Cotswolds Day Trip Itinerary

After last weekend’s otherworldly experience of winning a modeling competition, I needed a trip that would bring me down to earth. And what better place to come down to than the beautiful English countryside? Yesterday a friend and I set out to enjoy the charming towns of the Cotswolds, and today I want to share our Cotswolds day trip itinerary with you.

We were excited to visit the Cotswolds in a day, and we knew we wanted to see some of the best villages. We decided to rent a car and drive so we could go at our own pace and visit the villages that were highest on our list.

If we hadn’t, we would have taken a Cotswolds day tour and let someone else do the driving.

1. Burford

After picking up our rental car at Heathrow, we set off for Burford, a town just west of Oxford. It was the first place on our Cotswolds day trip itinerary, and given it’s often referred to as the Gateway to the Cotswolds, it was a great spot to start the trip.

We ate a hearty lunch of local meats, produce, and home-baked bread at a local cafe, then walked around admiring the beautiful old stone houses.

The high street in Burford was particularly pretty, with lots of shops and restaurants. The side streets had quintessential Cotswold stone cottages, and there was a beautiful historic church down one of them.

2. Bourton-on-the-Water, Cotswolds

Our next stop was the busy village of Bourton-on-the-Water. This picturesque place was full of little bridges spanning the River Windrush.

Bourton-on-the-Water is known for its museums, of which there are many. The Cotswold Motoring Museum, Birdland, and the Model Village all attract visitors with special interests.

Though I’m sure it’s an excellent spot when devoid of tourists like us, the quaint high street and mellow river were a bit busy for our liking.

We contented ourselves with wandering down the deserted side streets before continuing our Cotswolds day trip itinerary with a mile-ish ramble up to Lower Slaughter.

3. Lower Slaughter

Don’t let the name put you off; Lower Slaughter was one of the most beautiful villages we saw in the Costwolds. The name derives from the Old English word “slough”, which means “wet land” or “muddy place”.

Charming and brimming with summer flowers, Lower Slaughter was a dream. The River Eye and stone houses were straight out of a fairy tale.

We walked past the old mill, which is now a museum, and saw its water wheel. We crossed little footbridges and admired the manor house hotel, and it all felt charming.

Afterwards we headed back onto the trail for the mile walk to Lower Slaughter’s northern neighbor, Upper Slaughter.

4. Upper Slaughter

Upper Slaughter was an even prettier, even more fairy-tale-like town than its lower sister. We walked along the River Eye, past stone walls and bucolic scenery, and up to St Peter’s Church on the hill.

We walked around the streets and admired the classic Cotswold stone cottages, then caught a glimpse of the historic Upper Slaughter manor.

So strong was the fairy-tale spell that we found a home for sale that we were ready to shell out millions of pounds for on the spot (those millions of pounds were hopefully to be found growing on the fairy-tale tree in the back yard).

5. Bibury, Cotswolds

Our Cotswolds day trip itinerary continued as we rambled back to Bourton-on-the-Water and drove down a quiet one-lane road to Bibury.

Luckily, we arrived late enough in the day that we were practically the only people there. Bibury can get really crowded at peak times, so we were glad we missed the throngs of visitors earlier in the day.

The village itself was stunning, and we availed ourselves of the myriad photo-ops that presented themselves. Arlington Row is one of the most famous streets in the Cotswolds, and we loved seeing its 17th-century weavers’ houses up close.

We also availed ourselves of a great beer garden at the local Bibury pub, The Catherine Wheel. As we did, we were thankful that the gorgeous weather was still going strong at seven o’clock at night.