Why choose the Cotswolds for your cottage holiday? Lynn Ede suggests that if you’re taking a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, this region has everything your heart desires… and then some
A cottage in the Cotswolds is the ideal break from your busy life, leaving behind the ties and gaining the freedom to lose all track of time. You can just feel the stress disappear as you leave behind the cities and towns, discovering village after honey-coloured village in the Cotswolds. With its acres of farmland vista stretching either side of your drive with panoramic views of the green, English countryside it is punctuated here and there by the golden architecture of ancient cottages built snugly together in enclaves of ancient communities, some still remaining generations later. Scenery you see has kept mostly unchanged for hundreds of years.
It’s a great feeling when you arrive at your destination, and are excited to find your own chosen cottage is exactly what you need. A comforting thought to arrive in your own time, unpack the car into your new, own luxury space, plop your wellies down by the back door for next-day exploring, and settle immediately into your home-from-home where everything you require is at hand. Schedules go out of the window; all thoughts of presentations, deadlines and conferences disappear, as peace and tranquillity takes over. Cosy, comely soft furnishings beckon, the choice of an open fire is often on the cards, as is a welcome pack of fruit, cheese or that first bottle of wine left by thoughtful proprietors to start your holiday. Pop the cork or wander down the lane to the village pub to meet the locals, the choice is yours.
A cottage holiday is one where you can kick back, relax and know your time is your own. All the creature comforts we crave are still around us. Have breakfast when you want to, sleep as long as you like, take peaceful walks observing the flora and fauna, fill your lungs with fresh air, but also venture into the many nearby towns and cities for a sightseeing excursion, high-end shopping or dress up in your finest garb in the evening for a theatre trip and special meal at one of numerous outstanding dining destinations in the 800 square miles which make up the Cotswolds region. Take advantage of all it has to offer.
The Cotswolds area, and a cottage in particular, offers a tangible escape from the workaday hustle and bustle of working life; it’s an ideal place to take that break and have no timetable for a while; no mealtimes to observe, take your time and walk a mile – or a 100 on the Cotswold Way – in different shoes and really get a feel for the country way of life. It’s the change you have been looking for. It’s right here on the doorstep of your Cotswold cottage.
