Why retire to the Cotswolds?

New horizons, fresh challenges; retirement can be an exciting time. If you no longer need to live near work or schools, you may actually be able to choose where you want to live – so retirement can be the perfect time to move to a beautiful area. The Cotswolds is a popular choice: who doesn’t love the Cotswolds? In fact, you’ll be so busy living in the Cotswolds, you’ll wonder how you ever found time to work!

Moving to the Cotswolds, you’ll have the wonderful countryside to explore on foot, by bike or by car. Covering almost 800 square miles and running through five counties – Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire, The Cotswolds is richly rural and with 3,000 miles of footpaths and bridleways you’ll be able to make the most of trails through open countryside, ancient woodlands and wildflower meadows.

Oxford in the north has all the theatres, museums and galleries you could wish for and Cheltenham has been dubbed the ‘cultural centre of the Cotswolds’ with an array of festivals and events from music and literature to film, food, drink and, of course, horse racing. Head south and Bath has a wealth of museums and galleries as well as theatre – and, of course, the annual Bath Festival, celebrating music and literature. Cotswold Sculpture Park, just outside Somerford Keynes, exhibits more than 170 sculptures from local and individual artists.

Blenheim Palace, Berkeley Castle & Estate and Chavenage House near Tetbury are just a few of the many grand, historic homes and gorgeous gardens in the Cotswolds. Sudeley Castle is a must for anyone interested in royal connections - the remains of Henry VIII’s last surviving queen, Katherine Parr, are still at the castle. Step further back in time and the remains of a Roman villa are on show in Chedworth and there are the Rollright Stones are the Cotswold’s own version of Stonehenge.

The area is well connected by road and rail to regional hubs as well as further afield. The M5, M4 and M40 motorways all serve the area. The A46 runs through Bath, Stroud and Cheltenham, the A40 serves Oxford, Buford and Cheltenham and the A429 provides access to Cirencester, Stow-on-the-Wold and Moreton-in-the-Marsh. Heathrow airport is approximately 2 hours away but it’s easy to get to Birmingham, Bristol, Oxford and Gloucestershire airports. Rail links are good – the journey from Swindon to London takes about an hour and from Cheltenham Spa about 2 hours 20 minutes.

5) The traditional tourist towns provide a fantastic selection of interesting, independent, specialist and vintage shops. Cheltenham and Oxford are bigger shopping destinations but there are so many more towns where you’ll find beautifully crafted local goods, antiques stores and farmers’ markets.

6) The Cotswolds area offers plenty of sporting and leisure opportunities – walking, cycling, horse riding. National hunt racing, hunting, shooting, and golf are all popular – and with a stunning backdrop. You’ll find a strong sense of community in the Cotswold villages – and most have a range of local clubs and societies. In Burford, for example, the Burford & District Society organises talks, visits, and lunches for members, the Fulbrook and Burford WI meets once a month. For music lovers, there’s the Burford Jazz or Burford Singers along with ballroom dance, stretch, and aerobics classes, and monthly groups for local residents including the over 60s as well as golf, bowls, and cricket. Just a few miles from Cirencester, the Cotswold Water Park, with a beach-based around 150 lakes in 40 square miles, offers plenty of water sport opportunities.