• North Cotswolds
• Mid Cotswolds
• South Cotswolds

On the northern Cotswold fringes, Chipping Campden is a treat of a little town, its high street lined with especially handsome honey-stone mansions. Head here for a winning choice of independent shops: Sam Wilson for homeware, china, textiles and prints; Fillet & Bone and Toke’s for local produce; award-winning Robert Welch Designs for kitchenware and cutlery. Make sure to call in at The Gallery at the Guild at the Old Silk Mill on Sheep Street, which showcases the work of local artists and craftmakers.

Ten miles south, Stow-on-the-Wold exudes gentle dynamism and creativity. You’ll find a host of galleries and antique shops here, from Red Rag, exhibiting contemporary British artists, to Durham House Antiques offering jewellery, china, antiquarian books and more. The famously pretty town is a haven for homeware, too. Check out the Crock Shop.

For the ultimate in gourmet goods and beautiful homeware, make tracks to Daylesford Farmshop, about a seven-minute drive east of Stow. One of Britain’s most applauded (if expensive) food and lifestyle destinations, this flawlessly staged venue offers a fabulous range, from stellar produce (including a lavish cheese pantry) to biodynamic wine, luxury textiles, a cookery school and a café. Much of the fresh produce comes from Daylesford’s own surrounding 2,000-acre farm – and you can take a walk along its footpaths.

Nearby Chipping Norton is well worth a shopping detour. Jaffé & Neale is a bookshop and café that you inevitably have great difficulty in leaving. This is a place to delight in browsing the stacks rather than buying online. Across the way, the charming Beehive  offers crafts and textiles while Wild at Heart and H&H present accessories and gifts.

About 12 miles south, the vibrant little town of Woodstock is home to Blenheim Palace and is richly endowed with attractive pubs and cafés – enticing art galleries and antique shops too. Check out Dantzig for 20th-century works, and Antiques at Heritage, both on Market Street.

To the west is gloriously pretty Burford. Burford Garden Co is a lovely emporium that offers a cornucopia of homeware, fashion and outdoor goods, from lavender bushes and roses to wellies and picnic rugs.

Between Burford and Lechlade lies the charming village of Filkins where the Cotswold Woollen Weavers is an appealingly eccentric celebration of Cotswold craft, most significantly wool. Set in a complex of old barns, this is a wonderfully rambling shop cum museum with fascinating rooms of old looms and the like. The company also has a branch in Witney – The Witney Blanket Hall is at 100 High Street.

For extensive retail therapy head to Cheltenham – the Promenade for the likes of Toast and Anthropologie; the Montpellier district up the road for designer boutiques such as Beatrice von Tresckow; the ever-popular Suffolks area just beyond for antiques.

About 20 miles south is Cirencester, with its handsome streets of golden stone. Its small centre is a haven of independent shops. Visit Made gallery for gifts and accessories, and the Corn Hall on Market Place, which is a lively venue for indoor markets – from vintage items to designer clothes. Don’t miss vibrant New Brewery Arts showcasing British craftmakers.

Head about nine miles west of Cirencester towards Stroud and, just off the A419, is Jolly Nice – a charmingly enterprising farm shop, café and a great deal more. This is where to come for seasonal organic Cotswold fruit and veg, artisan cheeses, homemade ice-cream and a generous range of gifts and accessories from cushions to soaps and scented candles.

The handsome old market town of Tetbury is also a haven for browsing. Head to Lorfords for a huge range of antique decorative ware as well as contemporary designs and crafts. Meanwhile, don’t miss Artique, a fabulous store of Oriental carpets and textiles in a 17th-century house. But most popular of all is The Highgrove Shop, offering products from King Charles’ Highgrove estate down the road as well as a range of gifts inspired by the royal property. Profits support the King’s Foundation.

With its cafés and walks, pretty Corsham has lots of appeal, and flamboyance too – peacocks frequently strut through the centre of town, roaming from their base at Corsham Court. In such a setting it follows that there is a fine choice of enticing independent shops: Ampersand Boutique and Frock Follies for fashion, Willow for vintage homeware and paintings, the Corsham Bookshop and more.

Every shop, market and venue in this curated list has been expertly chosen by our destination expert, to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets and styles – to best suit every type of traveller. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest openings and provide up-to-date recommendations.