Welcome To The Notswolds, England’s Lesser-Known Countryside Hotspot

Whisper it quietly, but there might just be an under-the-radar pretender to the Cotswolds crown, says Simon Kurs 

The Emerging Region You Need To Know About

Those familiar with a certain breed of Cotswolds hotel will recognise the aesthetic immediately: vaulted farmhouse ceilings offset by industrial-looking floor-to-ceiling Crittall windows that look out to a kitchen garden, glorious countryside beyond. 

This is Grace & Savour, the Michelin-starred restaurant at Hampton Manor, and it is, on first impression, the sort of space precision engineered for the DFL set, who like their rural escapism buffered by metropolitan sensibilities. They’ve come for the weekend and this meal is the high point: a 14-course tasting menu that reads like a love letter to British terroir. Hampton Manor is exactly the kind of destination hotel the Cotswolds has, over the past decade, made its own: a grand Grade II-listed residence, luxuriously reimagined through a Soho House lens. Except this isn’t the Cotswolds. The 45-acre estate lies in the village of Hampton in Arden – a pocket of countryside closer to Birmingham than to honey-stoned Broadway. This is the far-westerly fringe of what some have begun to call the Notswolds. 

The Cotswolds, of course, needs little introduction. It has become the shorthand for a certain pastoral idyll – a place where London decamps on Friday evenings in search of long lunches, log fires and a recalibrated pace of life. 

But as the brand has expanded, so too have the grumblings. Visitor numbers exceeded 38m last year, fuelled by the relentless media spotlight around figures such as Jeremy Clarkson and the Beckham clan. Snarkier commentators have declared the region overcooked. Whether that’s fair is another matter but it does beg the question: what’s the alternative? 

That is what has drawn me to this corner of the West Midlands – to explore whether the so-called Notswolds can offer the same kind of agrarian-chic fantasy, albeit one with less risk of running into JD Vance when out on a ramble. 

The exact boundaries of the Notswolds are up for debate, though the tiny county of Rutland is generally considered its spiritual heart, flanked by Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and other chunks of the Midlands. The connective tissue is simple: adjacency to the Cotswolds, and therefore easy access from London, with a similar combination of country houses, smart market towns and characterful villages. 

For weekend breakers like myself, much of this region remains under the radar. It’s something James and Fjona Hill are determined to change. In Hampton Manor – just over an hour by train from London – they have created a destination that compares favourably indeed with many big-hitters further south. ‘There are some really incredible hotels in the Cotswolds, but there are also some that trade off their location,’ James tells me. ‘Because of where we are, we have had to work harder.’ 

And work harder they have. When it first opened in 2010, Hampton Manor resembled a more traditional country house stay, centred around the main Victorian building, once home to Sir Robert Peel. 

Today those bones are offset with contemporary design touches and eye-catching fabrics woven through the Arts and Crafts grandeur. The interiors are Fjona’s domain and she’s rightly proud of the distinctive modern heritage style she’s created, which is cosy, but strikingly cool – like a Midlands take on Scandi luxe. It feels very geared to an urban visitor, and it’s a wonder anyone leaves – though that would be a shame. 

Hampton in Arden is a gloriously quiet village of Tudor-framed houses and higgledy-piggledy Victorian terraces, alongside shiny, glass-fronted new builds. It feels more Surrey-like than deepest Gloucestershire, but the handsome parish church, local pub and many footpaths lend a familiar tang of refined country living. 

Further afield, I can recommend the terrific canal-side walk between two lovely National Trust properties, Packwood House and Baddesley Clinton, or a visit to Henley-in-Arden to the south, which is the kind of historic market town the Cotswolds has made its own.

Of course, every country weekender needs a proper constitutional. One bright afternoon we headed west to Lickey Hills Country Park. The 20-minute drive is worth it for the vast sweep of ancient woodland trails, taking in panoramic views that stretch across the Vale of Evesham. 

And after such muddy exertions, there’s only one sensible option: the pub. Bought in 2024 by owners Bex and Sarah, The Wildmoor Oak has swiftly become a local dining destination for good reason. My starter of potted shrimp on walnut sourdough, followed by a crunchy chicken schnitzel, would have been gladly received in a Chelsea gastro-pub, let alone on a country lane. Even better: the place is buzzy, rather than overly busy, as might be expected in a Cotswolds venue of similar calibre. 

Indeed, that absence of crowds is a defining note in any comparison between the two regions. ‘The appeal of the Notswolds really is the space,’ confirms Laura Jekyll. ‘It’s far quieter than other parts of the country. 

Jekyll swapped a London life as a city exec for a farmhouse in Lincolnshire shortly before the birth of her second child – and she’s well placed to explain just what this region has to offer. Today, she’s become something of a semi-official cheerleader for the Notswolds having launched notswolds.com. ‘Most people know this part of the world because the A1 runs straight through it,’ she says. ‘They’ve travelled through the Midlands countless times – but very few realise what they’re passing.’ 

What they’re missing, she argues, is a place where heritage and modern life sit comfortably side by side. ‘You’ve got beautiful valleys – like the Welland Valley where Rutland meets Leicestershire – and then as you move up into Lincolnshire it opens out into vast farmland. Then you’ve got places like Melton Mowbray with its rich food culture, and cities like Leicester and Nottingham that feel genuinely vibrant and are really regenerating.’ 

A burgeoning gastro scene, driven by the Michelin green-starred restaurant Jericho close to Nottingham, and a growing number of design-led hotels, are the most obvious echoes of the Cotswolds. But they’re not the only ones. 

Much of the region shares the same seam of honeyed limestone – most notably in Stamford, often cited as having one of Britain’s finest high streets, lined with a cool array of independent shops and elegant Georgian façades. 

Then there are the country estates. Northamptonshire has already become a particular favourite of London’s social set, thanks in part to its high concentration of privately owned manors. These include Althorp, the Grade I-listed home of Earl Spencer, where Diana, Princess of Wales grew up, and the Baroque English stately pile where Saltburn was filmed. 

The question, of course, is whether there’s enough to really satisfy the more discerning weekend crowd. 

On initial inspection, the answer is a confident yes. Take Rutland. England’s smallest county punches well above its weight. There’s a trio of standout stays: The Olive Branch, a cosy restaurant with rooms rated by Giles Coren no less; Hambleton Hall, which is home to a cracking Michelin-starred restaurant; and The Barnsdale, with its polished, design-conscious take on the modern country boutique escape. 

Nearby, you’ll find Rutland Nursery – dubbed the local answer to Daylesford – which pairs excellent organic food with sweeping views over the glorious Rutland Water, while just down the road in Uppingham, Fern is making a name for itself with seasonal British small plates and organic wines. 

Then it’s just a hop across the county border to Leicestershire for one of the region’s key cultural hits. Each June, audiences gather in the verdant grounds of Nevill Holt Hall for the Nevill Holt Festival. This celebration of music, arts and ideas began life as an opera festival but has evolved into something more exciting – more Glastonbury than Glyndebourne, as some put it

For those seeking a new playground for a weekend escape, this is all exciting news . ‘There’s a real energy to the region at the moment,’ confirms Jekyll. 

Not that everyone is so enthused, however. ‘We hear it all the time,’ she continues jokingly. ‘Don’t let it become like the Cotswolds.’ People here quite like flying under the radar. In fact, we should probably run an advertising campaign: “Don’t come to the Notswolds.”’

This feature appears in the 2026/2027 Great British & Irish Hotels Guide.