Broadway (England)

Broadway is a well-known and much-visited Cotswolds village in the English county of Worcestershire. Often referred to as the "Jewel of the Cotswolds" and the "Show Village of England" because of its archetypal rural beauty, the 'Broad Way' leads from the foot of the western Cotswolds escarpment along a wide grass-fringed street lined with ancient honey-coloured limestone buildings, many dating back to the 16th century. Broadway makes an ideal base from which to explore the surrounding countryside, including the rest of the Cotswolds region, for which the village forms the northern gateway.

Despite Broadway's status as a major tourist destination, it is considered more upmarket than the nearby Bourton-on-the-Water, and rarely seems excessively crowded. If you take a car, though, you will need to be either patient or selective about your car park on busy days, particularly summer weekends and bank holidays.

Understand
Broadway became a busy staging post on the route from Worcester to London as coaches had to harness extra horses for the long pull up nearby Fish Hill. As many as 40 travellers' inns once existed within the village to service those passing through, a few of which are still in use today.

Broadway has been home to a lot of prominent English artists and composers, including Sir Edward Elgar, John Singer Sargent, J.M. Barrie, Vaughan Williams and Arts and Crafts artist and writer William Morris.

Like many Cotswold villages, Broadway became prosperous from the wool trade, and much of its charm comes from its large number of luxurious old limestone houses.


 * Broadway visitor information

By coach
Private chartered coach trips are run by a lot of companies from most major cities, including London, Birmingham, and other nearby tourist hotspots such as Stratford-upon-Avon. You are likely to find yourself sharing the coach with either the elderly or Japanese tourists.

By car
There are several well-signposted car parks around the village. On busy days (notably bank holidays and summer weekends) the one where you are most likely to find a space, the largest car park, is on Leamington Road, near the village library. This has a somewhat unusual entrance; you drive under a bridge formed by two adjoining apartment buildings. The nearest postcode (for SatNav) is WR12 7DZ.

By thumb
You can hitchhike from the B4632 or A44 roads. Locals are very friendly, if a bit posh, and generally will give lifts to stranded people.

By train
The nearest mainline railway stations are Evesham and Honeybourne, both on the Cotswold line with direct services to Worcester, Oxford and London Paddington at least every two hours from approximately 6AM until 10PM.

Take the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway from Cheltenham Racecourse to Broadway. This private steam railway does not connect to the mainline railway network, but you can use the Stagecoach Racecourse Park and Ride bus D to get between Cheltenham Racecourse and Cheltenham Spa railway station. The steam railway and Park and Ride services are at opposite ends of this very large racecourse, so allow 20 minutes to walk between the two.

Get around
Broadway is a relatively compact village, flat and easy to walk around. None of the car parks are more than a ten-minute walk into the centre, and the buses stop right along High Street.

The main shops, hotels, pubs and cafes are mostly easily found off the High Street, around the village green and war memorial. However, when walking from there, along the High Street, it is a common mistake to think that the shops end at The Horse & Hound pub. It is well worth walking five minutes further north along High Street to find a few more quaint little shops around the Leamington Road junction.

See




Buy

 * Nearby Broadway Tower was a country retreat of Victorian designer William Morris, and many shops sell both practical and souvenir items with Morris' distinctive floral designs.
 * There are a number of fine art dealers in the village, notably paintings and furniture. If you need to ask the price, you can't afford it.

Eat

 * Broadway is well-served for eating. The best dining is in the hotels, see Sleep for Lygon Arms, Russell's and Broadway Hotel.
 * Locally-made ice-cream is sold from the back of a tricycle, near the village green, during the peak summer season and on most weekends.
 * Locally-made ice-cream is sold from the back of a tricycle, near the village green, during the peak summer season and on most weekends.
 * Locally-made ice-cream is sold from the back of a tricycle, near the village green, during the peak summer season and on most weekends.

Go next

 * Chipping Campden is another beautiful Cotswold village about six miles away, again with exclusive posh boutique shopping. By road it is easiest to drive up the A44 Fish Hill and then down the B4081 Conduit Hill. By bike, a flatter route is possible north through the B4632 Willersey and Weston-Sub-Edge and east along the B4035 Aston-Sub-Edge. A shorter pedestrian route is over the Cotswold Way long-distance footpath, but this can be very steep in sections and should not be attempted in cold or stormy weather.
 * Winchcombe is about 8 miles (13 km) south on the B4632, another Cotswold village that also features a fortified manor house, Sudeley Castle.