England Is Home To One Of Rick Steves' Favorite Scenic Places To Relax And Recharge

Is it even possible to describe the Cotswolds without using the words "quaint" and "rolling hills?" You'll notice we cheated a little there, but the region in the southwest of England — designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) — is a place that invites clichés. While the BBC's award-winning mockumentary "This Country" sought to dispel some of the Cotswold stereotypes by focusing on bored and listless teenagers, it is still a place where the clichés are largely true: cricket matches on the village green, church fetes, long walks through a landscape threaded with lanes and hedgerows, and a good pint in a rural pub at the end of the day. People come for the twee postcard image, but they stay for relaxation and reflection. Rick Steves has called this "thatched kingdom of the quaint" (per his website) one of his top places in Europe for recharging his batteries.

Others may prefer the wild and windy Pennines or Peak District for sheer drama, but a big part of Cotswolds' appeal is its sense of comfort and affluence. Spread across six counties in the charming English countryside just a few hours from London, you're never too far from a cozy boutique hotel or Michelin Star restaurant. It is a place to treat yourself kindly and offers the perfect blend of relaxation and invigoration, attracting around 38 million visitors each year with its beauty and laidback charms. Let's take a look at some of Rick Steves' top Cotswolds picks.

As Rick Steves notes, the Cotswolds' picturesque appeal came from hardship as the wool industry was rendered obsolete by the Industrial Revolution, leaving many of its most beautiful villages trapped centuries out of time. This can be seen in Castle Combe, regarded as one of the prettiest in all of England, where no new buildings have been constructed since the 16th century. If you are looking for history, look no further.

Steves always uses Chipping Campden as his base in the Cotswolds, a village that invariably features on lists of the best villages in the region and is home to the second-highest collection of listed buildings in the country (by density). Highlights include the 400-year-old Market Hall, one of the loveliest high streets in England, and the very photogenic Gothic tower of St James' Church. It is also a great place to browse interesting antique shops and bookstores.

Steves also recommends three other villages nearby: Snowshill, Stanton, and Stanway. Known for its cute church in the middle of a village green, Snowshill serves as a hub for walkers and also made a guest appearance in "Bridget Jones' Diary." Stanton offers idyllic stone cottages with thatched roofs and a church that has a pagan past, built on the confluence of two ley lines. Stanway attracts visitors with its fine mansion and gardens with the tallest gravity-fed fountain in the world. And, of course, each has a delightful pub or two where you can enjoy a leisurely lunch.

The Cotswolds isn't just about gorgeous villages; Rick Steves highlights its appeal for walkers. There are numerous great routes that give you a feel for the "rolling hills" cliché, but it is more than that. Strolling the countryside gives you a deep sense of time and history beneath your feet. It is the beloved region of John Betjeman, Beatrix Potter, Gustav Holst, and J.M. Barrie, and hiking connects you to the landscape that inspired them.

For the full experience, take the Cotswolds Way National Trail, a 102-mile route from Chipping Campden to Bath, a popular day trip destination from London. The trail passes through several villages and can be completed in a week if you are reasonably fit, depending on your pace and how long you stop off at each place. If you don't have that much time, there are plenty of other routes that can be easily walked in a day. In Gloucestershire, the 6-mile Cleeve Hill circular walk takes you to the highest point in the Cotswolds (1,082 feet) for wonderful views of Cheltenham in the distance. For a flatter stroll, take the three-hour River Windrush Walk through the Oxfordshire countryside, which leads you on a loop through pretty hamlets before returning to the starting point at Swinbrook – a pub lunch at the Swan Inn is recommended for classic pub grub and real ales as a reward for your modest exertions.