15 Attractions Not To Miss In The Cotswolds

There are many great reasons to visit the beautiful Cotswolds of England. An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Cotswolds offer wonderful landscapes and gorgeous scenery, with quaint and traditional villages dotted throughout. There is so much to do in this lovely area and below are 15 of the best attractions in the Cotswolds, with something to suit everyone.

1. Batsford Arboretum

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Batsford Arboretum offers one of the largest private tree collections in England, with 56 acres of lovely gardens, streams and paths along with stunning views. Tasty fresh-baked food is available on site.

2. Dragonfly Maze

Via twitter.com

Located in Bourton-on-the-Water, Dragonfly Maze is a traditional yew hedge maze, but with a difference, as you have to find the 14 clues hidden in the pathways to solve the puzzle.

3. The Cotswold Way

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The Cotswold Way is a 104-mile hiking trail which starts close to Stratford-Upon-Avon, home of Shakespeare and ends in beautiful Bath, surrounded by beautiful countryside and lovely villages.

4. Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens

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Located in Burford, this wildlife park offers 260 different animal species housed in 160 acres of lovely parkland. Giraffe, lemurs, rhinos and zebras and are just some of the fascinating residents on view.

5. Cotswold Falconry Centre

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The Cotswold Falconry Centre has eagles, falcons, hawks, owls and other birds of prey on view either in breeding aviaries or in fascinating flying displays for the public.

6. Cotswold Motoring Museum

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Located in Bourton-on-the-Water, this fascinating museum offers some of the best cars, caravans and motorcycles from all stages of the 20th century along with a few fascinating motoring curiosities too.

7. Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway

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This is the perfect destination for lovers of the old steam trains, consisting of 12 miles of restored railway line, running the original diesel and steam locomotives. The whole family can enjoy riding the trains in lovely surroundings.

8. Keith Harding's World of Mechanical Music

Via tripadvisor.co.uk

Located in Northleach, this fascinating destination has a unique collection of self-playing musical instruments, both as live entertainment and also in a great gift shop.

9. Jet Age Museum

Via tripadvisor.co.uk

Situated in Gloucester, the Jet Age Museum preserves the area’s rich aviation heritage with many fascinating and historic planes on display.

10. WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre

Via wwt.org.uk

This lush and beautiful wetland centre offers exotic birds from all over the world set in over 800 acres of wild reserve. The centre offers many interesting and educational activities for both young and older children.

11. Manor House Golf Club

Via cotswolds.com

Perfect for the keen golfer, Manor House is rated in the top 100 courses in England and was voted Wiltshire’s No. 1 Golf Course in 2011, offering stunning tee shots and amazing views all around.

12. Cotswold Water Park

Via tripadvisor.co.uk

This beautiful lake system offers a vast amount of wildlife and a wide variety of recreational activities for the whole family, including bird watching, sailing and fishing. To really take advantage of the Cotswolds stunning lake systems you can stay on the lake in a log cabin like these ones here.

13. Cotswolds Riding

Via cotswoldsriding.co.uk

Located in Stanton, this riding stable offers lessons for novices, along with beautiful horse and pony rides along the Cotswold Way.

14. Bourton Model Railway Exhibition

Via bourtonmodelrailway.co.uk

Situated in Bourton-on-the-Water, this exhibition is great for young and old, as it has the finest operating indoor model railway layouts in the country, spread out over 500 feet. This is playing with toy trains on a proper scale.

15. Sudeley Castle

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One of the best castle experiences situated in Winchcombe, Sudeley offers 1,000 years of history in romantic ruins, set in award-winning and lovely gardens.