7 Days Between Bristol and the Cotswolds

On the day we arrived in Bristol we wandered around the city, between the centre and the Stokes Croft area, full of places still closed in the afternoon and of street art. In fact, in Bristol street art is everywhere, both in the centre and in the outskirts. I could have spent days roaming around looking for the works of Banksy and of the many other artists famous all over the world. On the second day we reached Bath by train (11-minute journey) and visited the cathedral, the Roman Baths — which I highly recommend for the beauty and richness of their displays and of the visitor route — and the Jane Austin Centre, as well as the elegant town itself.

From the third day, having rented a car, we set off on our tour of the Cotswolds, based in Colesbourne at the Colesbourne Inn, very nice and convenient as it is in a fairly central spot for visiting the beautiful, fairytale-like towns and villages on day trips. In three days we visited: day 7/4 Castle Combe - Lacock (village and abbey) - Bibury Day 8/4 Bourton on the Water - Lower Slaughter - Stow on the Wold – Chipping Campden - Broadway (without climbing the tower). Day 9/4 Winchcombe – Sudeley Castle and Garden - Cheltenham town - Painswick. On 10/4 we visited Gloucester and its cathedral and then went back to Bristol, where we returned the car. Still wandering around Bristol, in the Southville area and then in the harbour area. The next morning, in the rain that had spared us on the previous days, we set off for home.

A slow trip, even if it doesn't seem so given how many villages we visited, but they are actually all close to one another, and the atmosphere of peace and calm came through even despite the tourists, who were certainly not lacking over the Easter period. The atmosphere is almost unreal, it feels like being in a fairytale, among hills, meadows, streams and the little bridges that cross them. My expectations were amply met and even exceeded.