The Cotswolds are a beautiful part of the UK to visit in the summer. For a perfect day out, keep away from the mass tourism villages and visit Cotswold Lavender, Snowshill Manor and Snowshill village for the perfect Cotswolds day out.
The Cotswolds is one of the most beautiful parts of England. The combination of cute, honey-coloured villages and green rolling hills make this a beautiful place in the summer. However, some of the Cotswolds villages can get really busy in the summer. So to enjoy the perfect Cotswolds day out while avoiding the main tourist hotspots, visit Cotswolds Lavender and Snowshill.
It’s definitely best to have a car to explore Cotswold Lavender and Snowshill. Public transport is limited, and wouldn’t get you very close to the Cotswold Lavender farm or the National Trust property at Snowshill Manor. So it’s definitely best to have your own car. And make sure you’re prepared for the weather – even in the summer, the UK can be rainy! So make sure you bring a coat if there’s rain forecast. Or bring plenty of sun protection on a hot day, as there isn’t much shade at the Cotswold Lavender farm.
Keep reading to plan your perfect Cotswolds day out at Cotswold Lavender, Snowshill village, and also the National Trust property at Snowshill Manor and Garden. These three places are within a few minutes’ drive of each other. So you can easily combine all three for your summer day out.
Cotswold Lavender – the Lavender fields
The first stop on your day out at Cotswold Lavender and Snowshill should definitely be the Cotswold Lavender farm. This farm, just outside the village of Snowshill, is open in the summer in June, July and August. At this time of the year, the lavender is in full bloom. It’s a beautiful place to visit to enjoy the purple lavender fields. You can visit the website here to plan your day with the latest opening times and prices.
The highlight of Cotswold Lavender is undoubtedly the lavender fields. There are huge rows of lavender. The purple flowers are just gorgeous. There are different types of lavender in different areas, with slightly different shades of purple. And it smells amazing as well!
You can walk a bit away from the entrance to get away from the people and get some beautiful photos of the lavender. You can also walk in between the lavender for even better close up photos.
Bring a picnic and sit at one of the many picnic benches around the lavender farm. On a sunny day, it feels like you’re in the South of France in the famous lavender fields.
Cotswold Lavender – the wildflowers and the countryside views
As well as the lavender at Cotswold Lavender in Snowshill, there are also beautiful wildflower meadows in the summer. My favourite was the field full of red poppies. There were blue and yellow flowers in amongst the red poppies as well, which just added to the explosion of colour. It’s another great place for photos.
There were also some areas with more yellow flowers, and pink. It was all just really beautiful.
I also really enjoyed the countryside views from the Cotswold Lavender farm. You can follow the footpath into the trees, and after only a short walk you can see beautiful views.
You can look across the rolling hills of the Cotswolds. It’s such a quintessential English countryside view.
Snowshill Manor and Gardens – National Trust
After exploring Cotswold Lavender, you can drive less than five minutes to the nearby National Trust property called Snowshill Manor and Garden. This old manor house is now owned and preserved by the National Trust. You can find out opening times and prices on the website here.
Snowshill Manor – the manor house
Snowshill Manor is the unconventional home of the eccentric Charles Wade. Charles Wade liked to collect all sorts of objects, and these are displayed around the house where he used to live.
The house is really interesting. It’s such a random mix of different objects. None of the items are labelled, because Charles Wade didn’t want his house to look like a museum. It’s just interesting to see such an eclectic mix of objects. It made me feel like I’m quite minimalist in my house, having seen how many things are there!
Snowshill Manor – the cafe
Another higlight of Snowshill Manor is the National Trust cafe. It’s the perfect place to enjoy a traditional English cream tea. The scones with clotted cream and jam are just perfect. Enjoying a cream tea, sat outside, is definitely one of the highlights of any trip to the Cotswolds in the UK.
Snowshill Manor – the gardens
The gardens at Snowshill Manor are also beautiful. I enjoyed walking around and seeing all the different flowers. There are various levels and layers to the gardens, and each part is beautiful. There are benches to sit and relax and enjoy the peace and tranquillity.
I also really enjoyed the views back to Snowshill Manor house from the gardens. The manor house is the traditional honey-coloured Cotswold stone. It’s a beautiful example of a Cotswold building. And it looked lovely in the sunshine with the beautiful gardens.
Snowshill Village
After exploring Cotswold Lavender in the morning with a picnic lunch, and then enjoying a cream tea in the gardens of Snowshill Manor, it’s time to head into Snowshill village. Just a few minutes’ drive from Snowshill Manor is a free public car park. From here, you can walk into Snowshill village in less than five minutes.
Snowshill village is a typical Cotswold village. But it has the massive advantage of being less crowded than other Cotswold villages such as Bibury and Bourton-on-the-Water. The fewer tourists here mean it’s a lot more peaceful. And it feels a lot more authentic. You can walk around the village and really get the sense that you’ve stepped back in time.
The rows of houses are so charming, with their old sloping roofs. The gardens in the village are lovely as well, with more colourful flowers.
The Church is the centrepiece of the village. It looks lovely from the outside, but you can also go inside and see the impressive stained glass window. There are also great views of the village from next to the church.
No trip to a Cotswold village is complete without visiting the local pub. The Snowshill Arms is a classic British pub. You can stop at the pub for a drink, or get dinner here and enjoy traditional British pub food.
It’s a great way to end your perfect summer day at out Cotswold Lavender and Snowshill.
Hope you enjoy your trip to Cotswold Lavender and Snowshill, for the perfect Cotswolds day out! Make sure you check out my other guides to the Cotswolds and nearby destinations, such as exploring the Cotswolds in two days, spending a day in Bibury or Stratford-Upon-Avon. Or you can explore the top things to do in Oxford and also the top alternative things in Oxford.
