5 Places to Visit in the Cotswolds during Autumn

Autumn is here! 🍂 We're relishing the change of season as we prepare for what is probably the most stunning time of the year to experience the Cotswolds. We’re passionate about sharing the unique local experiences that can only be had in the dying months of the year.

Traditionally a quieter time for tourism, coming to Bath between October and Christmas is a very special experience. It’s a time when the sun sits low in the sky, bathing the landscape in golden light, the air is damp and filled with musky smells and the scent of wood-smoke, and the leaves turn amber, gold and crimson before silently gliding to the ground to form a mustard flecked carpet under foot.

The experiences we offer change too. Our tours take in grand arboretums, cobbled streets and a more earthy, cultural feel, with a greater emphasis on historic buildings, evocative dining experiences, warming drinks, long countryside drives, artisans & crafts, and hearty chats beside the fire. It’s a great time to explore the main sights uninterrupted and enjoy lower accommodation rates too.

Our tours are known for taking people off the beaten paths to explore the hidden gems this land has to offer. Below outlines just a few of our favorite spots in the Cotswolds Autumn. If you find yourself here during this season, feel free to get in touch and let us know your plans, we're always happy to offer local advice to travellers.

Westonbirt Arboretum

Westonbirt is inhabited by around 2,500 different species from all over the world. Boasting one of the world’s greatest and most diverse collection of trees, the experience of walking beneath a falling canopy of crimsons, golds, mustards and ochres, on a leisurely stroll in the damp, cool air of autumn, is an extraordinary and unforgettable experience.

Discover the beauty of Westonbirt Arboretum in autumn/fall with an ever changing colour spectrum among the falling leaves. Take a crisp walk through the Maple Avenue and take time out to relax at one of many heritage country pubs in the area.

Westonbirt Arboretum is one of our favourite destinations year-round, but especially in the darker months.

We highly recommend visiting Westonbirt Arboretum from September onward. Website: Westonbirt Arboretum

Highgrove Estate & Gardens

Highgrove is known for being the private residence of TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, located near Tetbury in Gloucestershire. Prince Charles’ Cotswolds home and estate offer living testimony of His Highness’s love and commitment to the nature and the environment. Having bought the estate as a young man, in order to play more polo at the Beaufort Polo Club just a few miles away, Highgrove’s private gardens are truly charming and offer the chance to get close and personal with Britain’s next Monarch. .

Highgrove is also the location of Home Farm, part of the Duchy of Cornwall, which has developed into a centre of excellence for organic farming and gardening, as well as an acknowledged haven for wildlife.

Website: Highgrove Estate

Stourhead

Stourhead Gardens and Estates is one of the greatest gardens in the world and one of the places we love the most. Its natural beauty changes with the seasons making it a fabulous destination any time of the year, but especially in early Spring when the year’s first buds burst into life, or in late Autumn, when the turning leaves are bathed in a low, golden light reflected off the lake’s mirror surface.

Website: Stourhead

Dyrham Park

The leaves start to turn late September & October over a beautiful landscape of vermilion reds, oranges and yellows. There are over 101 tree varieties at Dyrham Park and you can learn more about them and other seasonal changes with our daily park walk.

Spot dear leaping gracefully over the hills and valleys and discover hidden gems of contemporary art and wood-carvings on site. A family friendly space where kids have more than enough activities to keep them occupied throughout the day.

The Cafe offers a great warming lunch at a fair price. Enjoy a light afternoon stroll by the water ponds and impressive gardens out front. All in all an excellent way to spend an autumns day.

Website: Dyrham Park

Forest of Dean

The Forest of Dean is one of Britain’s most spectacular, unsung natural wonders. Historically, a royal hunting park and later the home to a small but vibrant mining industry, today it is a place that evokes natural wonder, times gone by, and a sense of the magical.

Website:Forest of Dean