The days are getting warmer, flowers are blooming and animals coming out of hibernation – the Cotswolds in spring is bursting with new life. From March to May the region’s gardens are at their best but its picturesque villages are still fairly quiet before the summer rush. Add in a host of seasonal events from blossom trails and guided walks to food festivals and Easter egg hunts, and it’s a great time to visit. So here are 25 great things to do in spring 2025 in the Cotswolds.
25 things to do in the Cotswolds in spring
The great outdoors
1. Admire beautiful bluebells
A carpet of vibrant bluebells is a sure sign that spring has arrived, and you can see them in woodlands across the Cotswolds in April and May. One of the top places to see bluebells in the Cotswolds is at Foxholes Nature Reserve, south of Kingham. Follow the 1.75-mile circular Wildlife Walk through ancient woodland full of bluebells and spot birds and butterflies.
Our other favourite Cotswold bluebell-spotting locations include Siccaridge Wood near Cirencester, Frith Wood Nature Reserve and Woodchester Park near Stroud, Cam Peak near Dursley, Leckhampton Hill near Cheltenham and Dover’s Hill just outside Chipping Campden.
2. Follow the Evesham Blossom Trail
Located just outside the official border of the Cotswolds, the Evesham Blossom Trail takes you through the Vale of Evesham along a 50-mile signposted route which is lined with white and pale pink apple, pear, plum, damson and blackthorn blossoms. The route runs between mid-March and mid-May, with a trail map that shows where you can see the different types of blossom.
3. Visit Highgrove Gardens
King Charles’ country house Highgrove near Tetbury opens its impressive gardens to the public on selected dates from April 2025. Ninety-minute tours are led by knowledgeable guides who explain how to garden was designed, planted and is sustainably managed. You’ll visit the Stumpery, Thyme Walk and Carpet Garden, and can have cream tea in the Orchard Room afterwards.
4. Take a hike in Winchcombe
Winchcombe is a hub for walkers in the Cotswolds, and the annual Winchcombe Walking Festival is a great opportunity to explore its scenic surroundings on a guided walk. This year’s festival takes place from 16–18 May, and has walks at different lengths and difficulty levels, including one along a pilgrim route to Hailes Abbey and another following the 21-mile Winchcombe Way.
5. Try wild swimming
Wild swimming is booming in popularity, both for its health benefits and the chance to get back to nature. As water temperatures start to warm up in the Cotswolds in spring, why not take a dip? Popular local wild swimming spots include the River Windrush by Minster Lovell Hall, Buscot Weir near Lechlade, Stonesfield on the River Evenlode and several Cotswold Water Park lakes.
Animals and nature
6. Spring lambing at Cotswold Farm Park
Meet the new additions at Adam Henson’s Cotswold Farm Park this spring. Over 600 lambs and kids are expected to be born on the farm between 14 February–27 April 2025, making it one of the largest lambing events in the country. You can watch live births, meet newborns and their mums in the Animal Barn, and learn more about the process with talks from their farm experts.
Also new for 2025 is Lambing After Dark on 1 and 8 March, with a behind-the-scenes look at lambing season and a Q&A with farmers, followed by a meal in the park’s Ox Shed restaurant.
7. See Easter chicks at Birdland
If that’s not enough fluffy cuteness, you can also see newborn chicks at Birdland Park and Gardens in Bourton-on-the-Water. Dozens of eggs in special incubators are due to hatch out over the Easter break. There are also Easter trails, quizzes and egg-themed talks for their Cracking Easter Fun event (dates to be announced), as well as the park’s penguins, parrots, pelicans and flamingos.
8. Go horse-riding in Stanton
Head out into the Cotswold countryside on horseback with a guided hack. Cotswolds Riding are based in the pretty village of Stanton and take riders out into the hills along quiet paths and bridleways. Trips start from an hour and are suitable for beginners to advanced riders. Or you can make a day of it with one of their pub rides which stop off for lunch along the way.
Festivals and events
9. Giffords Circus at Sudeley Castle
Giffords Circus is a much-loved magical village green circus with its headquarters in the Cotswolds. They travel around the UK performing their shows, which have a different theme each year. This year they celebrate their 25th anniversary with Laguna Bay, a homage to 1950s seaside America featuring special guest performers alongside Giffords favourites like Tweedy the Clown.
This spring there are shows at Fennells Farm near Stroud (17–27 April), Sudeley Castle (9–19 May) and Blenheim Palace (22 May–2 June), with more shows in the region later in the year. You can also add on a three-course feast after the show at their Circus Sauce supper club.
10. The Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the biggest events in the horse-racing calendar, with thousands of racegoers taking over the town from 11–14 March 2025. The action culminates with the famous Gold Cup on the Friday, but there’s also Style Wednesday and St Patrick’s Thursday. And away from the track there are special events around Cheltenham, from racing breakfasts to pop-up bars.
11. Spring Spectacular at Over Farm
Over Farm just outside Gloucester is full of the joys of spring this Easter for its new Spring Spectacular from 12–27 April. This family event gives kids the chance to meet the farm’s animals as well as watching spring-themed live shows. There are also lots of activities to enjoy including a mystery trail, tractor trailer and quad train rides, hula-hooping workshops and magic shows.
12. National Trust Easter egg hunts
Join in an egg hunt this Easter at National Trust properties around the Cotswolds in April. Each of these family-friendly events has a trail to follow, activities to complete and a chocolate egg once you’ve finished. Trails take place at Chedworth Roman Villa, Dyrham Park, Newark Park, Prior Park, Hidcote, Chastleton House, Snowshill Manor and Lacock (dates vary slightly at each).
13. Easter at Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace is also putting on an Easter celebration in the palace’s Walled Garden from 18–21 April 2025. The event is in partnership with Hotel Chocolat, who’ll be running chocolate making and tasting workshops. There are also lots of activities for kids including Easter egg hunts, circus skills classes, balloon modelling, bungee trampolines, fairground rides and face-painting.
14. The RHS Malvern Spring Festival
Located just west of the Cotswolds at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern, the RHS Malvern Spring Festival is one of the UK’s biggest horticultural events. This year’s festival takes place on 8–11 May 2025 and celebrates everything garden-related, with masterclasses and guest speakers, cookery demos in the Kitchen Garden Theatre and practical tips in the new Give it a Grow Theatre.
15. The Bath Festival
From 16–25 May, the city of Bath hosts the Bath Festival, with a mix of talks, workshops, performances and walks led by famous names from the worlds of art, music and literature. One of the festival’s highlights is Party in the City on Friday 16 May, a free night of night of free folk, rock, classical and jazz music taking place in over 30 historic venues, churches and museums.
16. Chipping Campden Music Festival
Chipping Campden Music Festival is back for 2025 on 12–24 May with a host of performances from new and established classical musicians. Concerts take place in the stunning setting of Chipping Campden’s 15th-century St James Church. The programme includes performances by the Chipping Campden Festival Academy Orchestra as well as soloists and musical masterclasses.
17. Cheese-rolling on Cooper’s Hill
The Cotswolds’ most notorious event takes place on 26 May this year, as daredevil competitors chase an eight-pound wheel of Double Gloucester down steep Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire, with the one who makes it to the bottom the fastest – and in one piece – winning the cheese.
The event has a long history but has recently become an international spectacle, with the long list of injuries not discouraging people coming from all across the world coming to take part and try to win the coveted prize. There are several races for both men and women, starting from 12pm.
18. Tetbury Woolsack Races
Another quirky event taking place this spring in the Cotswolds is the Tetbury Woolsack Races. On 26 May 2025, competitors take to the streets of Tetbury to show off their strength by carrying a sack of wool weighing 60lb up and down a steep hill between two pubs. Crowds of up to 5000 people gather to watch, with a street fair featuring food stalls, a funfair, singers and entertainers.
Art and history
19. Go back in time to the Roman Cotswolds
Take a trip back in time by visiting some of the Cotswolds’ Roman sites. Cirencester – or Corinium – was an important town in Roman Britain, and remains of villas, roads and temples have been found in the Cotswolds. Best known are the Roman Baths in Bath, but there’s also Chedworth Roman Villa, once home to a wealthy family with underfloor heating, bathhouses and shrines.
At Great Witcombe Villa you can see Roman mosaics which feature sea creatures. There’s also the ruins of North Leigh Roman Villa by the River Evenlode in Oxfordshire. And you can visit the earthwork remains of one of Britain’s largest Roman amphitheatres in Cirencester, as well as learning more about Cirencester in the Roman era at the town’s Corinium Museum.
20. Visit William Morris’ summer retreat
17th-century manor house Kelmscott Manor near Lechlade was described by William Morris as ‘Heaven on Earth’. He used the house as a summer escape from London and it helped inspire the Arts and Crafts Movement. It opens to the public from 3 April (open Thursday–Saturday), and you can see Morris’ furniture, textiles and belongings on display, and explore the gardens.
21. Ride on a steam train
Take a ride on board a stream train on the Gloucestershire–Warwickshire Steam Railway this spring. This volunteer-run heritage railway travels through stunning Cotswold scenery between Cheltenham and Broadway. Get a Day Rover ticket to travel on the line all day, or visit from 24–26 May 2025 for the Cotswold Festival of Steam, with locos in action and heritage displays.
Food and drink
22. Treat mum to a Mother’s Day afternoon tea
Mother’s Day takes place on 30 March in 2025 and is the perfect excuse to spoil your mum with a delicious afternoon tea in the Cotswolds. Some of our favourite spots which combine a gorgeous setting and tasty treats are The Painswick, Lucknam Park Hotel near Bath, Lords of the Manor in Upper Slaughter, Ellenborough Park near Cheltenham and Whatley Manor in Malmesbury.
23. Forage for wild garlic
Take a walk in the woods in the Cotswolds this spring and you might notice the distinctive smell of garlic. The wild garlic season starts in March, when you can pick young leaves to make a tasty pesto, soup or garlic bread. Wild garlic likes shady damp conditions, so looks out for it in woodlands and riverbanks. Our top foraging spots are Newark Park, Prior Park and Dowdeswell Woods.
24. Take a cider-making class
If you’ve ever fancied making your own cider, Dunkertons on the edge of Cheltenham are running cider masterclasses. Taking place on 2, 16 and 30 March, 13 and 27 April, and 25 May 2025, each class starts with a tour of the cidery with an expert cider maker who’ll show you how to blend your own cider, followed by a cider tasting session accompanied by cheese and chutney.
25. Feast on local food and drink in Stroud
With its award-winning weekly farmers’ market, Stroud is a firm favourite with foodies, and from 16–18 May 2025 the area’s top local food and drink producers come to town for the Stroud Festival of Food and Drink. There are talks, tastings, masterclasses and cookery demonstrations from local chefs and food producers, as well as family entertainment, live music and food trucks.
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