by Our selection includes the best local crafts, antiques and produce.
For more inspiration for the perfect Cotswolds break, check out our guide to the best hotels, restaurants, pubs, afternoon teas and things to do in the region.
Find places to shop by area
North Cotswolds
On the northern edge of Cotswold, Chipping Campden is a small town attraction, its high street lined with stunningly handsome honey-stone mansions. Go here for a winning selection of independent shops: Sam Wilson for housewares, china, textiles and prints; Dove for accessories and gifts; Fillet & Bone and Catches for local products; Award-winning Robert Welch Designs for kitchenware and cutlery. Also be sure to pop into the Gallery at the Society at the Old Silk Mill on Sheep Street, which showcases the work of local artists and craft makers.
Ten miles to the south, Stow-on-the-Wold exudes dynamism and fine creativity. You’ll find many galleries and antique shops here, from Red Rag, which showcases contemporary British artists, to Durham House Antiques, which offers jewellery, china, antique books and more. The famously beautiful town is also a homeware haven: check out the Crock Shop.
For gourmet goods, beautiful homewares and much more head to Daylesford Farmshop, about seven minutes’ drive east of Stow. One of Britain’s most acclaimed (if expensive) food and lifestyle destinations, this impeccably staged venue offers a fantastic range, from world-class produce (with its -includes a wonderful cheese pantry) to biodynamic wine, luxury textiles, cooking school and café. Much of the fresh produce comes from Daylesford’s own 2,000 acre farm – and you can walk along its paths.
Nearby Chipping Norton is well worth shopping. Jaffé & Neale is a bookshop with a café that you’ll have a hard time leaving: this is a place that celebrates the benefits of browsing rather than buying online. Across the way, the charming Beehive offers local and global crafts and textiles while Wild at Heart and H&H offer accessories and gifts.
About 12 miles south, Blenheim Palace is in the lively little town of Woodstock with its attractive pubs and cafes – art galleries and antique shops too. Check out Dantzig for 20th century works, and Antiques by Heritage, both on Market Street.
To the west is Burford which is particularly beautiful. See its church, see its wonderful views and also make your Burford Garden Co on the eastern edge of town. This large and beautiful emporium offers a wide range of homewares, fashion and especially outdoor delights, from lavender bushes and roses to wellies and picnic rugs.
Central Cotswolds
Between Burford and Lechlade is the pretty village of Filkins where the Cotswold Woolen Weavers are an attractively eccentric celebration of Cotswold crafts, particularly wool. Set in a complex of old barns, this is a great walking shop museum with really interesting rooms of old looms and the like. The company has a branch in Witney – Blanket Hall Witney is at 100 High Street.
For extensive retail therapy head to Cheltenham – the Promenade for the likes of Toast and Anthropologie; the Montpellier area up the road for designer boutiques such as Beatrice von Tresckow; the ever popular area of Suffolk just beyond for antiques.
About 20 miles south is Cirencester, with its handsome streets of golden stone. Its small center is a haven of independent shops. Take in family-run Chocolate Drizzle for a sweet treat; Gallery made for gifts and accessories; and the Corn Hall on Market Place, a lively center for indoor markets, from vintage goods to designer clothes. Don’t miss the vibrant New Brewery Art showcasing British craft brewers.
The charming old market town of Tetbury is a place to browse. Head to Lorfords for a huge range of antique decorative items as well as contemporary designs and crafts. Meanwhile, don’t miss Artique, a wonderful store of Oriental carpets and textiles in a 17th-century house. But the most popular of all is the Highgrove Shop, offering products from King Charles’ Highgrove estate down the road as well as a range of gifts inspired by the royal property. Profits support the King’s Foundation.
South Cotswolds
With its cafes and walks, Corsham has a lot to attract, and light too – peacocks often pass through the town centre, wandering from their base at Corsham Court. In such a setting it follows that there is a fine selection of charming independent shops: Ampersand Boutique and Frock Follies for fashion, the wonderful Table Gallery for art and antiques, Willow for homewares and vintage pictures, Corsham Bookshop and more .
Fresh from the Cotswolds
There’s nothing like a farmers market to showcase the quintessential flavor of a region. Outdoor markets are held regularly across the Cotswolds, usually once or twice a month in any given town. For example, Stow-on-the-Wold takes place on the second Thursday of every month, 9am-1pm (and during the summer also on the last Thursday of the month). Tetbury market takes place on Wednesdays 9am until about 3pm, with an additional vegetable and bric-a-brac market on Saturdays.
The largest and most abundant market is Stroud Farmers’ Market, which takes place every Saturday (9am-2pm): stretching from Cornhill Market to the surrounding streets, there are at least 40 stalls selling everything from pastries to organic burgers.
