How to escape Clarkson’s crowd in the Cotswolds

It’s harder than ever to get away from it all in the Cotswolds. Come Friday night, west Londoners pack their bags and descend on the countryside. Many ‘up from Londoners’ head to places such as Soho Farmhouse. The success of Clarkson’s Farm, a hit TV show based at the former Top Gear presenter’s Cotswolds patch, has only added to the chaos.

The Cotswolds’ blessing – its proximity to the capital – has become its curse. Trudging around the area’s beautiful towns and village isn’t what it once was. Fortunately, though, there is a way to escape the hordes and still enjoy the Cotswolds.

You could do worse than follow a simple tip: steer clear of the four Bs – Bibury, Burford, Broadway and Bourton-on-the-Water. Instead of these tourist traps, head north. Many visitors settle for the eastern and southern fringes of the Cotswolds. Towns and villages such as Chipping Norton soak up the majority of the tour buses that clog up the streets.