‘I visited 6 Cotswolds towns on road trip but 2 left me disappointed’

A woman has opened up about her experience touring the Cotswolds by car, revealing the two destinations that failed to win her over.

Lucy, a New Yorker based in London who documents her travels on social media as @lostwithlucy, set off on a journey with companions across “six of the 98 towns and villages across the Cotswolds,” vowing to offer her “unsolicited opinions” on each location.

The initial destination was Bourton-on-the-Water, which she labelled “the number one Cotswolds town” owing to its lively character. Nevertheless, she cautioned the substantial influx of visitors could deter those in search of peace and quiet.

“There were lots of pubs and restaurants and cafes along the little river that runs through the town and an ice cream man who is very good at his job,” she joked, noting she had never encountered such a concentration of ducks anywhere before.

Next on the schedule was Stow-on-the-Wold, another crowded spot filled with “pubs and shops”. They stopped at a cheesemonger and commended a “really nice bookstore called Borozi bookshop”.

The party then made their way to Broadway, a “town that is just one long main street”. While there are “some pubs and restaurants here”, Lucy suggested a stop at Broadway Deli, celebrated for its “lot of interesting grocery items for sale”.

Chipping Campden was the subsequent stop on her route, which she characterised as “the first of the villages that actually seemed like people lived here”. Lucy described this particular spot as her “favourite,” despite it being “super quiet”.

She lauded it for being “very pretty and peaceful”, suggesting that if one “can find the time, you can go for a walk in a field”.

Nevertheless, she did voice some dissatisfaction with the final two destinations on their itinerary, which she felt slightly tarnished their overall experience.

She explained: “Our final stops were supposed to be Upper and Lower Slaughter, but despite being really, really pretty, they were tiny with no parking, so we could not stop.”

In the caption accompanying her video, she also noted they “used Cheltenham” as their “home base” while exploring everything the Cotswolds had to offer.

This proves to be an ideal arrangement, given that it is merely an 18-minute drive, depending on which part of the Cotswolds you are visiting.

Bourton-on-the-Water, however, sits around a 30-minute drive away – though for a day trip, that is perfectly acceptable.