Nowhere does traditional England better than the Cotswolds. And nowhere does
the Cotswolds better than Chipping Campden. You probably feel like you know
the place — even if you’ve never been there. With all those quaint
honey-stone houses, cosy tearooms and antiques shops crammed with
silver-jubilee mugs, this absurdly pretty 13th-century market town must have
inspired a thousand jigsaw puzzles.
But don’t dismiss it as an old-fashioned backwater. Banish those images of
tour coaches laden with American tourists who can never quite get over how
“old and cute” everything is. You can beat the crowds, mix contemporary
style with classic countryside— and time your visit to enjoy an utterly
English summer event.
THE HOTELS
You might be a touch bemused by Montrose House — the recently opened
eight-bedroom wing of Chipping Campden’s acclaimed Cotswold House Hotel. Do
the rooms have low timber beams and creaky floorboards? No. Is the wallpaper
a not-so-subtle montage of old English roses? No. Embroidered bedspread?
Antique brass taps? Fuzzy print of a Constable landscape? None of the above.
Instead, you’ll find a luxurious modern suite with cream-coloured carpet and
sofa, a plasma TV and a minimalist display of calla lilies. The minibar is
complimentary and there’s a surprisingly lengthy pillow menu. Normal,
perhaps, in some ultra-chic hideaway in the Caribbean, but a revelation in
oh-so-traditional Chipping Campden.
Far from being awkward or crass, however, the innovative and lavish
accommodation at Cotswold House sits comfortably with the town’s history and
heritage. The fact that many of the hotel’s suppliers and contractors are
local companies probably has much to do with this. The garden, for example,
was transformed by a local designer into daring borders crammed with exotic
plants and punctuated with large urns from nearby Whichford Pottery.
B&B rates at Montrose House (01386 840330, www.cotswoldhouse.com), start
at £240 for a double, rising to £450 for a suite with a private courtyard
garden.
You should also consider a good mid-range option: the Noel Arms Hotel (01386
840317, www.noelarmshotel.com) is a 16th-century coaching inn with doubles
from £125, B&B.
Chipping Campden’s oldest surviving inn, the 14th-century Eight Bells (01386
840371) has doubles from £80, B&B. Manor Farm (01386 840390), a
600-acre farm in nearby Weston Subedge, with racehorses and pedigree cattle,
has B&B accommodation from £60.
THE FOOD
Aside from the promise of a memorable bath and a good night’s sleep, there is
plenty to entice you to Chipping Campden. Food will, no doubt, feature
heavily on your itinerary, and it’s not all scampi and chips, Sunday roasts
and cream teas — although Badgers Hall Tearoom (01386 840839,
www.badgershall.com) does irresistible freshly baked scones with strawberry
jam and clotted cream for £2.75. Wholesome pub fare (and a good children’s
menu) can be found at the Lygon Arms (01386 840318), but it’s the Cotswold
House Hotel that, again, breathes fresh life into Chipping Campden. Its
Hicks Brasserie is a popular venue for light lunches. I tried the smoked
duck salad — small and pricey (£5.50), yet delicious and perfectly formed.
Meanwhile, at Juliana’s, the hotel’s main restaurant, £45 gets you three
delectable courses.
And for afters ... founded in 1985 at the Three Ways House Hotel, in
Mickleton, to prevent the demise of the great British pudding, The Pudding
Club (01386 438429, www.puddingclub.com) is a bastion of spotted dick and
other old favourites.
SIGHTS AND ACTIVITIES
Around town: Baptist Hicks was a wealthy 17th-century silk
trader whose legacy pervades several of Chipping Campden’s historical
buildings. He paid for the construction of Market Hall (the town’s famous
central landmark, with its multiple arches and elaborately timbered roof),
and of the Almshouses and Campden House — the latter of which he incinerated
during the civil war to prevent it falling into the hands of the
parliamentarians.
All that remains of this once imposing estate are two Jacobean banqueting
houses, lovingly restored by the Landmark Trust.
Hitting the shops: a short amble along Campden’s picturesque,
if traffic-ridden, high street is a good excuse for browsing some
characterful shops. Hoards of old crockery, glass and silverware form
quivering towers in every niche of Stuart House Antiques (leave your kids
and dogs outside)— a complete contrast to the nearby modernistic showroom of
the influential silversmith Robert Welch, where you can buy sleekly crafted
tableware. For unusual glass ornaments, try Jola Glass; for contemporary and
antique jewellery, track down local designers Martin Gottrell and Ross
Hardie.
For music-lovers: nearby Blenheim Palace (0870 060 2080,
www.blenheimpalace.com) hosts several open-air concerts this summer, with
appearances by Westlife (June 30), James Blunt (July 1) and Robin Gibb (July
2). Tickets start at £37.50 (0870 400 0688, www.summernightsonline.co.uk).
For classical music with a bang, Blenheim’s Battle Proms Concert (01432
355416, www.battleproms.com) takes place on July 29; tickets cost £24
(under-16s £13).
For art addicts: peruse the weird and wonderful collection at
Snowshill Manor (01386 852410, www.nationaltrust.org.uk; open until October
29, Wed-Sun noon-5pm; £7.30, children £3.65). Reopened last year after
extensive conservation work, this Cotswold manor house near Broadway reveals
Charles Paget Wade’s eclectic array of artefacts, including everything from
musical instruments and bicycles to Samurai armour and a decorative
elephant’s bladder. Equally mesmerising is the modest and wonderfully
preserved cottage next door, where Wade relocated when he needed to expand
his collection.
For families: go on safari at Cotswold Wildlife Park (01993
823006, www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk; open 10am-5.30pm; £9, children
£6.50), where, from the summer, you may glimpse wolves — newly introduced to
a special two-acre enclosure. Don’t miss the walled garden, where you’ll
find meerkats, penguins, otters and other kids’ favourites. There’s also a
narrow-gauge railway, an adventure playground and a farmyard.
For active types: hike or cycle through the Cotswolds.
Chipping Campden and Bath are linked by the Cotswold Way
(www.cotswoldway.gov.uk), a 100-mile walking trail that is due to achieve
National Trail status in 2007.
If the full 10-day epic sounds too daunting, sample the first section, from
Chipping Campden to nearby Dover’s Hill, where there are panoramic views
across Evesham Vale towards the Malvern Hills. It’s a two- to three-hour
amble there and back. Keen cyclists should contact Cotswold Country Cycles
(01386 438706, www.cotswoldcountrycycles.com) which offers self-guided tours
from Chipping Campden to the Slaughters, Winchcombe, Northleach, Bibury,
Burford and other historic Cotswold villages. Expect to pedal between 15 and
35 miles each day. Rates start at £195pp for a three-day tour, including B&B
accommodation, bike hire and luggage transfers.
For garden-lovers: seek inspiration at Hidcote Manor Garden
(01386 438333, www.nationaltrust.org.uk; open until October 29, 10.30am-5pm,
gardens closed Thu, Fri; £7, children £3.50, family £17).
With garden makeovers all the rage, you’re bound to pick up ideas at this
famous 300-acre estate, developed by plant-hunter Lawrence Johnstone in the
early 1900s. Partitioned by immaculate yew hedges into numerous outdoor
“rooms”, Hidcote is like a series of show gardens at Chelsea — only they’re
permanent, and you can walk through them.
