A Perfect Weekend in the Cotswolds: Stay, Dine and Unwind at the Double Red Duke

Few destinations epitomise “Englishness” quite like the Cotswolds. With its chocolate box villages and honey-coloured buildings, it’s long attracted both Brits looking for an escape from the hustle and bustle, as well as tourists travelling from much further afield. There is a slower pace of life here (sometimes literally, when you’re stuck behind a tractor in a narrow country lane), with an emphasis on local food and warm hospitality in a bucolic countryside setting.

Yet with over 50 villages to explore, it can be difficult to know where to base yourself. But we are hand-on-heart being totally unbiased when we say that The Double Red Duke, located a stone’s throw from Oxford (needs no introduction), Bamford (where Downton Abbey was filmed), Burford (famed for its farm shop) and Lechlade-on-Thames (a riverside haven), is a really stellar option.

Not only are we ideally placed, but we’re also a one-stop shop for both top-notch food and a comfy place to rest your head. Plus, our warm and convivial atmosphere makes for a great backdrop to unwind after a long day’s walking, cycling or simply pottering from shop to shop. Plus, we’re children and dog friendly, making us a great choice for families too.

The perfect weekend in the Cotswolds starts with breakfast, naturally. Our recommendation would be to go for the Full English (it’s fuel for later), with our ingredients all sourced locally and cooked over our amazing wood oven. If you’re not a breakfast person, then you can always stick to a pastry and a black coffee. We have quite the selection.

New here? For some quintessential Cotswolds fodder, why not village-hop? Each has something charming to recommend it: at Bourton-on-the-Water there’s the miniature village, Burford has its farm shop and Broadway its historic tower. All of them have cute cafés, independent shops and duck ponds. Tick, tick, tick.

Further afield there’s plenty to entertain the culture-vulture amongst you. Downton fans will want to make a beeline for Bampton Village, where many key scenes were filmed. If that inspires you to see how the other half actually live today, then Blenheim Palace is only a 25-minute drive away too. There’s more culture to be found at Kelmscott Manor, the home of William Morris’s Arts and Crafts movement, as well as at Batsford Arboretum, former home of the infamous Mitford sisters. And if it rains? There’s always the Snug, where we keep a stash of board games for such occasions, (or you could settle in with a book). Even better is the spa, housed in a shepherd hut in the garden, where you can try a host of relaxing treatments while you listen to the rain on the roof.

Of course, no perfect weekend to the Cotswolds would be complete without an amazing Sunday roast. We’ve got snacks for while you mull over the all-important decision of what roast to have, including smoked whipped lardo with sourdough, plus our signature drinks, Gusbourne Sparkling English Wine, Siren Brewery IPA and a Bloody Mary. Whether you go for the roast sirloin of beef with Yorkshire pudding, the rotisserie pork shoulder or the monkfish with celeriac purée, you won’t be disappointed. Make sure you’ve got room for pudding (the sticky toffee is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser) and then roll up to bed for the night. Your room’s comfy bed and 100 Acre toiletries will be sure to revive you for the next day.