The Cotswolds boasts some of the prettiest towns and villages to be found anywhere in Britain. Many have traditional thatched houses and all are built in mellow, golden Cotswold stone. Take time to investigate Bibury, Bourton-on-the-Water, Broadway, Broadwell, Burford, Chipping Campden, Chipping Norton, Moreton-in-Marsh, Nailsworth, Painswick, The Slaughters, Snowshill, Stanway, Stow-on-the-Wold and Woodstock.
Major towns for historic interest and great shopping include Regency Cheltenham, Cirencester, Lechlade, Northleach, Tetbury, Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon.