SHOW / EPISODE

The Cotswolds Road Trip: Sheep, Cathedrals, and the Best Gin We've Ever Had

35m | Jul 3, 2026

Wandering Works for Us Podcast


Date: 4 July 2026

Title: The Cotswolds Road Trip: Cathedrals, Gin, and Sheep

Summary of Episode

We pick up where the Oxford episode left off and head into the Cotswolds, basing ourselves in the tiny village of Longborough at Lime Cottage. 

Along the way, we fall hard for Longborough Gin, take a day trip into Gloucester to see the cathedral (Harry Potter fans, this one's for you), and have a few white-knuckle moments learning to drive England's narrow country roads.

We also spend our days wandering Bourton-on-the-Water, Stow-on-the-Wold, and a miniature model village straight out of The Borrowers. We wrap up with thoughts on what they'd do differently next time and a preview of what's coming: Bakewell, the Peak District, and Haddon Hall.

Key Topics


  • Why they chose Longborough as a home base, and their stay at Lime Cottage
  • Longborough Gin — discovered at the village shop, and now a mission to find in Portugal
  • Gloucester Cathedral: the whispering gallery, the cloisters used in Harry Potter, and a nearly 1,000-year history
  • A stop at a Gloucester shop hand-weaving wicker caskets
  • Learning to drive on narrow English country roads (and being very glad for full coverage insurance)
  • Bourton-on-the-Water: the "Venice of the Cotswolds," why weekends and tour buses can ruin the charm, and tips for timing your visit
  • The Bourton-on-the-Water Model Village — a faithful miniature recreation built from real Cotswold stone
  • Stow-on-the-Wold: their favorite stop, including shopping at Woolovers, dinner at The Porch, and a Mother's Day Sunday roast at The Stag
  • The "Tolkien Door" church in Stow-on-the-Wold and the Cotswolds' long history of inspiring writers like Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Lewis Carroll, and Jane Austen
  • Villages they missed and want to go back for: the Slaughters, Bibury, Castle Combe, and the area around Bath
  • What's next: Bakewell, the Peak District, and Haddon Hall


Important Links 

To follow all of our antics and adventures, please visit our social media pages and our website at wwforus.com! You can send us a message at any of these places, and feel free to email us at wandering@wwforus.com

Like what we are doing? Buy us a gin and tonic and help us keep going!

Blog post for this episode: A Cotswolds Villages Guide: Gloucester Cathedral, Stow, Burton & More

I was not able to find a link for the Longborough Gin, but The Longborough Village Shop and Cafe carry it. Contact them!


Click here to book the Lime Cottage in Longborough.


The Stag at Stow

The Porch House

Gloucester Cathedral


RESOURCES & LINKS


Looking to plan your next trip to Portugal? We can help! Check out our guides and Itineraries at wwforus.com





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