I cycled across the UK and people always make the same mistake when visiting the Cotswolds – here's where to go instead

The Sun

10-07-2025

WHEN exploring a new part of the country, it's easy to get swept up with the trends and head to the most well-known parts - but you'll definitely hit crowds.
Steve Silk, author of Go West, travelled from London to Fishguard on his bike and reveals the remote and less touristy spots that people should be seeking out instead, especially in the ever-popular Cotswolds.
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Steve told Sun Travel: "The Cotswolds is lovely, but what people get wrong there is they go to the same few locations, like Bourton-on-the-Water or Bibury; everyone goes there.
"Those places are chock-a-block full of coaches and ice cream vans, they're the kind of tourist stops that I'm not really into.
"I was on my bike and discovered dozens of gorgeous Cotswold villages that won't get any attention from most of the tourists - I got them all to myself."
Steve believes half the joy of cycling, rather than being in a car, is that you accidentally stumble upon places you wouldn't necessarily see when going straight from A to B.
One almost deserted village that Steve found was in the Windrush Valley.
He added: "It was a little village called Windrush, and I had it all to myself.
"The landscape was amazing, it had all that wonderful limestone that you get all over the place in the Cotswolds.
"Cyclists have a superpower - we're the only ones that know about this place. I always don't want to tell you about it, because I'd like to keep it that way."
"But too many people go to the same places, we should be a little more adventurous in where we go and spread the net a little wider."
Steve's adventure took him across 300 miles of the UK, so there are a few other places he accidentally found - including an incredibly remote pub.
Views of Bibury, Cotswold
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Steve, who travelled for four days alone, and four with friends, said: "We found a lovely pub in the middle of absolutely nowhere in Pembrokeshire where they only sold one kind of beer and only took cash.
"The beer came from a keg out the back, and the decor looked like it hadn't changed in 100 years."
The pub in question is the Dyffryn Arms which is a gem amongst locals.
But tourists rarely stumble upon it because of its tucked away location in a valley around six miles outside of Fishguard.
Steve told us: "It's a wonderful example of Wales keeping its secrets well-hidden, you'd struggle to find it if you didn't know it was there."
And it seems those who manage to find agree with Steve, as they've dubbed it a "rare find".
Steve added that the pub was often referred to as Bessie's because of the legendary landlady that had worked there since the 1950s.
Another spot in Wales that Steve suggested for anyone seeking tough hills or hiking with a view that can't be beaten, is the area around LLandovery - a town that has snug pubs and coffee workshops.
Llandovery sits next to the River Tywi and it's close to the Brecon Beacons National Park.
For fans of history, it's also near Y Pigwn, a famous Roman site where there are still cobblestones on the roads from thousands of years ago.
More impressively, Steve said: "You can see across to the Black Mountains, and the Tywi Valley" which is one of the reasons why Steve wants to encourage Brits to explore more of the UK.
He said: "Britain's got so much to offer. Especially as I get increasingly fed up with arriving at an airport at three hours early and then waiting for a flight, and being on the flight - it's a full day, isn't it?
"If you set off on the bike, just think what you can do in those eight hours.
"It's a whole extra day at each end that you've got. Britain is one of those countries where OK even if you're living in the city, you could be in the countryside in three quarters of an hour.
"And if you've got there under your own steam, you appreciate the beauty of Gloucester and Oxford so much more."
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Steve completed his journey in Fishguard, which is known for its beauty, and being one of the best UK seaside towns to move to in 2025.
Steve told us: "It's important when you're finishing a 300 mile journey that you feel as if the destination's worth it, right?
"You want it to have a sense of closure, and it was lovely to see the sea in Fishguard's Lower Town.
"We went to was a very cosy little pub, The Royal Oak, where we had a couple of drinks and raised a glass to a job well done."
Steve travelled from central London to the Welsh coast in eight days through beautiful villages and tackling some very steep hills.
Read more about his journey in Go West, out July 10, 2025.