Timeless Charm of the Cotswolds

Nestled in the heart of England, the Cotswolds is a land that seems to have been plucked straight from the pages of a storybook. Golden stone cottages with thatched roofs line winding lanes, medieval churches stand sentinel over village greens, and ancient woodlands give way to rolling hills crisscrossed by dry stone walls. This designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty spans six counties, offering a glimpse into a quintessentially English way of life that has remained largely unchanged for centuries.

A Tapestry of Honey-Colored Villages

What makes the Cotswolds truly special is its collection of enchanting villages, each with its own distinct character yet united by the warm, honey-colored Cotswold limestone that gives the region its distinctive glow. At Ovoschnaya Kilika, our Cotswolds tours introduce you to both the famous postcard villages and the hidden hamlets known only to locals.

We'll stroll through Castle Combe, often called "the prettiest village in England," where the absence of visible power lines and television aerials creates the feeling of stepping back in time. In Bibury, we'll admire Arlington Row, a 14th-century collection of weavers' cottages so picturesque that they appear inside British passports. And in Bourton-on-the-Water, known as the "Venice of the Cotswolds" for its charming bridges spanning the River Windrush, we'll discover how this popular village retains its charm even with its many visitors.

But our journeys also take you to lesser-known gems like Asthall, childhood home of the Mitford sisters; Guiting Power, with its wonderfully named streets like Hollow Bottom; and Adlestrop, immortalized in Edward Thomas's famous poem. In these quieter corners, you can truly sense the timeless rhythm of Cotswold life.

A Living History

To walk through the Cotswolds is to walk through English history. The landscape bears witness to over 6,000 years of human habitation, from Neolithic long barrows to Roman villas, from Saxon churches to grand stately homes.

Our expert guides bring this history to life, sharing stories of wool merchants who built grand churches with their fortunes, of Royalist and Parliamentarian forces clashing during the Civil War, and of the Arts and Crafts movement that found inspiration in traditional Cotswold craftsmanship.

We'll visit magnificent manor houses like Snowshill Manor, filled with the extraordinary collections of its eccentric former owner, and Sudeley Castle, where Katherine Parr, the last wife of Henry VIII, is buried. In market towns like Chipping Campden and Tetbury, we'll explore historic market halls where wool traders once gathered and admire townhouses built with the proceeds of the medieval wool trade that made the Cotswolds one of England's wealthiest regions.

Gardens and Landscapes

Beyond the villages, the Cotswolds offers some of England's most beautiful gardens and landscapes. At Hidcote Manor Garden, one of the country's greatest arts and crafts gardens, we'll discover "outdoor rooms" created with hedges and walls, each with its own distinctive character.

For a wilder experience, we'll walk sections of the Cotswold Way, a 102-mile footpath that follows the Cotswold escarpment, offering breathtaking views across the Severn Vale to the distant Welsh mountains. In spring, we'll visit ancient beechwoods carpeted with bluebells, and in autumn, we'll witness the spectacle of woodlands transformed by golden and russet leaves.

Throughout our tours, we emphasize how the landscape and the villages have shaped each other. The Cotswold sheep – the "sheep with the golden fleece" that created the region's prosperity – grazed the wold (hill) landscapes, creating the open grasslands. The local limestone was quarried to build the characteristic buildings and walls. Even today, this relationship continues as farmers maintain the patchwork of fields and conservationists work to preserve rare limestone grassland habitats.

Crafts and Creativity

The Cotswolds has long been a haven for craftspeople and artists. In the late 19th century, William Morris and his contemporaries in the Arts and Crafts movement were drawn to the region's traditional craftsmanship and established workshops and guilds that revived medieval techniques.

This creative spirit continues today. Our tours include visits to contemporary artisans working in studios tucked away in converted barns and mill buildings. Depending on your interests, we can arrange visits to potters, weavers, glassblowers, furniture makers, and other craftspeople who continue the tradition of exceptional handmade items.

In Chipping Campden, we visit the Court Barn Museum to learn about the Guild of Handicraft that settled here in 1902, while in Cirencester, the New Brewery Arts center showcases contemporary makers. Throughout the region, small galleries display work inspired by the Cotswold landscape and heritage.

Culinary Traditions

The Cotswolds offers delicious food and drink rooted in its agricultural heritage. Our tours include opportunities to sample local specialties like Gloucester Old Spot pork, Double Gloucester cheese, and Tewkesbury mustard.

We'll visit traditional pubs where you can enjoy a pint of locally brewed beer beside an inglenook fireplace, and market towns where farmers' markets showcase the best regional produce. For a special experience, we can arrange visits to artisan food producers – from small-batch gin distilleries to organic dairy farms – where you can meet the people preserving and reinventing Cotswold food traditions.

The region is also now home to some of England's finest restaurants, from gastropubs serving elevated versions of traditional favorites to Michelin-starred establishments offering innovative cuisine created with local ingredients. Our guides can recommend dining experiences to suit your tastes, whether you're looking for hearty comfort food or fine dining.

Literary Landscapes

The beauty of the Cotswolds has inspired writers for centuries. Jane Austen set scenes from her novels in Bath and the surrounding Cotswold villages. J.M. Barrie, creator of Peter Pan, found inspiration during summers spent at Stanway House. More recently, J.K. Rowling grew up on the edge of the Cotswolds.

Our literary tours trace these connections, visiting locations associated with famous authors and poets. In the village of Slad, we'll stop at the Woolpack Inn, beloved by Laurie Lee and immortalized in his memoir "Cider with Rosie." In Dumbleton, we'll discover how the local hall became a gathering place for a circle of writers including John Betjeman and Evelyn Waugh.

For fans of television and film, we can visit locations used in popular productions like "Downton Abbey," "Harry Potter," and the adaptations of James Herriot's books. Our guides share behind-the-scenes stories of how these historic villages are transformed for the camera.

Seasonal Splendors

Each season reveals a different facet of the Cotswolds' charm:

• Spring: Witness the awakening of the landscape as daffodils carpet village greens, lambs appear in the fields, and gardens burst into life with magnificent displays of magnolias, cherry blossoms, and bluebells.
• Summer: Enjoy long, light-filled evenings perfect for outdoor dining, village cricket matches on centuries-old grounds, and walking the network of footpaths that connect the settlements.
• Autumn: Marvel at the rich colors as beech woods turn golden, hedgerows fill with blackberries and rosehips, and log fires are lit in ancient pub hearths for the first time since spring.
• Winter: Experience the magical atmosphere of frost-covered stone cottages, crisp walks with far-reaching views across the bare landscape, and traditional Christmas celebrations in historic market towns.

At Ovoschnaya Kilika, we design our Cotswold tours to showcase the best of each season, allowing you to experience this special region at its most beautiful.

Beyond the Tourist Trail

While we certainly include the most beautiful villages on our tours, we pride ourselves on going deeper, helping you experience the authentic Cotswolds beyond the tourist trail. This might mean attending a local event like a traditional wassailing ceremony in January, a summer fête in a village hall, or the famously eccentric Cotswold Olimpicks at Dover's Hill.

We introduce you to locals who share their stories – from farmers maintaining centuries-old agricultural traditions to newcomers bringing fresh energy to historic communities. And we find the viewpoints known only to those who call this region home, where you can gaze across the patchwork of fields and villages and truly appreciate the timeless beauty of this landscape.

Our guides are skilled at adapting the pace and focus of each tour to suit your interests. If you're passionate about architecture, we'll spend more time examining the distinctive features of Cotswold buildings – from the grandest manor houses to humble cottages. If gardens are your passion, we know where to find the best examples, from famous formal gardens to hidden village gems glimpsed through gateways or over stone walls.

Planning Your Cotswolds Experience

The Cotswolds' compact size makes it perfect for exploration by car or on foot. Our tours typically range from single-day experiences focusing on a specific area to multi-day journeys that allow you to immerse yourself in the region's varied landscapes and villages.

For a truly special experience, we can arrange accommodations in historic properties – perhaps a converted mill, a coaching inn that has welcomed travelers for centuries, or even a cottage in a picture-perfect village. Imagine waking up to the sound of church bells, stepping outside your door onto a village lane, and beginning your day with a stroll to a local bakery for freshly made pastries.