The Churchill Arms, Paxford, Blockley, Gloucestershire

A tad pricey, the Churchill Arms is a gastro-pub with its roots in the seventeenth century. It retains its beamed ceilings and flagstone floors, but much of the interior decor (and the ambiance) signals pretentious hotel, rather than traditional hostelry. The menu is fairly short and safe, although most of the classic dishes come with a twist, such as cod with curried mussels. Costing £17, the fish and chips is one of the cheapest main courses (fillet of beef is a heady £28). The portions are fairly modest, so you may need to top up with a sticky toffee pudding (£7) - this is catering for a well-heeled Cotswolds crowd. Still, the dishes are nicely done and well-presented. 7/10

Michael's Mediterranean Restaurant, the High Street, Chipping Campden

A tasteful Greek restaurant housed in one of the fine old buildings on Chipping Campden's historic high street, Michael's has a leafy courtyard garden at the back, as well as a few tables indoors and at the front. The young waiting staff serve decent meze (£18.50 to share), seafood mariniere (£35 for two), mousakka (£14.50) and other Greek stables, with a smile.  Wine by the glass and the bottles of beer are a tad pricey for Gloucestershire, but Campden is on the tourist trail. 8/10

The Kings Arms, High Street, Mickleton, Gloucestershire

The Kings Arms is a traditional pub serving respectable food, including British pub classics, such as fish and chips (£15), and some slightly more adventurous fare, such as mussels and frites (£16.50), and balsamic and sweet chilli beef salad (also £15). The portions are generous and the seafood is surprisingly fresh. The deserts are particularly good, while the drinks are competitively priced (less than a fiver for a pint of Thatchers Gold cider or a glass of Sauvignon Blanc). There is a large garden at the back or you can sit inside, underneath the beams and soak up the old-school ambiance. 8/10 

Lunch at the Ebrington Arms, Ebrington, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire

An unspoilt Cotswolds pub, the Ebrington Arms serves decent food at punchy prices in convivial surroundings. The menu can be aspirational (duck breast, pommes anna, carrot & star anise puree & Russian kale for £24), but there are also some cheaper staples, such as fish and chips with mushy peas (£15), and beef burger and chips (£17). The portions are fairly generous and the food is hearty fare with plenty of flavour. There are also some smooth ales, such as Yubby, on draught. The service is pretty attentive and chirpy, but some of the rooms can get smoky when the open fires are going strong. 7/10

Circular Walk from Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire

Sezincote House

From Moreton-in-Marsh, there is a pleasant seven mile circular walk taking in the villages of Longbrough and a fine pub in Bourton-on-the-Hill. From Moreton, you follow a footpath south west across the fields, gently climbing up to Longbrough. From this sleepy hamlet, you strike north taking in wide views of the countryside and passing close to the charismatic Sezincote House, which apparently mixes Cotswold Mogul and Moorish architecture. After the steep climb up to Bourton-on-the-Hill, stop in the Horse and Groom for a pint or lunch, before heading east down the road towards Moreton. After a few hundred yards, you take the lane north towards Batsford Park, and then follow a winding footpath east back to Moreton. The route includes stretches of the Monarch’s Way (named for the escape of King Charles II from the Battle of Worcester in 1651), and the Heart of England Way.

Oxford to Moreton-in-Marsh by bike

The Evenlode Valley, between Wilcote and East End

About 50km as the B road winds, the ride from Oxford to Moreton-in-Marsh takes in some fine rolling countryside dotted with grand houses and sleepy Cotswolds villages. Once you break out of the university city's gravitational orbit, if you plot your route carefully, you should be able to escape cars almost entirely. Tempting as it is, you should avoid riding through Cornbury Park Estate, as you may get challenged by a ranger on a golf buggy. 8/10

Cheltenham Races, New Year's Day, Gloucestershire

  If it is a cold and wet start to the New Year, then Cheltenham Racecourse's many bars and covered stands can get very, very crowded. It can feel like Oxford Street, only with more Tweed and less racial diversity. Spanning the generations and the social classes, the punters tend to drink steadily, but are generally good-natured and knowledgeable. Traditional bookies still line the course, taking minimum bets of a fiver, from underneath their umbrellas. From the main grandstand, there are sweeping views over the white fences that criss-cross the grass, leading the eye to the hills beyond. On the day, you have to pay £35 for this view, but many club ticket holders still cram themselves into the Centaur arena and watch the action on the big screen, cheering raucously for their chosen steeplechaser. To keep you going through the seven races, there are plenty of food stalls, offering reasonably priced hotdogs, pulled pork, chillies and the like.

Circular Walk from Stanton Village, Worcestershire

Stanway House's impressive gatehouse

From the postcard-pretty village of Stanton, follow the Cotswold Way across the fields south west towards Stanway House - a handsome and extensive Jacobean manor house built from golden Cotswold stone. After you round the corner, you are confronted by the extraordinary three-storey gatehouse with its lead-paned windows and towering gables. When you hit the road, follow it east, taking care until you join a bridleway heading north east that climbs steadily up through Lidcombe Wood, overlooking PaperMill Farm. In the woods, you might hear the churning of a pump, which uses gravity to power a 300-foot fountain in the grounds of Stanway House. At the top of the lengthy climb, you will emerge from the woods and onto an exposed hill top at an altitude of about 300 metres - the top of the Cotswold escarpment. A track north west enables you to rejoin the Cotswold Way and descend steadily back through the fields down into Stanton. It is a short climb through the village up to the Mount Inn. After this satisfying and stimulating five mile round trip, you'll deserve a drink. 8/10

Walk up to Dover's Hill, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire

This two mile walk takes you up to a scenic escarpment that marks the northern edge of the Cotswolds and overlooks the flat, open countryside of Worcestershire and Warwickshire. Turn north off the Lower High Street in Chipping Campden at the sturdy stone catholic church and stroll past the attractive old houses on West End Terrace and then on to Hoo Lane. This modern, but sought-after, residential road climbs gradually upwards before turning into a gravel path with a steeper gradient. You pass a farm before reaching a bench about 200 metres above sea level with a view back down to the western end of Chipping Campden. From here, it is a stone's throw to a country road. Turn left, walk about 50 yards along the road, and then turn right on to a footpath, which takes you up to Dover Hill. From here, you can follow the trail south west, admiring the sweeping views to the north. After about half a mile, you come to a car park, from where you can clamber down to a path that runs back east, just below the escarpment. Make your way south back to the road and retrace your steps back down Hoo Lane. 8/10    

Keynes Country Park, Spratsgate Lane, Shorncote, Cirencester, Gloucestershire

At the west end of the Cotswold Water Park, Keynes is a low-key leisure park dominated by two lakes. You can park on site, but you will need to pay three pounds per adult and one pound per child to leave at weekends. There is just enough to do to justify the exit fees. If you have brought bikes you can cycle along the pleasant, but fairly short, trails around the lakes. There is also a decent children's playground with a small wooden castle and an undulating slide down to a small sandy beach in front of an area where you can have a chilly swim. If you don't mind spending a few more pounds, you can take a peddle boat or sailing boat out on to the lake or you can get roped up and clamber up some telegraph poles and perform other high wire feats. If the excitement is all too much, you can retreat to the cafe/shop or you can admire the distinctive wooden sculptures of animals dotted around the park. 6/10

Chedworth Roman Villa, Yanworth, Gloucestershire

These ancient, but surprisingly intact, remains of a Roman villa were built 1700 years ago next to a spring, overlooking a pretty valley. Today, they are adjacent to a Victorian shooting lodge and are owned by the National Trust, which has protected the stone bath houses, dining room and living room with incongruous wooden roofs. There isn't a huge amount to see, but young kids might find the latrines amusing before hurtling around the grassy courtyard, while adults will be impressed by the startlingly well-preserved and intricate mosaics in the dining room and the ingenious under floor heating system in the living room. Less impressive is the instant coffee (£1.50 a cup) and Ginster pasties on sale in the refreshments tent, while admission to the site seems overpriced at £6. 7/10

Chedworth Roman Trail ten mile multi-terrain race, Gloucestershire

Criss-crossing a picturesque valley, this tough ten mile outing attracts about 400 runners and is well-organised and marshaled by Cirencester Athletics Club. The race starts and finishes in a field next to the village hall, mostly following farm tracks and footpaths. Fun to run, the outward five miles is mostly flat or downhill, with one enjoyable leg through a scenic glade sloping gently towards the valley floor. About half way round, there is a water station, followed soon after by a stream crossing that will leave your wet feet for the rest of the run.

Gruelling climb
In the second half, there are several hills including a long, gruelling climb on a path of loose stones around the seven mile mark, followed by another hard, but shorter, climb a mile or so later. Many of the older runners, in their forties and fifties, walk sections of these hills. Thankfully, the last mile is mostly flat and you can put in a short finishing sprint in front of the small crowd in the final field. The entry fee is £8.50 and you get to use the basic showers and changing facilities in the village hall. Afterwards, the hungry runners form a good-natured queue at the coffee and cake stall. 8/10

Blockley, Gloucestershire

A tranquil and charming village overlooking a serene Cotswold's valley, Blockley is a fine place to chill out on a sunny afternoon. Clinging to the hillside are beautiful eighteenth century townhouses made out of the golden Cotswold's stone interspersed with some newer, but still attractive, dwellings. Streams trickle through some of the well-tended gardens, while pavements, lined with dry stone walls, climb high above the road to give sweeping views across the valley. The seats at the top of the steeply-sloping village green, which has a playground and bowling club, are a good vantage point to admire the view over the ancient church bell tower to the countryside beyond. Alternatively, hidden away in the quiet lanes are a couple of appealing and traditional pubs. 8/10

Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire

Perhaps the most handsome and atmospheric of The Cotswolds' towns, Chipping Campden's lengthy high-street has an extraordinary array of beautiful and well-preserved medieval houses built with the proceeds of the lucrative wool trade. Nearly every house is made out of the Cotswold's distinctive honey-coloured stone enabling buildings spanning several hundred years and many architectural styles to blend together into one coherent and picturesque townscape. In the middle of the high street is a four hundred-year-old market hall lined with stone archways and crowned with a handsome tiled roof. Even though there are too many cars and too many visitors pottering in and out of the sometimes twee shops, restaurants and pubs, Chipping Campden has resisted many of the excesses of other Cotswold's tourist traps and it maintains a dignified sense of its own history.