This summer, US vice-president JD Vance has opted for a rather un-Trumpian vacation. No golden elevators or Mar-a-Lago this time: he’ll be heading with his family to the Cotswolds in August, reportedly renting a romcom-worthy cottage.
The Cotswolds really are as beautiful as the postcards – and Instagram posts – would have you believe. The area, which spans parts of six counties (Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire and Somerset), has always had a touch of glamour to it: it’s been a hub for the wealthy since the heyday of the wool trade in the late Middle Ages.
And more recently, the place I call home has been drawing the great and the glamorous from both sides of the pond. Taylor Swift based herself here for the London segment of her Eras tour, Shonda Rhimes filmed Bridgerton on the streets of Bath, and Jeremy Clarkson continues to cause traffic jams by selling pork scratchings to queues of Clarkson’s Farm fans. Ellen DeGeneres briefly moved here with her wife Portia de Rossi (although she’s just put her property up for sale).
We’ve even had the ultimate seal of American approval – a visit from a Kardashian. Kourtney was recently spotted at Soho Farmhouse in Chipping Norton.
So what exactly is the appeal for transatlantic tastemakers? For one, the Cotswolds is simply breathtaking, in a seen-it-on-the-telly sort of way. Gorgeous, untouched villages such as Bibury, Bourton-on-the-Water and Castle Combe seem tailor-made for Instagram posts, sitting among golden hills, babbling brooks, and gastropubs serving £18 sticky toffee puddings.
For Americans raised on fantastical versions of British life (think Downton Abbey, The Holiday and the Harry Potter series, all filmed here), it’s a concentrated dose of fantasy: the accents, the bunting, the Range Rovers.
And this isn’t just an American fascination. The British elite are still rushing to join the “Chipping Norton set”, so-called as they tend to land among covetable postcodes in the north of the Cotswolds. Everyone from Kate Winslet to Kate Moss – and former prime minister David Cameron – has called it home.
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But the influx of celebrities, veeps and, increasingly, busloads of TikTok-fuelled daytrippers, has taken its toll on the Cotswolds, straining local infrastructure and disrupting community life. In 2023, the region welcomed more than 23 million visitors, a sharp rise from 16 million in 2018. The area is usually home to 140,000 people.
Some of the Cotswolds’ prettiest, most untouched villages now face daily congestion, their narrow lanes overwhelmed by tour buses as well as increased litter and noise. The tourism economy, one of the area’s largest income streams, supports jobs but inflates property prices, creating a housing shortage as thousands of covetable cottages have been converted into holiday lets.
I live in a wonderfully un-touristy corner of the Cotswolds (visitors often don’t realise it’s big enough to have plenty of “normal” towns and communities). Last month, I stayed in Castle Combe, often dubbed “the prettiest village in England”.
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Around 350 people live here, but I didn’t see a single local – the narrow streets were thronged with international influencers busily filming videos. Charming cottages, with roses around their doors, were plastered with signs begging visitors not to fly drones. It felt closer to a theme park than a tucked-away treasure.
And yet it’s still possible to find magic in the Cotswolds, and I think to write off the region William Morris called “heaven on earth” as a playground for the posh does it a disservice.
Stunning villages such as Snowshill and Guiting Power offer tranquil walks and pint-sized pubs. The market town of Cirencester will please photographers, but is still a proper community with a great foodie scene, while Tetbury groans with antiques.
Stroud sits jewel-like in the heart of the Five Valleys, its rolling green hills perfect for escaping the madding crowds. Or visit spots that are actually equipped to welcome tourists. Stroll among autumn colour at Westonbirt Arboretum, explore National Trust sites such as Chedworth Roman Villa, or spot wildlife at Cotswold Water Park.
Avoid Airbnbs, and stay instead in a boutique hotel. The Painswick sits in a chocolate-box village, while Wild Thyme and Honey has a relaxed, pubby vibe. Cowley Manor offers heated indoor and outdoor pools, plus an award-winning restaurant.
Or simply head right out of this corner of the country completely. The Shropshire hills are far quieter than the Cotswolds. The Suffolk coast and many corners of Somerset offer chocolate-box charm without the Instagram hordes.
The Cotswolds will no doubt remain catnip for celebrities and clout-chasers, but for those in search of real countryside calm – and a Britain less filtered – it’s worth taking the road less travelled. After all, who wants exactly the same holiday snaps as JD Vance?
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