> SlowTrav > United Kingdom & Ireland > Travel Notes > Cotswolds

The Cotswolds According to Me - Practical Tips

Pauline Kenny

Some notes collected during recent visits to England.

Train lines in the Cotswolds

Two lines pass through the Cotswolds:

Oxford - Morton-in-Marsh - Evesham
Swindon - Stroud - Gloucester - Cheltenham - Tewkesbury

Prices: For a train from Stroud in the Cotswolds to London Paddington in April 2006, prices ranged from £58.10 ($101) for a Standard Open Return (buy on day of travel or in advance, can be refunded with 10 fee, no day or time restrictions) to £18.50 ($32) for a Super Advance Return (must be booked by 6pm the day before, cancellation fees, limited availability). Stroud to Paddington - journey time of 1.34hr.

Laundries

Mary's Laundry, High Street (just one block west of the main shops area), Bourton-on-the-Water, tel: 01451-820808
Monday to Friday, 8:30am - 5:30pm
Saturday, 8:30am - 2:00pm
We had two medium loads done for £12.00 (washed, dried and nicely folded). They need about two hours to do the laundry (drop off before 11am and collect them before 5pm same day). Also dry cleaning, shirts, ironing, repairs. Family owned business. We were very pleased with them (they used our special non-fragrance soap).

Witney Laundrette, 65 Hailey Road, OX28 1HJ, on the north-east part of town, north of the Waitrose. Service wash (they wash, dry and fold the clothes) is 11.00 for a large load. That seems expensive, but if you do it yourself you pay £4.50 for the washer and £1.00 for the dryer; so you are paying £5.50 for the service. We dropped off two loads, one large and one small, at 11am and picked them up at 3pm (cost £18.50). They are open for service washes from 8:30am - 3:00pm, but for self service until 8:00pm (last wash at 6:45pm). I think they were open 7 days a week for self service, but Monday - Friday for service wash. We plunked the address into our GPS and it took us right there. This laundry is out of the way unless you are staying near Burford.

There is also a laundry in Morton-in-Marsh and in Stroud. I don't know if they do the laundry for you, or if they are self service. The one in Stroud is at the top of the High Street, just past the pedestrian mall.

Large Supermarkets

The A40 is the dividing line between the north and south Cotswolds. See Cotswolds: A Guide to Local Shopping, Parking and Public Loos for more detailed information.

Northern Cotswolds

Bishops' Cleeve (between Winchcombe and Cheltenham): Tesco, at roundabout on the main street through the town.

Tewkesbury: Safeway, on the main road into town, on the east side. Tesco, in the center of town, off the High Street.

Cheltenham: Tesco and Waitrose, on Gloucester Road, just before the train station, Tesco to the west, Waitrose to the east, you will see signs for "Superstore". Sainsbury on the western edge of town on the road to Tewkesbury.

Stow on the Wold: Tesco, off the main road, north of Stow.

Evesham: Tesco (not sure of location).

Whitney: Waitrose, off A-40 to Oxford in eastern Cotswolds.

Southern Cotswolds

Stroud: Tesco, Waitrose and Sainsbury. Tesco is at a roundabout between Painswick and Stroud, Waitrose is at a roundabout on the eastern edge of the downtown on the road to Cirencester, Sainsbury is south on the road to Nailsworth.

Cirencester: Tesco and Waitrose at roundabouts on the east side of town, on the ring road.

Other Shops

Broadway: Landmark Walking and Country Wear, on the main street. Outdoors clothes - polartec vests, coats, hiking boots. I got a very nice polartec vest here.

Artisan Shops

There are many good crafts and artisan shops in the Cotswolds.

Painswick Woodcrafts (Dennis French), 3 New Street, Painswick
A wonderful store full of everything wooden, made by a local woodworker. I bought beautiful wooden pulls for my blinds and would have bought the lamps made from small whole tree branches if they had ones that did not have the UK electric parts already in them. Note: In 2004 we visited the shop and the building is for sale, so the shop might be moving.

Robert Welch, Chipping Campden
This shop sells wonderful flatware designed by Robert Welch. I almost bought a set in 2004, until I found out that you can get it in the US for more than half the price (at Linens and Things or cooking.com)! Plus it was going to cost £50 for the shipping.

Cotswold Woolen Weavers, Filkens, Lechdale (between Burford and Lechdale near the A40)
Locally made clothing, throws, rugs, cushions.