The Cotswolds are the perfect spot for a day out from Bristol as some beautiful spots can be reached without spending too long in the car. Some of the most popular places to visit include Cirencester, Stow-on-the-Wold and Bourton-on-the-Water.
But there are lots more fantastic towns and villages worth the effort that are a little off the beaten track. And one of those is Ilmington. It even featured in The Sunday Times list of best places to live in 2021, reports MyLondon.
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While it may just be over the border from Gloucestershire in Warwickshire, it's still very much part of the north Cotswolds. The village of Ilmington has traditional Cotswolds architecture, featuring the honey-coloured limestone the area is well-known for.
It is packed with old stone cottages and a village green. There's a village shop and the old church where bells ring out over the orchard as they have done for many years and it used to be a centre of folk dancing.
There lots to see when you've had a wander round. The UK's largest tropical butterfly farm is close at hand to call in at or you could go to Tudor World, which claims to be the only museum in the country dedicated to the Tudor era.
And if you want more, you can take a walk along the River Avon, where the town's cluster of theatres sit. Canal boat trips are available to soak up everything this beautiful place has to offer. It is "an idyllic way to spend two hours and watch the world go by on a balmy sunny afternoon," according to one TripAdvisor reviewer.
How to get there
Ilmington is a 90-minute drive from Bristol. Head out to the M5, then go north to junction 9. Take the A46 towards Beckford and Hinton-on-the-Green. Just before Hinton, take a right towards Childswickham on the B4632. Join the B4035 towards Aston Subedge, then the B4081 to Ilmington.
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