The Cotswolds: Exploring England's Classic Countryside

Our Cotswolds sojourn begins this afternoon in Oxford with a guided walking tour of England's most famous university town. Admire the architecture and heritage of the 15th-century Bodleian Library and several of the colleges that comprise Oxford University, founded by King Henry VIII in 1546. Leaving Oxford, we head west into the heart of the Cotswolds. This rural region, whose name comes from the Old English "cot" for sheep enclosure and "wold," meaning hill—“sheep pens among rolling hills”—spans 800 square miles and is protected as Britain’s largest National Landscape. Our destination for the next two nights is Tetbury, where a welcome dinner awaits at our inn. Tetbury lies among gently rolling hills on the site of an ancient hill fort, and during the Middle Ages, it became an important market town for Cotswold wool and yarn, which was the main source of the town’s wealth.

This morning, visit Hookhouse Pottery to meet expert ceramicist Chris and learn about the Cotswolds’ long association with the Arts and Crafts Movement. See his work firsthand as he shares insights into his craft and the artistic traditions that took root in this part of England.

Continue to Westonbirt National Arboretum for a private guided tour of one of the world’s most significant tree collections. More than 2,500 species grow across the arboretum, including rare and unusual trees gathered from around the globe. The collection dates to 1829, when wealthy Victorian landowner Robert Holford began creating an arboretum on his estate. As Britain’s interest in botany and plant collecting expanded during the 19th century, Holford helped finance expeditions that brought new species back from distant regions, and some of those early specimens still grow at Westonbirt today. As we explore, learn about the arboretum’s continuing role in plant research, conservation and the protection of threatened tree species.

After a picnic lunch, meet Lady Bella Somerset for a private walking tour of the Badminton Estate deer park. Over the course of two hours, explore the grounds in her company while learning about the estate, its history and the role of Britain’s aristocratic families today.

This morning, enjoy a private guided tour of the gardens at Highgrove House, the country residence of HRH King Charles III, who is an ardent supporter of rural landscapes and wildlife conservation in Britain. Such was his love for the landscape, history and people of the Cotswolds that Charles chose to make this 1796 manor house his personal home. The gardens, more than 35 years in the making, reflect great diversity, from the genteel setting of the Sundial Garden to the unstructured beauty of the Wildflower Meadow.

Following lunch at Highgrove, head to Prinknash Abbey, home to a Benedictine monastic community devoted to a live a life of prayer, work and study. The abbey is the starting point for a scenic walk on woodland trails to Painswick Beacon, an Iron Age hill fort offering 360° views over the Severn Valley and across to Wales. From here, we continue to Painswick Rococo Garden, tucked into a hidden valley just off the famous Cotswold Way footpath, for a private tour with the head gardener. Designed in the 1740s for the owner of Painswick House, it was restored in the 1980s to evoke its original sense of fanciful whimsy and joie de vivre. “Rococo” refers to a period of art fashionable in Europe in the 18th century, characterized by ornamental decoration. England’s upper middle classes loved to show off their wealth by indulging in the flamboyant and frivolous, and gardens like this one were an elaborate entertainment space to delight their guests. Today, it is England’s only surviving rococo garden. Highlights of our tour may include heritage roses, fiery day lilies, an orchid-filled wildflower meadow, and a focus on butterfly conservation

Please note: On occasion, unexpected changes in the King’s schedule may force us to alter or cancel our visit to Highgrove House and Gardens today, since it is his personal residence. When that is the case, we will try to go on another date, or we will substitute an alternate activity.

This morning, we join a local storyteller for a walk through the Slad Valley, which reveals an idyllic vale untouched by development, with four small nature reserves to explore. This region was once the heart of England's wool industry in the Middle Ages, which generated so much wealth for the Cotswolds. Continue to the village of Slad where we have lunch at the famous Woolpack Pub, a favorite of novelist and poet Laurie Lee. The Cotswolds' most famous author, Lee was raised in this tiny town that remains largely overlooked by tourism

After lunch, we tour a very special private garden at Througham Court that offers a window on the influential Arts and Crafts Movement in Britain. By the early 20^th century, the Cotswolds had become an important center for the movement, which favored the handmade and vernacular over industrial mass-production. Headed by poet and designer William Morris, the approach sought to marry practicality with artistry through traditional craftsmanship. In addition to its influence on interior decoration, the philosophy shaped garden design, and we witness that heritage at Througham Court. Off limits to the general public, the 6-acre grounds are garden designer Christine Facer Hoffman’s private estate, hidden away in a remote Cotswold valley. In addition to stewarding the original 1930s Arts and Crafts landscape designed by famed Cotswold architect Norman Jewson—known for its manicured yew topiaries and dry stone wall terracing—Hoffman has expanded her garden for use as a personal “laboratory” to experiment with new concepts. An esteemed scientist before she became a landscape architect and horticulturalist, Hoffman’s contemporary garden areas are inspired by scientific principles and theories found in nature. Explore the universe in the Cosmic Evolution Garden, with stone spheres representing the planets, and follow Fibonacci’s Walk in the meadow, enlightened by Hoffman’s personal interpretation.

Aug-Oct departures: For departures after August 1, when Througham Court’s gardens are closed for the season, we instead explore the area’s rich Arts and Crafts heritage with a local expert who has devoted her studies to the movement. Together, we tour Painswick and the surrounding Painswick Beacon area, discovering important sites and stories that reveal the region’s deep connections to Arts and Crafts history.

Our day begins with a hike through the rolling countryside around Chedworth, where wooded valleys, clear streams and open farmland create a classic Cotswolds landscape. Several routes are possible depending on conditions, including a walk that crosses three scenic valleys. Beginning near the River Churn in Rendcomb, the trail follows a stretch of the Monarch’s Way before crossing Chedworth Stream and continuing through peaceful woodland to the River Coln. Along the way, take in broad views across the hills and valleys, passing farmland, streams, woodland and small villages.

This afternoon, we arrive in the tiny hamlet of Upper Slaughter, where we find the luxurious country house hotel that will be our home for the next three nights. Here, join a local falconer for an interactive introduction to Britain’s centuries-old tradition of falconry. Meet several birds of prey—typically including a hawk, owl, falcon and eagle—and have the opportunity to handle them at close range and watch them take flight. As we learn about the different species, their remarkable adaptations and the long history of falconry in Britain, our expert host offers a fascinating window into the relationship between people and these powerful raptors.

Rise early for a sunrise bird walk with a local naturalist, who helps us identify the songbirds we hear as they greet the morning in an exuberant dawn chorus. Return to the inn for a hearty English breakfast, then set out to explore a collection of small Cotswolds villages, starting in Stanway, which is famous for its Jacobean manor house with a gravity-fed fountain that reaches heights of nearly 300 feet. Neighboring Stanton is considered one of the most picturesque towns in the Cotswolds. Many of its cottages were built in the mid-1500s, and the church dates to the 9th century. Continue to Snowshill, built of golden Cotswold limestone, which lies near two long-distance footpaths, the Winchcombe Way and the Cotswold Way.

As we weave our way through the bucolic landscape, we observe how the traditional rural heritage of the Cotswolds has shaped the region over the centuries. More than 80% of these rolling hills is agricultural land. Nature here has been managed and conserved by the farming community, which continues its commitment to careful stewardship today. At Honeydale Farm, learn about sustainable agriculture in the Cotswolds. Committed to ecological farming and public education, the FarmED program on the 107-acre site seeks to reconnect people to the land in ways that will nourish them and the Earth both. Our private guided tour covers the heritage orchard, kitchen garden, meadows and woodland as we learn about natural flood management, regenerative agriculture, the micro dairy, and the heritage wheat the farm grows for artisan bread making. This evening, enjoy a dinner featuring local farm-to-table fare at an inviting country inn.

This morning, watch a live sheepdog demonstration at Mickleton Farm, where we learn about the communication between the dogs and their handlers and witness the remarkable way the sheep respond to the dogs’ movements. Then we enjoy another village-to-village walk, connecting our lunch stop in Ebrington with our garden tour at Hidcote, as we amble across the rolling hills of the northern Cotswolds. Following paths through grassy fields along ancient farm tracks and quiet lanes, traverse open countryside with expansive views. The route over the limestone terrain rises and falls gently, with a few steady climbs that offer more reward than challenge. Each season unveils its own natural beauty: spring unveils fresh green meadows and hedgerows strewn with wildflowers, summer offers dry, sun-warmed trails beneath lush, shady canopies, and autumn paints the countryside in rich golds and russets.

At Hidcote Gardens, we have private tour of this National Trust property regarded as one of the finest displays of flora in England. Hidcote's designer, Lawrence Johnstone, sourced plants for the gardens from around the world and donated the site to the National Trust in 1948—making it the first of many significant British gardens the Trust would acquire. This evening, a festive farewell dinner awaits as we gather around the table one last time.

An early morning transfer is included from our hotel in Upper Slaughter to London's Heathrow Airport, about a two-hour drive, for those who are flying home or headed to other travels. If you choose to remain in the region for further exploration on your own, you can leave any time before scheduled checkout from our hotel—consider a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Blenheim Palace, Sudeley Castle, the Roman city of Bath, or Shakespeare's childhood home of Stratford-upon-Avon—all are nearby.

Please note: While all activities listed on our itinerary will be included, some may take place on days or times that are different from what is shown, depending on local schedules.