A woman has spoken out about her experience road-tripping through the Cotswolds, sharing the two towns she was less than impressed with. Lucy, a New Yorker living in London who shares her adventures on TikTok as @lostwithlucy, embarked on a road trip with friends across “six of the 98 towns and villages across the Cotswolds,” promising to share her “unsolicited opinions” about each.
The first stop was Bourton-on-the-Water, which she dubbed “the number one Cotswolds town” due to its bustling atmosphere. However, she warned that the large number of tourists might be off-putting for those seeking tranquillity.
“There were lots of pubs and restaurants and cafes along the little river that runs through the town and an ice cream man who is very good at his job,” she joked, adding that she had never seen so many ducks in one place before.
Next on the itinerary was Stow-on-the-Wold, another busy locale brimming with “pubs and shops”. They visited a cheesemonger and praised a “really nice bookstore called Borozi bookshop”.
The group then travelled to Broadway, a “town that is just one long main street”. While there are “some pubs and restaurants here”, Lucy recommended a visit to Broadway Deli, known for its “lot of interesting grocery items for sale”.
Chipping Campden was the next destination on her itinerary, which she described as “the first of the villages that actually seemed like people lived here”.
Lucy declared this location as her “favourite,” despite it being “super quiet”.
She praised it for being “very pretty and peaceful” and suggested that if one “can find the time, you can go for a walk in a field”.
However, she did express some disappointment with the final two stops on their journey, which she said slightly marred their overall experience.
She elaborated: “Our final stops were supposed to be Upper and Lower Slaughter, but despite being really, really pretty, they were tiny with no parking, so we could not stop.”
In the caption of her video, she also mentioned that they “used Cheltenham” as their “home base” while they explored all the Cotswolds had to offer.
This is an ideal arrangement, as it’s just an 18-minute drive, depending on where you’re visiting in the Cotswolds.
Bourton-on-the-Water, however, is around a 30 minute drive – but for a day trip, that’s absolutely fine.