Written From… a cafe in Manchester, reflecting on my weekend in the Cotswolds
After a few months of being caught up in city noise and endless to-do lists in life, I decided to escape for a weekend in the Cotswolds — somewhere I’d always imagined as rolling hills, stone cottages, and slow mornings. I’ll admit, part of the pull came from The Holiday — the Cotswolds scenes had stuck with me for years, and I wanted to see if it really felt that peaceful in real life.
I pictured long walks through undisturbed countryside, breathing in clean air, listening to birds instead of traffic, and finding a small pub halfway along the trail for a well-earned drink. Just a short trip from London, the Cotswolds felt close enough to reach, but far enough to breathe differently.
And while I did find the postcard villages I’d seen in films, what surprised me most were the hidden corners — the quiet trails, tucked-away hamlets, and the stillness that sits over everything when you stop long enough to notice.
If you’re planning your own weekend in the Cotswolds and just want the quick version — skip down to my Quick Guide at the end.
When people talk about the Cotswolds, Bourton-on-the-Water always seems to come up first — and to be fair, it’s beautiful. The stone bridges, the water glistening through the middle of town, the cafés spilling out onto the pavements — it feels like the Cotswolds you see on postcards. But it’s also busy, especially on weekends.
We decided to stay there anyway, mostly because we travelled by train, and Bourton-on-the-Water is one of the easiest towns to reach. It gave us the Cotswolds feel we were after and a base to explore other parts of the region from.
Going midweek made all the difference. The streets were quieter, the pace slower. Each morning, we’d set out on foot to explore the smaller, tucked-away villages nearby — the kind of places that don’t get as much attention but hold just as much charm.
One of my favourite walks was from Bourton-on-the-Water through to the Slaughters — Lower and Upper. Both are tiny, the kind of villages that make you pause without even realising you’ve stopped. There’s a church, a few cottages, and that kind of stillness you only notice when you’re far enough from everything else. From our base, we also went to explore Stow-on-the-Wold, where the streets open up again and you’re reminded just how many small worlds exist within the Cotswolds.
The whole trip summed up what I love most about spending a weekend in the Cotswolds — the freedom to walk between quiet corners, to slow down, and to find the softer beauty hiding between the famous stops.
If there’s one thing that I really wanted to do in the Cotswolds, it’s walking. You could drive between villages, sure — but there’s something special about seeing it all on foot, moving slowly enough to notice the details, especially when your day to day life moves at a faster pace.
We spent one of our days doing a circular walk from Bourton-on-the-Water, a 12–13km route I found on AllTrails. It wound its way through open fields and along the small river that flows into Bourton, passing through the Slaughters and a scattering of quiet lanes. It’s one of those Cotswolds walking routes that gives you everything — views, stillness, and a few surprises along the way.
Halfway through, we stopped at The Slaughters Manor House for afternoon tea, the kind of accidental stop that makes a walk feel like a small adventure. Sitting outside with tea and scones, watching hikers pass by, felt exactly how I’d imagined the Cotswolds — unhurried and quietly content.
The route looped back towards Bourton-on-the-Water through farmland and dry stone walls, with barely anyone else around. The air felt fresh, and the only sounds were birds and the crunch of gravel underfoot — the kind of quiet that stays with you.
The next day, we took a smaller 3km walk out to a nearby farm on the edge of Bourton-on-the-Water. There, tucked away behind hedgerows, were self-service machines selling fresh milk and cheese from the farm itself. It felt like a small reminder of what makes the Cotswolds so special — not just the big postcard views, but the everyday countryside life that still runs quietly behind them.
If you want to create the Cotswolds magic for yourself, here’s a bit more information on the few places we found that weekend mentioned above — part comfort, part discovery — perfect for slow travel and disconnecting.
1. Bourton-on-the-Water
Since we based ourselves in Bourton-on-the-Water, finding somewhere relaxing to eat and drink became part of the rhythm. One favourite places was The Willow, right on High Street in Bourton-on-the-Water. With garden seating, pub classics made from seasonal ingredients, and a bar stocked with craft beers and cask ales, it felt like our reward after a morning’s walk.
For something lighter, The Croft on Riverside serves breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea — ideal when you want something low-stress and riverside.
Making the decision to stay in Bourton-on-the-Water mid-week meant we could drop into these places without the crowds — one of the quiet advantages of choosing a weekday escape.
2. The Slaughters (Lower & Upper Slaughter)
After walking from Bourton-on-the-Water through the countryside, we found ourselves in the Slaughters. In Lower Slaughter the Slaughters Country Inn offers a relaxed lunch, or you can go to The Slaughters Manor House for afternoon tea.
The calm of the setting — cottages, small church, stream — made the drink or meal feel less like a stop, and more like part of the day’s journey.
3. Stow-on-the-Wold
Stow-on-the-wold is not hidden, but far less tourist-dense than the main hotspots. In the heart of town, we found The Bell, a country pub with locally-sourced food and a warm, welcoming vibe.
We stopped here for a drink after looking around the village.
When you plan your weekend in the Cotswolds, I’d recommend pencilling in at least one longer meal stop (with a good local pub or inn), and one relaxed café break — it turns the day from “walk-and-look” into “walk-and-be.”
By the end of the weekend, what I loved most wasn’t just the walks or the honey-coloured villages — it was the calm that came with them. The Cotswolds has that rare ability to make time feel slower. Maybe it’s the quiet trails that wind between fields, or the steady rhythm of walking from one village to the next, but everything just seems to settle.
I left already planning my return. Next time, I’d love to come back for longer — maybe even for a few weeks — to write, work remotely, and find out if that sense of stillness holds when you stay awhile.
Travelling by train made the trip easy (Bourton-on-the-Water was a great base without needing a car), but there are so many villages I couldn’t quite reach in a weekend that I’d love to explore next time. Places like Bibury, with its famous Arlington Row, or Broadway, known for its golden stone and slower pace. Maybe even Winchcombe, where the Cotswold Way passes right through the middle of town.
Each one feels like another version of the same promise — quiet corners, good food, and paths that lead exactly where you didn’t realise you wanted to go.
For me, that’s what a weekend in the Cotswolds really is: a pause from the endless to-do lists in life, a reminder that slowing down doesn’t mean doing less — it just means noticing more.
Weekend in the Cotswolds: Quick Guide
Base: Bourton-on-the-Water (great midweek base if arriving by train)
How to get there by train: Leave from London Paddington taking the train to Moreton-in-Marsh (1.5hr ish). Take a bus from Moreton-in-Marsh – 801 towards Cheltenham – stopping directly in Bourton-on-the-Water (30min ish).
Walks: Circular route to The Slaughters (12–13 km, includes riverside path and a country hotel for tea) – found on AllTrails.
Shorter walk: 3 km to the local farm shop — buy fresh milk and cheese from the vending machines.
Other towns nearby: Stow-on-the-Wold, Kingham, Burford, Moreton-in-Marsh.
Eat: The Slaughters Manor House for afternoon tea; The Slaughers Country Inn; The Croft in Bourton-on-the-Water for riverside lunches; The Willow in Bourton-on-the-Water; The Bell in Stow-on-the-wold.
