I absolutely adore the Cotswolds and feel so fortunate that we’re just an hour or so away from many of its beautiful villages. I used to visit Long Compton quite often, enjoying long walks followed by cosy pub dinners by the fire and most of all, the chance to truly switch off from the world. Life there feels slower, more intentional and it always brings me a deep sense of calm and restoration.
A couple of years ago, I decided that when the opportunity presented itself, I’d take us on a little exploring tour of as many Cotswold villages as possible. While we’ve visited places like the Cotswold Wildlife Park, Fairytale Farm and of course Long Compton, we’d never really documented those trips.
We began our mini tour in Bourton-on-the-Water. Although I loved our visit, it was incredibly busy with tourists – wonderful for local businesses, I’m sure, but perhaps not quite as enjoyable for residents. On the way there, we drove through a small town called Burford and I happened to notice a plethora of shops along the high street. We decided then and there that it would be our next stop.
The Easter holidays felt like the perfect opportunity to explore. We knew it wouldn’t take long to get there and I’d done a bit of research beforehand on parking and things to do. Parking was free and conveniently located at the end of the high street, which was a great start. We spotted a beautiful church and agreed we’d take a look on the way back.
We began on the left-hand side, wandering up the high street and dipping into any shops that caught our eye. The incline grew steeper the further we went, but it was more than worth it for the view across the whole high street and the stunning, quintessential Cotswold homes. We then crossed over and made our way back down the other side, again popping into shops as we pleased. Sadly, we missed the vegan cafe which my mum later told me about. It’s next to the Post Office, so guess who’ll be going back to Burford?
We were on the lookout for a gift shop selling Jellycats, as one of mine was very keen to spend some Easter money on a new addition – not that she needed one, with over 20 already in her collection! Sadly, we didn’t find any, but I knew they stocked them at the Burford Garden Centre and truthfully, I never need much of an excuse to visit a garden centre (more on that in a moment).
We picked up a few lovely little tokens along the way, some vegan sweets and a bar of soap, before heading back towards the car, taking a quick detour to the church for a closer look. I wasn’t sure if we were able to go inside, and with time ticking on, we decided to leave it for another visit.
From there, we made our way to the garden centre and oh my goodness, was it worth it. I was genuinely so impressed. There were separate buildings for furniture and books, but we headed straight for the main garden centre. It was beautifully decorated, with so many thoughtful displays – including vintage cars and even a live pianist playing. It felt like such an elevated experience.
We did struggle slightly to find the Jellycats, but eventually discovered them tucked away in an area called “Little Burford,” which I thought was just adorable. I must admit, I’d mentally spent hundreds of pounds while wandering around, but once we’d secured the Jellycat, we called it a day and headed home.
I wish I’d planned to spend a little longer in Burford so we could have visited the church and museum, but I didn’t feel as though we’d missed out. I’d happily visit again if we were passing through, though with so many other places on our list, it may have to wait.
I’ve already planned our next trip for the May half term – a full day out visiting three different places and I honestly can’t wait. I’ve been wanting to go to these spots for such a long time.
