UK Edit: Ode to Broadway, The Prettiest Cotswolds Town

Broadway Deli Cotswolds

I’m pretty hopeless when it comes to writing about holidays we go on. I get so involved in living in the moment. Then within a couple of weeks of being back it all feels a distant memory and life is back to normal. The Cotswolds is such a beautiful part of the country I wanted to share some of the adventures we had. So this post is all about Broadway, my absolute favourite part of our trip.

Instagram was so invaluable in helping us decide where to visit. After ticking off all the main touristy destinations, it wasn’t until nearly the end of our week that we visited Broadway. I’m so glad we made it. For me, it really did knock spots off all the other perhaps more well-known towns such as Stow-on-the-Wold and Burford.

Characterised as usual by the pretty yellow Cotswold stone, you could argue what makes it so different from the other places we visited. A bypass, for one. A main high street that doesn’t have lorries and coaches thundering through is such a joy. This used to be the main road from Worcester to London which possibly explains why it’s fairly wide and being lined with horse chestnut trees makes it even prettier.

Broadway

Broadway

Broadway

Broadway has a lovely mix of shops from gifting, interiors and fashion but the tippity top of these is the Broadway Deli which you have to visit if you’re in the area. It’s like an Aladdin’s cave of fine foods and also has a cafe tucked away at the back. We popped in to The Cotswold Chocolate Co to pick up a gift for the hosts of our self-catering and Landmark Country Wear where I imagined my country wardrobe if we were to ever move away from London.

For interiors lovers, Oka have one of their luxury interiors stores here and for gifts look no further than Cotswold Trading and the adorably named Whatever The Weather. The Gordon Russell Museum is also a must-visit if you have a passion for furniture and homewares, celebrating the work of the renowned 20th century furniture designer.

Broadway Whatever The Weather

As the rains threatened, we dashed into The Broadway Hotel for lunch and I couldn’t rate it enough. I’d love to stay here in one of the 19 individually decorated bedrooms and you can tell that the entire hotel is interior-designed. It’s quite deceiving from the outside. Although it looks perfectly well-maintained nothing quite prepares you for the interior with several different bar/lounge areas and the stunning internal atrium housing Tattersall’s Brasserie. And of course, the bars are dog-friendly so big thumbs up.

Broadway Hotel Bar

Broadway Hotel

After lunch, we needed to walk off some food and made our way up to Broadway Tower. It’s accessible on foot from the centre of the village via footpaths for about a mile and a half but the skies looked threatening so we drove the short distance instead. There’s a car park at the top which costs a minimum of £2, this can be redeemed against any purchase from the cafe/gift shop.

The tower is the highest castle in the Cotswolds, completed in 1798. Since we had Maddie with us we didn’t venture in but admission is only £5. As well as outstanding views from the platform at the top they have various exhibitions and examples of the work of William Morris, against a must for interiors lovers.

Broadway Tower

Last but by no means least, we paid a visit to the Morris and Brown cafe which is idyllic and located between the car park and tower. Plenty of outdoor seating, a log fire in cooler months, a designated doggy play area including mini agility course, they’ve thought of everything. It’s beautifully landscaped and they have a gift shop featuring up and coming British designers to take away unique gifts. Open daily from 9am to 5pm, I would be here all the time if we lived in the area.

Broadway Morris and Brown Cafe

Broadway Morris and Brown Giftshop

Hopefully I’ve done enough to encourage you to visit if you’re in the Cotswolds. We’re planning our 2018 UK vacation and may well return to the area. If we do, we’re going to try and find a self-catering in or near Broadway so that we can walk to the pubs rather than having to drive everywhere like this time. And well, if the lottery win comes up, a country home here wouldn’t go amiss, either.

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6 Comments

  1. October 2, 2017 / 2:30 pm

    Hi, I found your Broadway blog on the Broadway Cotswolds FB page; lovely to hear someone who appreciates the same things we do!
    I hope you don’t mind if I share it on my FB page for The Old Dairy, Stanton – my holiday home/ rental cottage. Do have a look, it would really suit your next trip to the Cotswolds, as it’s only 3 miles from Broadway in an exquisite, friendly heritage village. Some days we get more horses than vehicles passing the house, which is actually on The Cotswold Way; no proper street lighting, so you can see the stars at night, and walking distance to Stanway House, which is open in the summer, or a little further to the heritage steam railway – the GWSR at Toddington.
    Less than ten minutes to puff up the hill to The Mount Inn, a warm and welcoming gastro-pub at the top of the village. From the terrace you can look over to the Malvern Hills, a fabulous view in any weather, enjoy good drinks and great food, and a roaring log fire in winter. We also have a Norman church, very peaceful and beautiful.
    https://www.facebook.com/OldDairyStanton/
    Or Gill, our agent based in Broadway has other local properties, too.
    http://www.cotswoldholiday.com/more_info.php?pid=68

    Lesley

    • Lins
      Author
      October 4, 2017 / 6:13 pm

      Hi Lesley! Thank you so much for your lovely, lovely comment. I had no idea when I wrote the blog post that anyone other than my normal readers would pick it up so I’m really overjoyed. Thank you also for your tips and recommendations, I’ll be sure to check those out. If it helps in any way then please do share my post. Have a lovely week, Lins X

      • October 5, 2017 / 2:07 pm

        I forgot to mention – dogs are welcome at The Old Dairy, too!
        We don’t have a dog of our own (we have a pussycat in London) but you must have noticed, Broadway is ‘Dog Heaven’! All the shops have water bowls outside, and there is a constant flow of furry beauties down the high street and ‘parked’ outside the shops. Many are dog friendly, as are some of the local pubs (The Mount Inn certainly is). The friendly types who frequent Broadway are often happy to let us pet their furry family, and for us it’s heaven. When we move there full time we’ll be totally ‘barking mad’.

  2. October 11, 2017 / 11:43 am

    Aawww, you’re making me miss England so very much! After nearly 9 years, I was in London a few weeks ago on a long layover, so I was able to pop out for a couple of hours to catch up with friends and to visit the Churchill War Museum for potential writing assignment. I wish I had time to visit the rest of London and England but as usual, time limitation for I had to travel to other cities for work. As for now, I shall have to settle for your photos of beautiful and pretty England as my visual tour 🙂

    • Lins
      Author
      October 11, 2017 / 4:01 pm

      oh gosh I always think how much I’d love to live somewhere else but I know I’d miss it so much! Thank you for stopping by and your lovely comments X

  3. January 19, 2022 / 6:45 pm

    I feel the same, it’s so easy to get carried away.. And them in like, wait! I need to remember this haha!
    Thank you for sharing these lovely photos and I loved hearing about your time in Broadway!

    Super helpful how you’ve included prices for a couple of things too!

    Thank you, it was a great read 🙂

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