THE COTSWOLDS BLOG
We're blogging our way through the Cotswolds.-
#Cotswolds2020 / Afternoon Tea / Blog / Cheltenham / Child Friendly / Cotswolds Foodie / Cotswolds Luxury / EAT / FEAST / Food / Gardens / HotelsDelicious Afternoon Tea at Cowley Manor
It’s no secret, we love a good afternoon tea. And we especially love it when every single component is lovingly prepared, put together and carefully selected to create a delicious experience. And if this delightful experience is then presented in a pretty package and served......
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Battle of Eden 2015
Book tickets for this year's Battle of Eden: Call Mallory Court Hotel on 01926 330214 For the last 5 years, Eden Hotel Collection have put on a fabulous event, a dinner starring the Head Chefs from their hotels: BATTLE OF EDEN. On Saturday the 17th of......
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Bonds Lifestyle: Shop, Cafe and Antiques Emporium
On our way from Winchcombe and Broadway to Stratford-upon-Avon today, we drove past a sign to a shop and cafe we had not visited before, one of these places where you've seen the sign a couple of times and decided to definitely pop in sometime........
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Fun in Birdland on our #SummerOf17
One of our favourite Cotswold attractions, one that we keep coming back to and one where we always have a great time as a family, is Birdland in Bourton-on-the-Water. We went to Birdland today on our #SummerOf17 Staycation in the Cotswolds and, as expected, we......
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A Wonderful Afternoon Tea at The Lygon Arms
With only days left of our #SummerOf16, we decided to end our amazing staycation in the Cotswolds in style with Afternoon Tea at The Lygon Arms in lovely Broadway. The Lygon Arms is practically an institution in this popular Cotswold town, an iconic landmark steeped......
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A wonderful treat at Arden House
This year for Mother's Day, I was treated to some quality time by my two wonderful kids, Matthew & Noelle. Arden House in Stratford-upon-Avon was the luxurious and homely setting for our celebration, little sister to the Eden Hotel Collection6;s The Arden Hotel and the newest,......
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#Cotswolds2020 / Afternoon Tea / Blog / Cotswolds Foodie / Cotswolds Luxury / EAT / FEAST / Food / ROMANTIC COTSWOLDS / STAY / StroudWonderful Burleigh Court in the Cotswolds
Our wonderful, relaxing and luxurious overnight stay at Burleigh Court in the South Cotswolds. We had never been to Burleigh Court. We had only seen pictures so we had a fair idea that what we were in for was a lovely, relaxing overnight stay in......
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Delicious lunch at The Greenway Hotel
On our way home from our #SummerOf17 6;Mother-Daughter Trip' in Tetbury and Painswick, Noelle and I called in at The Greenway Hotel in Cheltenham for lunch. The Greenway is one of my favourite hotels in the Cotswolds and I wanted to share a lovely lunch......
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A Lovely Light Lunch at Huffkins
Today we visited one of the lovely Huffkins for a light lunch. We've been before for cakes, coffees and afternoon teas, but today it was for a quick girly lunch and one we enjoyed immensely. Huffkins' menu is varied and has everything from an all-day breakfast......
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There’s an amazing Italian in the Cotswolds
We visited Lygon Wine Bar on their very first Wine Bar Wednesday30; fantastic evening! It's already one of our all-time favourite eateries in the Cotswolds, so this offer was right up our street. BOOK YOUR TABLE HERE. WINE BAR WEDNESDAY with BOTTOMLESS HOUSE WINE. Visit......
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Picnic at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage
Yesterday we went to the wonderful Anne Hathaway's Cottage in Stratford-upon-Avon. Anne Hathaway was married to William Shakespeare and the 500-year-old cottage is where Anne Hathaway grew up and lived when she was courted by the poet. The lovely people at Shakespeare's Birthplace Trus...
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Battle of Eden 2016
In 2016 The Battle of Eden was on it's 6th year, and on the 8th of October, 8 chefs from the 8 hotels in the Eden Hotel Collection battled through 8 courses of culinary thrills. They battled to please the 150 diners on the night,......
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The Butcher’s Social – Bar & Restaurant
The sign outside of this wonderful eatery says “The Butcher’s Social 1; Bar & Restaurant”. Now, we really like the idea of a good 6;bar slash restaurant', but there aren’t many that get that particular combo right, so while we’re hopeful as we enter The......
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Sunday Brunch at Tewkesbury Park
Sunday Brunch30; now, how that hasn’t been a regular occurrence for my family and me, I simply don’t know, because we just rediscovered the joys of Sunday Brunch at Tewkesbury Park and it was among the most wonderful experiences we’ve had as a family for......
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Mini Golf in the Cotswolds
We're on an awesome Staycation in the Cotswolds and Stratford-upon-Avon and we're having a SUPER time! Today we went Miniature Golfing and we all loved it.. it's an inexpensive activity (we paid £16 for 5 people doing 18 holes) and truly something everyone in the......
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New menu at The Lygon, same wonderful setting.
Today we enjoyed the most wonderful of lunches at Lygon Bar & Grill at The Lygon Arms in Broadway. This was not our first time here (and you not it was not our last), as we've had the pleasure of enjoying several breakfasts, lunches and......
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#ThisIsTheCotswolds / Antique Room / Blog / CotswoldsStaycation / EAT / FEAST / SERVICES / SHOP / Shopping / Stratford-upon-AvonBONDS LIFESTYLE: Fabulous Shopping Destination
On a wet and windy day we arrive at Bonds Lifestyle near Stratford-upon-Avon just north of the Cotswolds. We were here for shopping and for lunch, this was our first time lunching at Bonds since they had done up their cafe. We'd been for coffees......
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Mallory Court Spa & Yoga Competition
We are excited to announce that Mallory Court, one of the finest and award winning, Country House Hotel & Spa’s have teamed up with luxury British activewear brand, ME V ME, to offer one lucky winner the chance to win a wonderful prize worth £800. Elegance......
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#SummerOf16 / Afternoon Tea / Blog / Cheltenham / Child Friendly / Cotswolds Foodie / Cotswolds Luxury / FOR KIDS / KidsThe BFG Afternoon Tea at Ellenborough Park
What a super day we had today30; first off to the cinema in Cheltenham to watch the brand new 6;The BFG', the Roald Dahl story about Sophie, a girl whose life is turned upside down when she happens to see a giant from the window in......
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Summer lunch and a movie at Everyman in Stratford-upon-Avon
An Everyman Cinema is more than just a cinema. It's a movie experience. It's a place to socialize. It's a place to go for the total entertainment experience. And we're lucky in the Cotswolds, that the Everyman experience just came within reach, when their new......
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The Best Afternoon Teas in the Cotswolds
We've had our fair share of wonderful afternoon teas in the Cotswolds. No, wait, that's not true, as there is no 6;fair share' that one can have; when it comes to afternoon teas, there's always room for another. Now, we're not here to judge or......
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Car Boot Sales in the Cotswolds
As part of our #SummerOf16, we decided we were going to visit a couple of Car Boot Sales. It's great fun and you might just leave with a real bargain. The Cotswolds has some amazing regular car boot sales, so whether you're looking for antiques,......
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We were Trapped, but escaped (not really) ~ Our Summer of 2021 Staycation
Today we escaped (not without help, if we're completely truthful) from an Escape Room at Trapped in Gloucester. It was our first ever Escape Room experience and it was so much fun. discount code is BACKOPEN2021 BOOK YOUR ESCAPE ROOM WITH DISCOUNT CODE ‘BACKOPEN2021’......
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Great British Celebration at Ellenborough Park
Royal Afternoon Tea by executive head chef David Kelman As the country has marked the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations, a special treat is served in Her honour at Ellenborough Park. Executive head chef David Kelman has expertly-crafted a delicious afternoon tea inspired by icons of the Quee...
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SALT, relaxed fine dining in Stratford-upon-Avon
20;The most anticipated restaurant opening of 2017 in Stratford-upon-Avon21;. When top class chef Paul Foster launched a crowd-funding campaign in early 2016, a campaign to fund his dream of opening SALT, a relaxed fine dining restaurant, we were excited to see that so many supported him......
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Farm Park Fun in the Cotswolds
It's our #SummerOf17 Staycation in the Cotswolds and without a trip to one of our favourite Cotswold attractions, Cotswold Farm Park, our summer simply wouldn't be complete. The brand new Maize Maze As always, we had a fantastic time as a family in the......
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Spa Day at The C-Side: Pure Luxury at Cowley Manor
I love nothing more than when one of our visits to somewhere in the Cotswolds becomes something more than we expected30; for instance when what promises to be a perfectly lovely spa day delivers beyond all expectations and becomes a fabulous and wonderfully luxurious spa......
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Blog / Broadway / Cotswolds Foodie / Cotswolds Luxury / FEAST / ROMANTIC COTSWOLDS / spa blog / SPASValentine’s Romance at The Lygon Arms
So lucky were we to have Valentine’s Day come early, as we were invited to try out the super romantic ‘Valentine’s Spa Day’ at The Lygon Arms. We arrived at midday and were greeted warmly at the wonderful spa at The Lygon Arms in Broadway.......
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Afternoon Tea at Hotel du Vin in Stratford-upon-Avon
On a lovely Saturday afternoon in January we enjoyed a very special treat at Hotel du Vin in Stratford-upon-Avon: A delicious, stunning and very special afternoon tea experience. As we arrived at Hotel du Vin in Stratford-upon-Avon, we were greeted by the wonderful staff there......
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#Cotswolds2021 / Blog / Cheltenham / Cotswolds Foodie / Cotswolds Luxury / CotswoldsStaycation / EAT / FEAST / Food / Outdoors / ROMANTIC COTSWOLDSAl Fresco Dining at Ellenborough Park ~ Summer of 2021 Staycation
It’s so interesting to see what all the restaurants, hotels and pubs in the Cotswolds are doing to create outdoor spaces for dining and drinking this Spring. So many of them have created some wonderful seating areas and we’re enjoying trying them out. So, when......
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The Garden Room’s taster menu… a culinary event to remember
It’s Friday night and I’m at Dormy House with my lovely friend, Sarah, a fellow foodie and the perfect companion for what will surely be a culinary event to remember. We’re about to enjoy the 7-course taster menu in The Garden Room, where Head Chef......
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Afternoon Tea with a Bunny on Top
Just back from enjoying a wonderful, delicious and rather girly afternoon tea at The Lygon Arms. Well, the actual afternoon tea wasn’t girly, the company was, as my daughter and I each went with one of our besties, who just so happen to be mother......
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#Cotswolds2020 / Blog / Cotswolds Foodie / Cotswolds Luxury / CotswoldsStaycation / EAT / Evesham / FEAST / Food / Hotels / ROMANTIC COTSWOLDS / STAY / staysCountryside Relaxation at The Wood Norton
20;It was Robin's birthday and of course this comes with about a whole week of celebrations, but on the day, I wanted for us to enjoy some lovely countryside relaxation which, at The Wood Norton, comes with amazing food, feet up by the fire and......
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A New Place for Kids
I love nothing better than a great day out with the kids in the Cotswolds, not least when we have a super fun experience and we didn't quite expect it. Yesterday was one of those times. We were meeting a group of friends at Shakespeare's......
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Afternoon Tea and Rococo in Painswick
As part of our #SummerOf16 #Staycation in the Cotswolds we took a day trip to one of the most picturesque Cotswold towns, Painswick. I've always said this: There's no other place in the Cotswolds that is quite as 6;Cotswolds' as Painswick. Walking through this pretty......
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#Cotswolds2020 / Blog / Cotswolds Foodie / Cotswolds Luxury / EAT / FEAST / Food / Hotels / ROMANTIC COTSWOLDS / SPAS / STAYPure relaxation and luxury at Tewkesbury Park
Over the years we have had and shared many, many wonderful experiences of hotel stays in the Cotswolds, but as I sit down on this chilled out Sunday in January to write my account of the experience we just had at stunning Tewkesbury Park, I......
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Summer in Cotswold Wildlife Park
Any day and any season is exciting at the Cotswold Wildlife Park. We love it there and it was always going to be part of our #SummerOf16 just like it's part of most of holidays. But this year it's even more exciting, because the the Wildlife......
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Battle of Eden
On Saturday the 17th of October 2015 Eden Hotel Collection’s Head Chefs go head to head at Mallory Court, Eden’s wonderful hotel in Leamington Spa, for the group’s annual flagship, the Battle of Eden. This year the Battle of Eden is doing 70s Style… remember......
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Summer Fun with Birds in Birdland
Last week we went to Birdland in Bourton-on-the-Water on our #SummerStaycation in the Cotswolds. It was fabulous30; as it always is. On a beautiful and super sunny day, it was the perfect thing to do on half term in the Cotswolds. We had a wonderful......
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Super Fun ‘May Cotswolds Huddle’ at Coley Shooting
Just back from a fabulously good time at today's 6;May Cotswolds Huddle' at Ian Coley Shooting. The team at Ian Coley Shooting put on a fantastic event for us with great food and drink, super skilled shooting instructors and a great competition. We all brought......
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Halloween Afternoon Tea at The Lygon Arms
20;Today was your typical cold and wet October Sunday so the kids and I did the only thing that made sense, really30; we went for Halloween Afternoon Tea at The Lygon Arms in Broadway21;. ~ Mette, Cotswolds Concierge. As always when we visit The Lygon......
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A Wonderful Summer Trip to Winchcombe
We visited Winchcombe on our #SummerOf16 #Staycation. Oh Wow. We walked the streets, photographed the wonderfulness of it all and just took it all in. Quintessentially Cotswolds Winchcombe is 6;Quintessentially Cotswolds' with part Cotswold stone buildings and part black and white half-ti...
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A great gourmet experience at Wild Thyme
Just back from a most wonderful dinner at Wild Thyme in Chipping Norton, we're excited to share our experience and recommend this fantastic gem of a gourmet restaurant in the Cotswolds. A whole new level of cooking Wild Thyme serves delicious and interesting seasonal dishes......
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‘Rich’ Afternoon Tea at Brockencote Hall
Today on our #SummerOf17 Staycation in the Cotswolds, we ventured a little north of the Cotswolds to beautiful Brockencote Hall near Kidderminster. We came to Brockencote Hall for afternoon tea. The sun was shining, there was not a cloud in the sky and it was......
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57 Wonderful Museums, Attractions and Places of Interest in the Cotswolds
The Cotswolds is one of the UK’s official ‘Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ and visitors and tourists come from all over the World to visit the picturesque villages, the stunning countryside and to see the beautiful views that we surround ourselves with all over this......
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Christmas in Chippy
New for 2016, Chipping Norton is hosting a truly magical Christmas event on Friday the 2nd of December. Join businesses, locals and visitors for some guaranteed festive fun that everyone will love, there will be so much to see and do. Friday the 2nd of......
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Fun at the Soul Circus
If anyone said to me just one year ago I'd be spending a precious Friday off work tying myself up in knots at a yoga festival I'm pretty certain I'd have questioned their sanity! And yet 1; here I was 1; loving everything about the first ever......
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#ThisIsTheCotswolds
On the 1st of May 2017 our new #ThisIsTheCotswolds campaigns has begun. We share images on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag, and we invite anyone else who have great images of the Cotswolds to do the same, and we will share them on this page......
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The Best Playgrounds in the Cotswolds
Whether you're on holiday or on staycation in the Cotswolds, when you're here with children, you're going to need to take them out where they can have fun and be active30; no place better than one of our super playgrounds, and the fact that they're......
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101 Super Things to do in the Cotswolds
The Cotswolds is one of the UK’s official ‘Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ and visitors and tourists come from all over the World to visit the picturesque villages, the stunning countryside and to see the beautiful views that we surround ourselves with all over this......
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Fun inside and out at Hatton Country World
Our #SummerOf17 Staycation in the Cotswolds took us a little north of Stratford-upon-Avon today, to lovely Hatton Country World for a day of fun, inside and out. Hatton Country World is made up of Hatton Shopping Village, a range of really great little crafts and......
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Butterflies and Bugs in Stratford-upon-Avon
We just had the most amazing time at the Butterfly Farm in Stratford-upon-Avon. We didn't know quite what to expect, other than butterflies, of course, because it had been quite a few years since we visited last and we knew that a lot of work......
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Road Trip in the Cotswolds ~ The second of our Summer of 2021 Staycation
On one of the only sunny days in May we did another super 6-hour road trip in the Cotswolds. We were excited to see a bit of sunshine and go exploring in our favourite part of the whole world, our Cotswold backyard. We went to......
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Festive Afternoon Tea at Eynsham Hall
Today (the 12th of November) we had the great pleasure of being invited to beautiful Eynsham Hall in Witney, to test their Festive Afternoon Tea before everyone else. We knew we'd be in for a treat for sure, but just how big a treat we......
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Educational fun at Cogges Manor Farm
Cogges Manor Farm in Witney is 15 acres of rural fun. A working farm owned by knights, kings farmers and merchants at various times since the 13th century, was opened up to the public to offer a real view of farm life. With a beautiful walled garded......
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#Cotswolds2020 / #SummerOf16 / Afternoon Tea / Blog / Broadway / Chipping Norton / CotswoldsStaycation / EAT / FEASTA Beautiful Afternoon Tea at The Tea Set
20;It's no secret, I LUURVE Afternoon Teas. The delicious sweet and the scrummy savoury delights, the lovely hot tea and the 6;ceremony' of having your food served on a little tower of pretty plates30; what's not to love? Now, imagine my squeals of excitement a......
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Shakespeare’s Garden of Curious A-muse-ments
This evening we were invited for the sneak peek of a 3-day event at Shakespeare's New Place, the wonderful garden on the corner of Chapel Lane and Chapel Street in Stratford-upon-Avon, the site where Shakespeare’s very own home once stood in the centre of town.......
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Awesome Autumn at the Seven Mile Supper Club
20;Now the weather is turning and we invite you to cosy up with us and some delicious autumn fare, welcome the changing leaves and celebrate all that is wonderful with the British harvest. I think this is our best menu yet.21; ~ Seven Mile Supper Club.......
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The gardens at Mallory Court
We did a kind of soft-start to our #SummerOf17 Staycation in the Cotswolds this morning. We went for a morning coffee and a nice walk in the beautiful gardens at the lovely Mallory Court Hotel. We've been to Mallory Court before and are always delighted......
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The Best Giffords Circus… Ever!
A few weeks back we went to see this year's Giffords Circus Show, The Painted Wagon. We LOVED it! For the 5th year in a row, the show was directed by super talented stage director Cal McCrystal and as it does every year, included a......
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Ten Picture-Perfect Villages to visit in the Cotswolds
…and a collection of stones, three gardens, two playgrounds and one tower. The Cotswolds is one of the UK’s official ‘Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ and visitors and tourists come from all over the World to visit the picturesque villages, the stunning countryside and......
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The Best Meal Ever and ‘HYGGE’ at The King’s
It's no secret, we're huge fans of King's Hotel in Chipping Campden. We've lived just 10 minutes from there for many years and have spent many a breakfast, lunchtime and afternoon there, having always had remarkably good service from friendly and attentive staff and lovely......
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Road Trip in the Cotswolds ~ The first on our Summer of 2021 Staycation
On the last weekend of April we went on a fabulous 6-hour road trip in the Cotswolds. The sun was shining and it felt like summer, we had such a great time exploring the Cotswolds. Northleach ~ Bluebells in Yanworth ~ Bibury ~ The Cotswold......
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Summer Festival at Compton Verney
One of the first events we attended as part of our #SummerOf16 in the Cotswolds, was the wonderful Summer Festival at Compton Verney. What a wonderful 3-day family event that was. The annual Summer Festival at Compton Verney is a treat of live music, delicious street food......
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#Cotswolds2020 / #SummerOf17 / Blog / Child Friendly / Cotswolds Attractions / CULTURE / Gallery / Gardens / Museum / WoodstockBlenheim Palace, a real ‘must visit’ for us
We have some wonderful attractions in the Cotswolds, but none bigger, more awe-inspiring or historically important than Blenheim Palace, so this was, of course, on the 6;must visit' list on our #SummerOf17 Staycation in the Cotswolds. Size matters (in cake and palaces) The grounds,...
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Summertime Fun at Birdland
Yesterday we went to Birdland in Bourton-on-the-Water as part of our #SummerOf16 Staycation in the Cotswolds. It was a beautiful day, sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky and the temperature was just right for a day of enjoying the outdoors in the......
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The Perfect Romantic Getaway in the Cotswolds
Seven Reasons you should Book a Romantic Getaway at Cotswold House Hotel & Spa You’re looking to get away on a romantic break with your significant other and we’re sure you will agree that the Cotswolds is about as romantic as it comes. With so......
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Fantastic Afternoon Tea at Cotswold House
One of my favourite restaurants in the Cotswolds is beautiful Fig at Cotswold House Hotel in Chipping Campden. For décor, for level of service, for quality of the culinary offering, Fig gets top marks, always. So imagine our delight when we sat down to take......
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Giffords Circus… just gets better and better.
Just back from this afternoon's performance of Gifford Circus' 2017 show, 20;Any Port in a Storm21; and it was wonderful. It was as wonderful as it is every year when we know we're going, we're excited about going and we're looking forward to an experience......
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The opening of The Tea Set in Broadway
We're just back from the wonderful opening of the loveliest new tea room in the Cotswolds, The Tea Set in Broadway. This new tea room is the second for Steve and Vicky Wills who, only a year ago, opened their first tea room, The Tea......
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#Cotswolds2020 / Blog / Cheltenham / Cotswolds Foodie / Cotswolds Luxury / EAT / FEAST / Food / ROMANTIC COTSWOLDSThe Ivy Montpellier Brasserie, a ‘must visit’ in Cheltenham
We love all the wonderful eateries in Cheltenham and dining out in this vibrant Cotswold town is just plain fabulous. The Ivy Brasserie in Montpellier had been on our ‘must visit’-list for ages and this Saturday we finally made it there… and what an experience!......
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