Cotswold Little Explorers

Read below to discover our guide for families visiting the Cotswolds!

Our run down of the must see villages in the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Get ready to discover the cutest villages in the Cotswolds. Visiting the Cotswolds is stepping in to a world of charm, with its rolling hills, adorable honey stone cottages and enough quaint vibes to make your heart skip a beat.

There is nothing we love more than taking the kids to explore the English countryside on a sunny day. Strolling through whimsical streets, charming gardens, cool play parks and quint tearooms makes for a lovely family day out.

So read below to see the absolute must visit villages for your Cotswold escapade. We’ve highlighted activities and attractions that are child friendly in each village.

If you don’t have the time to see them all, it doesn’t matter which one you choose as each of these villages is a delight and a great day out with the family. These gems are guaranteed to sprinkle some extra magic on your trip!

Broadway.

Broadway is a Cotswold beauty that attracts plenty of visitors due to its vibrancy. With its picturesque streets, shops and hotels, Broadway promises tradition, charm and beauty.

There are plenty of beautiful independent shops to browse, a fantastic deli, country pubs, thatched roof cottages, cute cafes and tearooms to explore. There is also a fantastic park for your children to have some fun and let of some steam.

Children will love: The brilliant playground; Spotting horses in the pastures; Broadway Tower; Rikki Tikki toy shop; Children’s corner at the Broadway Museum.

Click here for our full guide to Broadway with kids for some more ideas.

Bourton-on-the-Water

One of the best known villages of the Cotswolds, the ever popular Bourton-on-the-Water does not disappoint.

The village green on the High Street is the centre of the village, with the shallow waters of the River Windrush flowing beside it through the heart of the village. It is ridiculously picturesque, and in the warmer months, it makes a lovely place to picnic and relax, and paddle in the cool water.

You will also find cute shops, many cafes, pubs, and restaurants to choose from and a number of unique attractions (Birdland, the Motor Museum and more). Perfect for keeping the little ones entertained.

Children will love: Paddling in the gentle, shallow river; picnicking on the village green; feeding the ducks; a trip to the Motor Museum.

See our full guide of things to do in Bourton on the Water with kids.

Snowshill

Only 2 miles from Broadway lies the tiny hamlet of Snowshill.

Nestled perfectly on the hillside, Snowshill is gorgeous. For such a small place, there is more to do packed in than you would expect!

It has stunning stone cottages and a pretty and historic church at its centre, the local pub The Snowshill Arms offering delicious hot food, and the National Trust owned Snowshill Manor and Gardens.

Why not try our Snowshill to Laverton walk to take in the village with views of the beautiful surrounding countryside.

Children will love: The play area at the Snowshill Arms; The wooden theatre and woodland creature carvings at Snowshill Manor; The suits of armour in the Manor House.

See our full guide of things to do when visiting Snowshill with kids.

Bibury

Bibury is a must visit when exploring the Cotswolds area. The tiny village is the perfect English country scene.

The much photographed Arlington Row is a street of pretty cottages beside the River in the tiny village, with the image of Arlington Row featuring in many things from Hollywood films (Stardust 2007) and even the UK passport!

To extend your visit, how about our Bibury Court Estate Circular Walk. Perfect for the whole family and tried and tested with our two boys aged 6 and 4.

Children will love: A visit to the Trout Farm, which has a lovely cafe, gardens and wildlife to spot (and a good playground); Spotting ducks swimming in the River beside the Swan Hotel.

Castle Combe

Visiting this sweet little village is like walking through a postcard. It’s so quaint and many say it’s the prettiest village in England!

It’s a very small place, and although it does have a small play area (better suited for toddlers rather than bigger kids), apart from that, the main thing to do in this village is to stroll through the historic buildings, visit the church, cross the bridge over the river and find a spot for a picnic lunch. There are often local people selling homemade cakes, flowers and dried lavender from there homes which is a lovely thing to do with the children as well.

See our Castle Combe guide for more

Stow on the Wold

Stow on the Wold is a bustling market town in the north Cotswolds. The heart of the town is the market square, which has many restaurants, cafes, pubs and shops to browse. It has a very pretty streetscape and is a lovely place to wonder for a couple of hours. If the children need to let off some steam, there is the local King Georges Field, with a playground and large grassy open spaces.

Visit the ‘insta-famous’ St Edwards Church with a photogenic wooden door that is said to have inspired Tolkien for ‘ Door of Durin’ from Lord of the Rings.

Children will love: The ‘magical door’ of St Edwards; Stopping for an ice cream at Alfonso’s Gelateria; Visiting the near by Cotswold Farm Park

Burford

Burford is a pretty town with a busy super steep high street, with sweeping views of the River Windrush and the surrounding countryside. 

***

Have a walk down Burford Hill through the town browsing the independent shops and cafes, then down towards the medieval bridge over the River.

Children will love: A visit to the nearby Burford Garden Centre that has a good outdoor play area and lovely café; Cotswold Wildlife Park which is a full day out and only 2 miles from Burford.

Chipping Camden

Chipping Camden is a charming market town in the Cotswolds with a vibrant feel. There are lovely shops, restaurants pubs and cafes, a fab playground for the kids and the historic market hall in the centre to explore.

Chipping Camden is also the official start of the Cotswold Way (View the Marker stone outside the market hall). If you fancy a shorter, but stunning walk with magnificent scenery, how about our Chipping Camden to Dover’s Hill Walk (Click here for the guide).

Children will love: The Adventure playground; The historic Market Hall.

Painswick

Painswick is a small village with a very pretty high street of historic stone cottages with an interesting and unique church in the centre which is worth the visit for the unusual church yard which has 99 ancient yew trees that are sculpted in to tunnels and domes, making for a great walk around and some cool and quirky pictures.

When we took the kids, they loved the churchyard and the fascinating trees, we took a walk through the cute little village which is set upon a hill, down to the stream for a short stroll along the public footpath there where sticks, stones and water kept them entertained!

We had a great, short, and sweet walk to Painswick Beacon, which has magnificent views for not that much effort! Click here for full details.

The wonderland Painswick Rococo Gardens is also a stones throw away, 2 miles by car, and a great play to take children for an explore.

Children will love; seeing for miles at Painswick Beacon; the yew trees of St Mary’s; the fairytale castle at Painswick Rococo Gardens.

The Slaughters

Don’t let the name put you off! We thought something barbaric might have happened here to give these pretty villages of Upper and Lower Slaughter their name, but apparently, it actually means comes from the word ” Slohtre,” which means muddy place in old English. Phew!

Apart from the lovely views, there is not muct in the way of amenities for tourists, or children, although we always find that when we are walking and exploring, Mother Nature takes care of entertaining the kids!

The Slaughters are really close to Bourton on the Water (only 1 mile), and we have a fab walk between the two along the River Eye; Click here for the full guide.

It’s also easy to combine a visit to the two and visit the pictureque Slaughters and then do some family-friendly activities in Bourton-on-the-Water.

The Slaughters are tiny, but very pretty. Upper slaughter is less vsited and mai ly consists of stine cottages alo g the riverside. In Lower Slaughter, there is a restored 19th century flour mill over looking its position in the River Eye. You will find the pretty St Mary’s Church, and of course, perfectly pretty cottages making for a delightful walk and great photographs.

---