Visiting the Cotswolds means beautiful landscapes, historic towns and villages, gardens and stately homes. But the one thing you can’t guarantee in the UK is the weather. On average the Cotswolds sees 9–13 days of rain each month. And although rainfall peaks in the winter, you can get showers at any time of year, so it’s good to be prepared. Our guide to things to do in the Cotswolds in the rain will help you make the most of your Cotswold trip, whatever the weather throws at you.
Visit a museum or gallery
One of the best ways to fill a rainy day in the Cotswolds is to learn something new while keeping dry inside the region’s museums and art galleries. Note that some smaller museums close between November and Easter, so check opening times in advance if you’re visiting off-season.
Want to find out more about local history? The Corinium Museum in Cirencester takes you back to the Roman era, when Corinium Dobunnorum was the second largest Roman town in Britain. As well as Roman mosaics and artefacts, you can also find out about other periods of Cirencester’s history, from the Saxons to the Civil War, with hands-on activities and events for kids.
You can also take a journey through the history of Oxfordshire from the days of the dinosaurs at the Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock. Experience life in 1870s Cheltenham at Holst Victorian House, birthplace of composer Gustav Holst. Or find out about local crafts and industries at Stroud’s Museum in the Park, the Tolsey Museum in Burford and Winchcombe Museum.
Interested in art and design? The northern Cotswolds was a centre for the Arts and Crafts Movement in the 1900s, and you can discover the work of CR Ashbee and his Guild of Craftsmen at the Court Barn Museum in Chipping Campden. There’s also more Arts and Crafts design at the Gordon Russell Museum in Broadway, dedicated to the pioneering local furniture designer.
Broadway and Stow-on-the Wold have a wide selection of galleries if you’re looking to buy some Cotswold artworks. And you can see paintings, sculptures and photos alongside exhibits on local history in the Broadway Museum and Art Gallery and the Wilson in Cheltenham.
Looking for something a bit different? Fans of vintage vehicles will be in heaven at the Cotswold Motoring Museum in Bourton-on-the-Water, which is packed with historic cars, motorbikes, toys and memorabilia – including Brum the car from the 1990s kids’ TV show.
You can also take to the skies (virtually at least) at the Wellington Aviation Museum in Moreton-in-Marsh, which showcases the area’s links with the Royal Air Force. Or see heritage aircraft and take a cockpit tour of Trident and Vulcan planes at the Jet Age Museum near Staverton.
There are also enough museums in Bath to fill several rainy days, including the Roman Baths, Jane Austen Centre, Victoria Art Gallery and Museum of Bath at Work.
Explore a stately home
If you’re looking for indoor attractions in the Cotswolds to escape the bad weather, why not explore some of the region’s stately homes and historic houses? These period properties feature grand architecture, ornate furniture and artworks, and plenty of interesting stories.
One of the region’s most impressive stately homes is Blenheim Palace near Woodstock. This UNESCO World Heritage site includes acres of gardens and parkland. But there’s plenty to see indoors, including lavish staterooms and an exhibition on Sir Winston Churchill, who was born at the palace. There’s also a new exhibition showing what life was like for servants ‘below stairs’.
There’s also Sudeley Castle near Winchcombe, once home to Henry VIII’s last wife Katherine Parr. An exhibition in the 15th-century west wing features objects from the castle’s 1000-year history. And you can add on a behind-the-scenes tour of the family apartments or art collection.
Our other favourite Cotswold stately homes include Snowshill Manor, which is a treasure trove of quirky artefacts collected by its last owner, Charles Paget Wade. Chastleton House is a time capsule of life 400 years ago. Kelmscott Manor showcases furniture, prints and tapestries owned by designer William Morris. And Dyrham Park features treasures collected from around the world.
If you’re planning on visiting several Cotswold stately homes, it may be worth investing in National Trust or Historic Houses annual membership
See a show
Whether you want to watch a play or musical, check out some top comedy talent or see a live music performance, there’s a range of Cotswold arts venues where you can watch a show while you hide out from the rain. Check out the Everyman Theatre, Playhouse and Town Hall in Cheltenham, the Barn Theatre in Cirencester, The Theatre Chipping Norton and the Sub Rooms in Stroud.
Or Giffords Circus is a traditional village green circus from the Cotswolds which tours a new show from April–September each year. Their home is Fennells Farm near Stroud, but they also perform at Cotswold venues like Sudeley Castle, Blenheim Palace and Minchinhampton Common.
You can also catch the latest releases or watch a classic movie at one of the Cotswolds’ boutique cinemas. At the Living Room Chipping Norton and Tivoli Cinema Cheltenham you can order food and drink to be delivered to your luxurious sofa seat. Or the charming Wotton Electric Picture House in Wotton-under-Edge is one of the country’s oldest cinemas, dating back to 1913.
Take a drinks tour and tasting
The Cotswolds is home to some award-winning drinks producers. And several vineyards, breweries and distilleries run tours so you can see how they make their products and give them a try.
Beer fans can take a daily tour of the Victorian Hook Norton Brewery in Oxfordshire and meet their Shire horses, who still deliver the beer today. Jeremy Clarkson’s Hawkstone Brewery on the edge of Bourton-on-the-Water also runs tours and tastings most days. Or the historic Donnington Brewery near Stow-on-the-Wold and Corinium Brewery in Cirencester both run weekly tours.
If you’re more of a wine lover, then Woodchester Valley Vineyard south of Stroud, Little Oak Vineyard in Chipping Campden and Poulton Hill Estate near Cirencester all run wine tastings and vineyard tours – they don’t run every day though so check their websites in advance.
Or you can try Cotswold gins, whiskies and liqueurs at the Cotswolds Distillery Visitor Centre near Shipston-on-Stour. Tours and tastings run daily, or you can sign up for a gin or whisky blending masterclass and learn how to create your own. There are also tours of The Bath Distillery on Saturdays and ‘make your own gin’ sessions at Piston Distillery near Cheltenham.
Take a trip on a steam train
One of our favourite things to do in the Cotswolds in the rain is to take a trip on board the Gloucestershire–Warwickshire Steam Railway. This beautifully restored heritage railway runs for 14 miles between Cheltenham Racecourse and Broadway, via Winchcombe and Toddington.
You get to watch the Cotswolds scenery go by out of the window from the comfort of their vintage carriages, with a cup of tea or a bacon butty from the buffet car. A round trip takes around three hours in total. But you can also get off at stations along the way to visit the loco sheds and museums at Toddington, or the Discovery Coach and model railway at Winchcombe.
Learn something new
Rainy days in the Cotswolds are a good excuse to learn or improve a skill. At the Daylesford Organic estate near Kingham you can sign up for floristry workshops. They also have an in-house cookery school where you can polish your patisserie or pasta-making skills. Or learn to cook different cuisines from around the world at the Foodworks Cookery School in Colesbourne.
If you’d prefer something more artistic, New Brewery Arts in Cirencester run art and design classes for both kids and adults, which include pottery, painting and sewing. Or Larkswold in Adlestrop host sessions on ceramic painting, stained glass, mosaics, lampshade making and lino printing.
Meet the animals
The Cotswolds’ farm and animal parks are a popular choice for families looking to keep the kids entertained. They usually have a mix of indoor and outdoor activities as well as cafés, so they’re perfect for showery days when you need somewhere to shelter from the rain.
The Cotswold Farm Park near Guiting Power is run by BBC Countryfile presenter Adam Henson. You can learn about farm life and meet cows, sheep, pigs and more, with lambing in spring and bottle-feeding sessions in summer. There’s also Fairytale Farm near Chipping Norton. Or get close to some of the world’s most terrifying creatures at Crocodiles of the World near Burford.
Relax with a spa day
If you’d like a relaxing way to escape the bad weather, the Cotswolds has a fantastic array of luxurious spa hotels where you can spend the day indoors being pampered. Not all Cotswold spa hotels are open to non-residents, but several let day guests book a spa session.
Our Cotswold spa day picks include The Lygon Arms and Dormy House in Broadway, Calcot and Spa near Tetbury, Cotswold House in Chipping Campden, Whatley Manor near Malmesbury, and Ellenborough Park, Cowley Manor and the Greenway Hotel near Cheltenham.
Expect to pay around £100–£180 for a half-day spa session, including a treatment or two and time to enjoy the pool, jacuzzi and steam room. Or for a lower-budget way to soak away the rainy day stresses, head to the Thermae Bath Spa. This naturally heated spa complex has several different pools, steam and relaxation rooms, with a two-hour weekday session costing £42.50.
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