The Cotswolds – Getting There
Now, you could catch a train to the nearest station — Cheltenham, Oxford and Gloucester are probably the easiest to get to. But, to really experience the best that the beautiful Cotswolds has to offer (and so you’re not reliant on taxis), getting there by car is the better option.
We got there in a Bentley Continental GT V8 S Convertible, a fitting set of premium wheels for such a luxury getaway. It was so perfectly suited to the job, we felt it deserved a special mention. Bentley, of course, is renowned for being at the pinnacle of British automotive luxury and this model didn’t buck the trend. At £205,000 you’d hope so.
Plonking our bottoms into our (£3,000) hand-stitched, quilted seats, we travelled surrounded in extravagance. Double-glazed windows blocked out the drone of the motorway and pillowy seats (with a massage and ventilation function too) provided ‘arm-chair’ comfort. The car’s 4G-enabled Wi-Fi hotspot kept us connected while the digital TV tuner kept boredom at bay. You can switch the suspension into comfort mode for an ultra-smooth ride and travelling the initial long-distance from London couldn’t have been easier.
But this comfy grand tourer is no slouch. Hiding under its massive bonnet is a snarling 4-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 engine. It pumps out 521bhp, shooting the car from 0-60mph in 4.5 seconds. Flick the car into ‘Sport’ suspension and the Cotswolds’ twisty country roads become a driver’s dream. Add in that this is a convertible and you’ve got the exhilaration of open-top driving, bringing you closer to both the loud, raspy exhaust note of that V8 and the gorgeous countryside around you.
Of course, the choice is yours — you can cruise in comfort or whip around the twisties. Any which way, it’s a genuine pleasure. In the Cotswolds, there are lots of little villages and pubs you’ll probably want to pay a visit to and doing so in a Bentley has to be top of the wish list for most.
Did we miss one of your favourite countryside hotels? Let us know using #SpringGetaways and search the hashtag on Instagram to see all the photos from our visit.