'The Queen of Cotswolds cool Carole Bamford has again upped the ante at this sister property to Wild Rabbit (see Kingham),' writes our cub reporter.

With Thameside gardens and free mooring, this 18th-century inn has six courtyard bedrooms with vintage and contemporary furniture, a cosy beamed bar, a menu of pub favourites and creative dishes.

In a picturesque, tourist-free Cotswold village, this creeper-swathed 16th-century coaching inn was refurbished in 2020 by best mates and hip pizza-makers Harry Henriques and Fred Hicks, better known locally simply as Baz and Fred.

With inglenook, antiques, beams and brasses, charming, cottage-style bedrooms and an enclosed rear garden, this 16th-century honeyed-stone guest house sits pretty on the high street of a picture-postcard Cotswold town.

On the banks of the River Colne, this updated 17th-century coaching inn mixes country-style and contemporary comfort in well-equipped bedrooms, while dining options include gastropub and brasserie fare.

Part of the Barkby Group, this stylishly updated Cotswold stone hotel on the market square is a winning mix of cask ales, beams and crackling log fires, modern European cooking and contemporary country-style bedrooms.