When we think about some of the most popular tourist attractions in the heart of the Cotswolds, the village of Broadway always springs to mind as a must to go and see.
Located in the north of the Cotswolds in Worcestershire, not far from the Gloucestershire border and Evesham, Broadway is a quintessential Cotswold village. It is filled with quaint Cotswold limestone cottages and traditional art, craft and homeware shops. After a busy week at work on Saturday and starting to get into the festive spirit, it was nice to just jump into the car and pay a visit for a wander around.
Parking can always be an issue in Broadway so after checking out some of the popular short stay car parks which were full we headed for the less stressful option of the long stay car park 10 minutes walk away where there we plenty of spaces.
The main high street has lots of lovely traditional small homeware, art/craft and antique shops to browse around. We enjoyed looking in the shop windows dressed with their gorgeous Christmas displays. We particularly liked the Cotswold Trading shop and we took a step back in time when we visited the toy shop and also the traditional sweet shop. We were very tempted by the sweets but temptation did not get the better of us on this occasion.
Broadway is quite an affluent area and we noticed lots of nice cars and finely locals (and dogs too) dressed in their country attire going about their business. If you want to buy your country Barbour wardrobe this is the place to go!
A popular place to pop into for a drink and bite to eat is The Lygon Arms. It is steeped in history. It is intriguing to think that, during the Civil War, King Charles I conferred with his confidants here and Oliver Cromwell actually slept at The Inn. Formerly The White Hart and privately owned since 1532, The Lygon Arms became part of a Group of Hotels in 2005.
The 4 star hotel is now a popular place to stay and is owned by London & Regional Properties. You can choose from the exquisite fine dining menu in the Great Hall restaurant or the all day Barrington gastro/bistro menu for something to eat or an afternoon high tea. We didn’t eat on this occasion but the choice of food on offer looks very good indeed.
The Broadway Hotel is also nice to eat and stay, we have been there before. Alternatively, if you just fancy an afternoon tea or light lunch The Broadway Deli is excellent and there are also a good selection of other establishments to choose from.
The Cotswold Way National Trail (leg 1 if you are a relay runner or keen walker!) runs through the centre of the village. We didn’t do it on this occasion but we have walked from the start at Chipping Camden to Broadway and beyond. Chipping Camden to Broadway is about 6 miles. The trail takes you out on to the Cotswolds escarpment with stunning views from Dover’s Hill, where the annual ‘Olimpick’ games are held. The walk continues across the fields to another of our favourite places, Broadway Tower and its panoramic views and then down into Broadway.
Another place we would highly recommend you go to is Snowshill Manor National Trust property. It is located around 3 miles away from Broadway but it really is the most amazing place to visit. It houses the most extraordinary collection of thousands of treasures collected over many years by Charles Wade who was a very eccentric gentleman. Samurai armour, musical instruments, fine clocks you will be surprised what you see. During the winter months it is only open at weekends but during the Spring and Summer it extends it opening hours and a wander around the garden is also a must.
