Popular areas to buy a holiday home or second home in the Cotswolds.

Why Buy in the Cotswolds

The Cotswolds is England’s largest designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, covering nearly 800 square miles across six counties; Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and Somerset. The limestone grasslands and woodlands which define the area stretch from Bath in the south up towards Stratford-Upon-Avon in the north.

The most visited place in the Cotswolds is Bourton-on-the-Water. Sitting on the River Windrush, which meanders through the village on its way to join the River Thames, many buildings have been constructed in local Cotswold stone.

Just north are Stow-on-the-Wold, with antique shops and craft shop, and The Slaughters, Upper Slaughter and Lower Slaughter which are actually within walking distance of Bourton, about a mile away.

Also in the North of the Cotswolds are towns such as Chipping Campden, Chipping Norton, Winchcombe and Moreton-in-Marsh, all of which offer have that picture-postcard setting with un-commercialised centres with unique and interesting shops and a peaceful pace of life.

Further south, Burford, Stroud and Cirencester all fall into the Cotswolds and even further south towards the M4, Tetbury, Malmesbury and Castle Combe can be found.

Holiday Home Hotspots in the Cotswolds

The Cotswolds as a whole offers peace and quiet in-between the busy cities of Birmingham to the north, Bristol and London.

All the villages and towns mentioned above offer picturesque settings and non-commercialised centres, so the factors in where to buy a second home are based more around:

• Travel to the holiday home: looking at the surrounding road and motorway network. With M5 to the west, M42 to the east and M4 to the south, road connections are good when travelling to the Cotswolds, less so when travelling around the area.
• Size of the town: are you looking for a true escape-from-it-all area or restaurants and local amenities within walking distance.