Holiday rentals and lettings in the Cotswolds

The Cotswolds are a located in the south-west of England and comprise the Cotswold Hills, a range of lush, green rolling hills and many of the country’s most sought-after and arresting towns and villages. It takes just two hours to arrive by train or car from London, or from the nearest airport in the city of Bristol it is a half-hour drive.

Storybook, timeless, pastoral, rustic, enduring are just some of the words that come to mind when you think of the English Cotswolds. Designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, it covers 800 square miles replete with glorious, honey-coloured towns and villages that look like they have been sent through time from a bygone era we hark back to in time-honoured fairy tales. You will find the traditional houses perfect for a family holiday, with spacious gardens and warm, cosy interiors.

The Cotswolds are a special place to bring your children. Get ready to visit farms and wildlife parks, steam railways and museums. For teenagers, there are activity centres, water sports and popular shopping outlets. And you don’t have to splash the cash to enjoy your family holiday in the Cotswolds, as many of the museums, which showcase everything from dinosaurs to historic aircraft, are free, as are the majority of the area’s country parks!

So where to go first, ‘England's Favourite Village’ Kingham, the highest village in the area, Stow-on-the-Wold, Chipping Camden with its elegant terraced High Street – or one of the many other fairy-tale villages beckoning you to explore?! And of course, you cannot forget Bibury, nestled on the banks of the River Coln, it is a gorgeous little village with the Cotswolds’ most famous and photographed street, Arlington Row. You will truly feel like you’ve been thrown back a few centuries!

Hidcote Manor garden is the quintessential English garden surrounding a golden Cotswolds-stone house. Each so-called ‘room’ of the garden has its own character, and in summer they are awash with colour!

The village of Lacock is like a small time warp of a traditional Cotswolds village, and it was used as a location for many Harry Potter scenes. The most notable location is the magnificent fan-vaulted cloisters seen in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

The biggest town in the Cotswolds boasts Roman ruins, one of the world's most majestic cathedrals and the UK's best preserved Victorian Docks. Hungry? Stop for lunch at New Inn’s picturesque courtyard – a magnificent, medieval galleried coaching inn.

The charming Secret Cottage is a thatched, 500-year-old building with open log fires and a traditional Aga, where you will enjoy a traditional English Cream Tea and learn all about the area from a friendly and hospitable guide.

Hayles Fruit Farm showcases orchards replete with apples, pears, plums, strawberries, raspberries and gooseberries. Come in season and pick your own fruit! Alternatively, enjoy a freshly sourced meal at their quaint cafe. And whatever you do, do not leave without first trying their delectable homemade apple juice and cider!