# Notgrove Staycation Guide — Where to Stay & What to Do > Notgrove: a tiny Cotswold village near Bourton-on-the-Water with a Neolithic long barrow, Saxon church carving and quiet wold walking. Source: https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove (Staycation.co.uk). Cite the source page, not this text version. A quiet Cotswold ridge, an ancient burial mound, big skies Photo © Brewbert, Google Maps [Guide](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove) [🏨 Hotels](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/hotels) [🏡 Cottages](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/cottages) [⛺ Camping](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/camping) [🎟️ Attractions](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/attractions) [🍽️ Restaurants](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/restaurants) Notgrove is barely a village at all in the conventional sense – a tiny Cotswold parish of fewer than a hundred people, strung along a ridge of high, open farmland between Cheltenham and Stow-on-the-Wold. There is no shop, no pub, no bustle, only a scatter of stone farmhouses, a manor, and a small church tower rising above wind-bent trees. What Notgrove has instead is age: this stretch of the Cotswolds has been settled and worked for over five thousand years, and the evidence for that is still sitting in the fields. The parish sits high on the Cotswold plateau, around 200 metres above sea level, where the land rolls out in wide arable fields divided by drystone walls and the odd copse of beech. It is quintessential wold country – the kind of landscape that gave the Cotswolds their name, sheep pasture turned to a patchwork of cereal and grass, with long views towards the Windrush valley. Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire’s most-visited village, is a few minutes down the road, and Stow-on-the-Wold and Cheltenham are both within easy reach, but Notgrove itself stays resolutely rural, best explored on foot or by bike rather than as a destination with amenities of its own. ## Getting to Notgrove Notgrove lies just off the A436 between Andoversford and Stow-on-the-Wold, a few miles north-east of Bourton-on-the-Water. By car it is around 15 minutes from Cheltenham and 30–40 minutes from Gloucester, Cirencester or Oxford, with the A40 and A429 (the Fosse Way) both close by. The nearest mainline railway station is Moreton-in-Marsh, roughly a 20-minute drive, with services to London Paddington and Worcester; Cheltenham Spa station has faster connections to Birmingham and Bristol. Local bus services along the A436 corridor are infrequent, so a car is the practical way to explore this part of the wolds. ## Best time to visit Notgrove Late spring through early autumn suits Notgrove best, when the surrounding footpaths are driest and the wold fields are at their most photogenic – golden with barley in July, or freshly green after lambing in April and May. Summer also brings the longest daylight for walking out to the long barrow and back. Autumn colours the beech copses along the ridge, while winter has its own appeal for those who like empty paths and big skies, though the exposed, high ground can be cold and muddy underfoot. Being deep in the countryside with no village amenities, Notgrove is a quiet, off-season destination as much as a summer one. ## Where to stay in Notgrove [All hotels in Notgrove →](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/hotels) About staying in Notgrove Hotels in Notgrove itself are limited to a small number of farmhouse bed and breakfasts, reflecting the size of the parish – this is high, quiet wold country rather than a village with a hospitality scene of its own. Most visitors base themselves instead in nearby Bourton-on-the-Water or Stow-on-the-Wold, both under ten minutes away by car, where options range from traditional Cotswold coaching inns with stone fireplaces and exposed beams to boutique hotels and country house properties set in their own grounds. Cheltenham, a little further afield, adds a wider spread of choice again, from Regency townhouse hotels to budget chains, along with better transport links for those without a car for the whole stay. Whichever base you choose, the appeal of staying near Notgrove is the same: quick access to genuinely open, uncrowded countryside, with the long barrow, St Bartholomew’s church and miles of footpath walking a short drive or a longer walk from the door, while the shops, restaurants and railway connections of the bigger Cotswold villages and Cheltenham remain within easy reach for day trips or evenings out. Booking ahead is worthwhile in summer and around Cotswold show and festival weekends, when accommodation across the wider area fills up quickly. [Aylworth Manor Aylworth, Cheltenham](https://staycation.co.uk/cheltenham/hotels/aylworth-manor) [Sunny Nest Old Gloucester Road, Bourton-on-the-Water](https://staycation.co.uk/bourton-on-the-water/hotels/sunny-nest) [🏨B&B Whiteshoots Cottage Whiteshoots Hill, Bourton-on-the-Water](https://staycation.co.uk/bourton-on-the-water/hotels/whiteshoots-cottage) [9.4 ★★★★4 star Guiting Guest House Guiting Power, Gloucestershire from £115/night](https://staycation.co.uk/cotswolds/hotels/guiting-guest-house) [The Wheatsheaf Inn West End, Cheltenham](https://staycation.co.uk/cheltenham/hotels/the-wheatsheaf-inn) [🏨Guest Accommodation Bears Court Barn 1 Little Rissington, Bourton-on-the-Water](https://staycation.co.uk/bourton-on-the-water/hotels/bears-court-barn-1) [Lords of The Manor Upper Slaughter, Bourton-on-The-Water](https://staycation.co.uk/bourton-on-the-water/hotels/lords-of-the-manor) [The Mousetrap Inn Lansdowne, Cheltenham](https://staycation.co.uk/cheltenham/hotels/the-mousetrap-inn) ## Things to Do in Notgrove [All attractions in Notgrove →](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/attractions) Top things to do in Notgrove Notgrove rewards anyone happy to walk, look, and take their time; its interest is archaeological and scenic rather than a checklist of attractions. - **Notgrove Long Barrow** – a Neolithic chambered long barrow of the Cotswold-Severn type, around 50 metres long, standing on a ridge with wide views. First excavated in 1881 and again by Elsie Clifford in 1934–5, it revealed a stone burial chamber, a male skeleton, and a ritual forecourt formed by two projecting ‘horns’ – one of the more substantial Neolithic monuments in the Cotswolds. - **Church of St Bartholomew** – a 12th-century church much enlarged in the 14th century, with an octagonal spire and a rare Saxon carving of the Crucifixion, dated to at least the 10th century, set into a niche on the exterior of the east wall. Inside is a Norman tub font and effigies linked to descendants of Dick Whittington. - **Cotswolds National Landscape walking** – Notgrove sits within the Cotswolds National Landscape (formerly AONB), and the surrounding footpaths link the long barrow, the church, and neighbouring villages across open wold country and along the Warden’s Way and Gloucestershire Way long-distance routes. - **Bourton-on-the-Water** – a few miles south, the “Venice of the Cotswolds”, with the River Windrush running through the village centre, low footbridges, and Model Village, Motoring Museum and Birdland attractions. - **Stow-on-the-Wold** – the highest town in the Cotswolds, with its market square, antique shops and the yew-flanked north door of St Edward’s Church. - **Naunton and the Windrush valley** – a neighbouring village with a restored dovecote and gentle valley walking along the young River Windrush. [Bourton on the Water Mystery Trail ⭐ 4.6](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/attractions/bourton-on-the-water-mystery-trail) [Cotswold Motoring Museum ⭐ 4.6](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/attractions/cotswold-motoring-museum) [The Old New Inn Model Village ⭐ 4.6](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/attractions/the-old-new-inn-model-village) [Birdland Park and Gardens ⭐ 4.5](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/attractions/birdland-park-and-gardens) [Cotswold Farm Park ⭐ 4.6](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/attractions/cotswold-farm-park) [The Warehouse Climbing Centre ⭐ 4.6](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/attractions/the-warehouse-climbing-centre) [Chedworth Roman Villa ⭐ 4.6](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/attractions/chedworth-roman-villa) [Sudeley Castle ⭐ 4.7](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/attractions/sudeley-castle) ## Where to Eat in Notgrove [All restaurants in Notgrove →](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/restaurants) Food and drink in Notgrove Notgrove has no pub or shop of its own, so eating out means a short drive. The Plough Inn at Cold Aston and The Coach and Horses at Longborough are among the traditional Cotswold pubs within easy reach, while Bourton-on-the-Water offers a wide choice of cafes, tea rooms and restaurants along the Windrush, and Stow-on-the-Wold has long-standing options such as The Old Butchers and the many pubs around the market square. Cheltenham, a short drive away, adds a much larger choice of restaurants and independent cafes. [Cold Aston Village Hall ⭐ 5.0](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/restaurants/cold-aston-village-hall) [Naunton Village Hall ⭐ 4.8](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/restaurants/naunton-village-hall) [The Curious Wine Cellar ⭐ 4.5](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/restaurants/the-curious-wine-cellar) [Cotswold Antiques And Tearoom ⭐ 3.9](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/restaurants/cotswold-antiques-and-tearoom) [Bamboo Villa Chinese Restaurant ⭐ 3.8](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/restaurants/bamboo-villa-chinese-restaurant) [Mrs Rolts Tea Rooms Limited ⭐ 4.3](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/restaurants/mrs-rolts-tea-rooms-limited) [Smiths Bar And Restaurant ⭐ 4.6](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/restaurants/smiths-bar-and-restaurant) [Shalom The Rainbow Shop ⭐ 4.8](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/restaurants/shalom-the-rainbow-shop) ## Attractions Near Notgrove [All attractions in Notgrove →](https://staycation.co.uk/attractions) Worth the trip — within 50 miles of Notgrove. [1 mi Bourton on the Water Mystery Trail Bourton-on-the-Water · ⭐ 4.6](https://staycation.co.uk/bourton-on-the-water/attractions/bourton-on-the-water-mystery-trail) [4 mi Cotswold Motoring Museum Bourton-on-the-Water · ⭐ 4.6](https://staycation.co.uk/bourton-on-the-water/attractions/cotswold-motoring-museum) [4 mi The Old New Inn Model Village Cheltenham · ⭐ 4.6](https://staycation.co.uk/cheltenham/attractions/the-old-new-inn-model-village) [4 mi Birdland Park and Gardens Bourton-on-the-Water · ⭐ 4.5](https://staycation.co.uk/bourton-on-the-water/attractions/birdland-park-and-gardens) [4 mi Cotswold Farm Park Cheltenham · ⭐ 4.6](https://staycation.co.uk/cheltenham/attractions/cotswold-farm-park) [4 mi The Warehouse Climbing Centre Gloucester · ⭐ 4.6](https://staycation.co.uk/gloucester/attractions/the-warehouse-climbing-centre) [5 mi Chedworth Roman Villa Cheltenham · ⭐ 4.6](https://staycation.co.uk/cheltenham/attractions/chedworth-roman-villa) [7 mi Sudeley Castle Winchcombe · ⭐ 4.7](https://staycation.co.uk/winchcombe/attractions/sudeley-castle) ## Camping in Notgrove [All campsites in Notgrove →](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/camping) About camping in Notgrove Notgrove and its surrounding wolds offer some of the most open, quietly beautiful camping and glamping country in Gloucestershire, though as with all of England, wild camping on private land here is illegal without the landowner’s express permission – unlike parts of Scotland, there is no general right to pitch up on open countryside, so a booked site is the way to camp legally and considerately. The terrain around Notgrove is high, exposed wold farmland: gently rolling arable fields and pasture divided by drystone walls, at around 200 metres above sea level, with long views but relatively little natural shelter, so a site with hedging, walls or established trees makes a real difference to comfort in a stiff Cotswold breeze. Sites in the area range from simple, small-scale camping fields on working farms to well-equipped touring and glamping parks with shepherd’s huts, bell tents and yurts, many within a short drive around Bourton-on-the-Water, Northleach, Stow-on-the-Wold and the wider Windrush valley. Glamping has grown quickly across this part of the Cotswolds in recent years, and it suits the area’s changeable weather well – a solid canvas structure with proper bedding takes the edge off a cold night on the wolds without losing the feel of sleeping under the stars. Late spring to early autumn is the best window for camping here: the ground is driest, the days are long enough for evenings sitting out, and the surrounding footpaths – including routes past Notgrove Long Barrow and along the Warden’s Way – are at their most walkable. Even in high summer, pack for changeable British weather and bring layers for the exposed, breezy high ground after dark. Spring and autumn camping can be atmospheric, with mist settling over the wolds at dawn, but nights are colder and pitches can be muddy after rain, so check site conditions before booking outside the main season. [Notgrove Holidays (Glamping) ⭐ 4.7](https://staycation.co.uk/gloucestershire/camping/notgrove-holidays-glamping) [Notgrove Holidays ⭐ 4.7](https://staycation.co.uk/cheltenham/camping/notgrove-holidays) [⛺Campsite Folly Farm Campsite ⭐ 5.0 · from £13/night](https://staycation.co.uk/cotswolds/camping/folly-farm) [Bourton-on-the-Water Caravan and Motorhome Club Site ⭐ 4.6](https://staycation.co.uk/gloucestershire/camping/bourton-on-the-water-caravan-and-motorhome-club-site) [The Wildings Campsite ⭐ 4.7 · from £30/night](https://staycation.co.uk/bourton-on-the-water/camping/the-wildings-campsite) [Field Barn Park ⭐ 4.3 · from £21/night](https://staycation.co.uk/cotswolds/camping/field-barn-park) [Cotswold Carp Farm ⭐ 4.6](https://staycation.co.uk/gloucestershire/camping/cotswold-carp-farm) [Adam Henson's Cotswold Farm Park ⭐ 4.6](https://staycation.co.uk/gloucestershire/camping/adam-henson-s-cotswold-farm-park) ## Self-Catering Cottages in Notgrove [All cottages in Notgrove →](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/cottages) [🏡Cottage The Granary 2 bed · sleeps 4 · from £544](https://staycation.co.uk/cotswold/cottages/the-granary-syk1140060) [Flynn's Barn 3 bed · sleeps 8 · from £966](https://staycation.co.uk/cotswold/cottages/flynns-barn-syk1091363) [Hetty's Stables 3 bed · sleeps 7 · from £862](https://staycation.co.uk/cotswold/cottages/hettys-stables-syk1091364) [🏡Cottage The Snicket 4 bed · sleeps 8 · from £1,064](https://staycation.co.uk/cotswold/cottages/the-snicket-syk1164922) [Wychwood 2 bed · sleeps 4 · from £1,844](https://staycation.co.uk/cotswold/cottages/wychwood-ukc1153) [Dove Cottage (Naunton) 2 bed · sleeps 4 · from £536](https://staycation.co.uk/cotswold/cottages/dove-cottage-naunton-syk1091269) [Oyster Barn 2 bed · sleeps 4 · from £634](https://staycation.co.uk/cotswold/cottages/oyster-barn-syk1091282) [🏡Cottage Gleed Cottage 2 bed · sleeps 4 · from £418](https://staycation.co.uk/cotswold/cottages/gleed-cottage-syk1091196) ### 🏨 Find Hotels in Notgrove Search hotels, B&Bs and self-catering on Booking.com. [Search Accommodation →](https://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-101762279-15734754?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.booking.com%2Fsearchresults.en-gb.html%3Fss%3DNotgrove%252C%2BUnited%2BKingdom) Affiliate link ### Explore Notgrove - [🏨 Hotels & B&Bs](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/hotels) - [🏡 Cottages](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/cottages) - [⛺ Campsites & glamping](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/camping) - [🎟️ Attractions](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/attractions) - [🍽️ Restaurants](https://staycation.co.uk/notgrove/restaurants) ## Staycation ideas for Notgrove [All staycation ideas →](https://staycation.co.uk/staycation-ideas) [The Best Last-Minute UK Staycations Six well-connected UK towns and cities worth booking at short notice, chosen for easy travel and a decent spread of accommodation once the school-holiday crowds have thinned.](https://staycation.co.uk/staycation-ideas/best-last-minute-staycations) [Rainy Day Staycations: Best UK Breaks for Bad Weather When the forecast turns grim, these UK cities and spa towns keep their appeal indoors, with museums, galleries and grand architecture to fill a wet weekend.](https://staycation.co.uk/staycation-ideas/rainy-day-staycations-uk) [The Best Dog-Friendly Staycations in Britain From Cornish coast paths to Lake District fells, these six British destinations offer the open beaches, moors and forests that make a staycation genuinely enjoyable for dogs and their owners alike.](https://staycation.co.uk/staycation-ideas/dog-friendly-staycations) [The Best UK Staycations for Families with Young Kids From New Forest ponies to Cornish rock pools, these six UK destinations combine easy logistics, safe beaches and family-friendly attractions for a stress-free break with young children.](https://staycation.co.uk/staycation-ideas/best-staycations-for-families)