Exploring the Cotswolds in autumn means a mix of enjoying the colours outdoors and cosying up inside, as the days get shorter, the leaves start to turn and the summer crowds head home. With events to celebrate harvest, Halloween and Bonfire Night, there’s lots going on at this time of year. So to help you plan the next few months, here are 25 of our top things to do in autumn 2024 in the Cotswolds, from woodland walks and foraging classes to festivals and ghost tours.
25 things to do in the Cotswolds in autumn
The great outdoors
1. Take a walk in the woods
Crisp sunny days and misty mornings make autumn a great time to head out for a walk in the Cotswold countryside. Choose a woodland path and admire the colourful trees, kick your way through piles of fallen leaves, collect conkers and pick ripe, juicy blackberries.
Some of our favourite woodland walks in the Cotswolds include Lineover Woods, Castlett Wood near Guiting Power, Woodchester Park and Laurie Lee Wood in Slad. Or you can climb up to a viewpoint like Cleeve Common, Bredon Hill or Dumbleton Hill to see autumn hues from above.
2. See autumn colours at an arboretum
For more beautiful Cotswold autumn colours, pay a visit to the arboretums at Westonbirt and Batsford. The best time to visit to see the colours at their peak depends on the weather (check their websites and social media channels for updates), but generally you can expect to see the tree canopy dazzle in shades of gold, orange and red between early October and mid-November.
3. Spot wild deer
A stag silhouetted in the mist at sunset is one of the classic images of the Cotswolds in autumn. If you want to photograph deer, there are a few places where you can see them. And if you time it well you can catch the annual deer rut in October, when stags fight to impress female deer.
A herd of fallow deer has recently been reintroduced to National Trust site Dyrham Park. There are also deer parks at Lodge Park on the Sherborne Estate and Charlecote Park country house east of Stratford-upon-Avon – where legend has it that a young William Shakespeare was once prosecuted for poaching. And you can meet the herd with a deer encounter at the Broadway Tower.
4. Go stargazing
The Cotswolds has some of the darkest skies in England, making it the perfect place to try stargazing. Astronomy experts Dark Sky Discovery have identified the Rollright Stones and Aunt Phoebe’s Recreation Ground, both near Chipping Norton, as the Cotswolds’ best stargazing spots. Or head to a high point like Cleeve Common, Painswick Beacon or the Tynesdale Monument.
Apps like Star Walk 2, Sky Safari and Star Tracker and are available to download which tell you what you’re looking at. Or if you want to learn from an expert you can take a two-hour stargazing tour where you explore star systems, planets and galaxies close up through a large telescope.
5. Pick your own pumpkin
Autumn means pumpkin season, and whether you’re planning on carving one for Halloween or cooking up a tasty pumpkin pie, you can choose a prize specimen at one of the Cotswolds’ pumpkin patches this October. Among the places where you can pick your own pumpkin are:
- Cotswold Farm Park near Guiting Power (4–6, 11–13, 18–20 and 23–31 October)
- Cattle Country Farm Park in Berkeley (12–13, 19–20 and 25–31 October)
- Primrose Vale farm shop on the edge of Cheltenham (6, 12–13 and 19–20 October)
- Hayles Fruit Farm near Winchcombe (from 22 October)
- Over Farm Market just outside Gloucester (5–6, 12–13, 19–20 and 25–31 October).
Get cosy
6. Indulge in a luxurious hot chocolate
A steaming cup of creamy hot chocolate, topped with marshmallows and cream, is one of our essential autumn indulgences. Our top hot chocolates in the Cotswolds are from Luxe Café Bar in Cirencester, Coach House Coffee in Stow-on-the-Wold and The Curious Café in Cheltenham. Or you can create your own with chocolate drinking flakes from the Cotswold Chocolate Company.
7. Have Sunday lunch by a log fire
What better way to spend an autumnal Sunday than tucking into a traditional roast dinner by a roaring fire in a country pub? And we’re spoilt for choice in the Cotswolds with a whole host of cosy spots serving delicious, locally sourced dishes. The Bell at Sapperton, The Green Dragon at Cowley, The Village Pub in Barnsley, The Five Alls at Filkins, The Potting Shed in Malmesbury, The Five Alls in Cheltenham and The King’s Head Inn in Bledington are just a few of our favourites.
8. Watch a firework display
Wrap up warm (or stay close to the bonfire) and watch glittering fireworks fill the sky as the Cotswolds celebrates Bonfire Night in traditional style. This year there are firework displays in Stroud’s Five Valleys (28 October), Bath Racecourse (1 November), Dursley (2 November), Guiting Power (3 November), Moreton-in-Marsh (7 November) and Cheltenham Racecourse (9 November).
9. Toast marshmallows over the fire
Sticky, caramelised marshmallows cooked on a stick over an open fire are a camping classic. But even if you’re not leaving home you can still stoke up a fire and sit outside on an autumn evening. toasting your way through a bag of marshmallows – whether you prefer them the traditional way, or sandwiched between graham crackers and chocolate for American-style s’mores.
Festivals and events
10. Moreton-in-Marsh show
The traditional Moreton-in-Marsh agricultural show takes place on 7 September this year at the town’s showground. Describing itself as a ‘day of farming, food and family fun’, it’s one of the UK’s biggest agricultural shows. There are displays of various livestock, horse shows, produce, crafts and baking in the Home and Garden marquee, along with lots of shopping opportunities.
11. Cornbury House Horse Trials
The Cornbury House Horse Trials are a modern take on traditional eventing, taking place in the Wychwood Forest near Charlbury in Oxfordshire from 11–15 September. As well as dressage, cross country and show jumping action, there’s locally sourced ‘Field Food’, family-friendly craft workshops like willow weaving and clay animal making, and evening entertainment.
12. Light Garden Festival in Chipping Campden
A new wellness festival comes to the Cotswolds this autumn from 12–15 September. The Light Garden Festival takes place at Norton Grounds near Chipping Campden. Nourish your mind and body with a weekend of talks from inspirational speakers, yoga and meditation sessions, healing therapies, creative workshops, supper clubs and music – with special sessions for kids.
13. Autumn Classic at Castle Combe
Go back in time to the Golden Age of motor racing with the Autumn Classic Historical Racing Festival at Castle Combe Circuit in Wiltshire on 21–22 September 2024. Races feature classic cars from the 1950s, 60s and 70s – with special events to mark the 70th anniversary of MGs and Austin Healeys. There are also car displays, parades, a classic car auction and live entertainment.
14. Cotswold Farm Park Summer Sundown
Bringing country music to the Cotswolds, the new Summer Sundown festival takes place at Adam Henson’s Cotswold Farm Park on 20–22 September. Expect musical tributes to country stars Shania Twain and Luke Coombs, as well as line dancing sessions, BBQ food, a rodeo bull and coconut shy. There are day and weekend tickets available, with both kids and dogs welcome.
15. Classical music festivals
Enjoy classical music in the Cotswolds’ beautiful churches this autumn. Tetbury Music Festival takes place from 28 September–6 October, with works by Beethoven, Mozart and Bach being performed in St Mary’s Church. And Northleach’s Church of St Peter and St Paul – the ‘Cathedral of the Cotswolds’ – hosts concerts on 1 and 2 November as part of the Cotswold Festival of Music.
There are also celebrations around Cheltenham to mark the 150th birthday of composer Gustav Holst, who was born in the town. Concerts, plays and exhibitions take place until November, including a community event in Imperial Gardens on Holst’s birthday – 21 September.
16. Cheltenham Literature Festival
Cheltenham Literature Festival is one of the highlights of the year in the Festival Town, when over 1000 authors from the worlds of fiction, poetry, film and TV, sport, food, travel and politics descend on Cheltenham for 10 days of talks, workshops and book signings.
This year the festival celebrates its 75th anniversary from 4–13 October. There’s also the Festival Village in Montpellier Gardens to explore, with food and drink stalls, the book tent and activities and story trails for kids. And don’t miss the late-night Lit Crawl which visits venues around town.
17. Burford Literary Festival
Cheltenham isn’t the only literature festival taking place in the Cotswolds this autumn, the Burford Literary Festival is also back from 27–29 September. This community festival uses small venues to give it an intimate feel, and is designed to be accessible with many tickets costing £10. As well as talks and book signings, there’s also a Secret Garden Party with cocktails and canapés.
18. Ghost Hunt at Woodchester Mansion
Spend the night at the spooky unfinished Victorian Gothic Woodchester Mansion – if you dare! Woodchester Mansion was abandoned partway through construction in 1868, when workers mysteriously downed tools and left, never to return. Since then there have been tales of strange happenings and ghostly sightings including a phantom horseman and floating head.
Ghost Hunt evenings are being held on Friday 13th in September and December by Haunted Happenings, who bring their specialist electromagnetic field detecting equipment and lead guests in séances to communicate with the resident ghosts – not one for the fainthearted.
History and heritage
19. Go behind the scenes with Heritage Open Days
Each autumn, properties across England throw open their doors for Heritage Open Days, taking place on 6–15 September this year. This celebration of history is a chance to visit places which aren’t normally open to the public, with a mix of guided tours, talks, walks and special events.
Among the Cotswold venues opening their doors for this year’s Heritage Open Days are Cheltenham Ladies College, Westonbirt House Gardens, Kelmscott Manor and Woodchester Mansion. There’s also free entry to National Trust sites Hidcote (6 and 7 September), Dyrham Park (7 September), Prior Park Landscape Garden (7 and 14 September) and Newark Park (14 September).
20. Visit Bath’s Jane Austen Festival
From 13–22 September, the city of Bath celebrates one of its most famous residents – Jane Austen. The annual Jane Austen Festival involves all things Austen, with talks, walks, performances, costumed balls and day trips to locations from her books. It’s also a chance to dress up in 18th-century style and join 500 other Austen fans in the Grand Regency Costumed Promenade.
21. Take a Bloody Bourton tour
Discover the dark side of the pretty riverside town of Bourton-on-the-Water with a Bloody Bourton Walking Tour, led by costumed guide Edward Charnel. These two-hour Friday and Saturday evening tours reveal the town’s secrets, introducing you to its ghostly residents as well as discovering a cast of fairies, witches, priests and murderers as you learn more about the history of Bourton.
Food and drink
22. Forage for your food
Discover the bounty of the harvest with a foraging session led by Cotswold Forager Rob Gould, who is running ‘A Forage in The Cotswolds’ on 1, 21 September, 5, and 19 October. His 2.5-hour walks take you out into the Cotswold countryside to search for wild, seasonal produce. You’ll learn how to forage safely and identify different wild edibles so that you can pick them yourself.
23. Toast autumn with a Hedgerow Gin
Made with a selection of locally harvested sloes, damsons, blackberries and bullace (a type of wild plum), the Hedgerow Gin from the Cotswolds Distillery tastes like autumn in the Cotswolds in a glass. The fruit is macerated slowly in their Cotswolds Dry Gin before being aged in oak casks, giving it a fruity, spicy flavour. It’s delicious over ice – or try it warm on a cold day.
24. Eat your way around Broadway Food Festival
Broadway is one of the foodie hubs of the Cotswolds, and on 15 September 2024 the town showcases the wealth of fantastic food and drink available locally at the Broadway Food Festival. Now in its 10th year, the event will have stalls selling everything from curries and crêpes to pies and pig roast, as well as tasting sessions and cookery demonstrations from Broadway’s chefs.
25. Feast on Cheltenham Food & Drink Week
Or get a taste of Cheltenham’s top-notch food scene at Cheltenham Food & Drink Week on 16–22 September. The week-long programme includes an evening with celebrity chef Simon Rimmer and Cheltenham’s culinary stars, the first Cheltenham Chilli Fiesta and a pub quiz crawl. You can also take advantage of special dinner menus and masterclasses at venues around town.
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