury and Bourton get very crowded and can feel twee in peak season, so go early or seek out quieter hamlets.

Nearby

Oxford, Bath and Stratford-upon-Avon are all within easy reach; Blenheim Palace is nearby.