Intro to The Insider's Guide to The Cotswolds
(& other lovely places too).
Hi everyone,
I’m Clare, a writer from The Cotswolds and I’d love to share with you my knowledge and enthusiasm for this beautiful area. I’ve chalked up 30 years (which can’t be right, cos in my head I’m only about 28) as a journalist (at The Birmingham Post & Mail), a freelancer, and then a publisher of local magazines in Cheltenham. More recently I’ve been freelance editing/proofreading and also working on my own fiction.
Now, Substack gives me the opportunity to reach a wider audience with information about my area so I can ‘show you round’ and use my writing skills.
There’s way more to The Cotswolds than you probably realise. It covers nearly 800 square miles (more than 2,000km2!) and there’s lots to see and do, so don’t waste time flocking to the tourist hot spots. Stay with me on Substack and get some insider knowledge. Even after all these years, I’m still discovering wonderful new places.
So, if:
You’re curious about what life is like in this idyllic corner of the world.
You’re planning a trip to the area and want to be in the know about where’s good to go.
Or, you’re relatively local and haven’t ventured off your usual beaten path in a while, perhaps you’d like some new recommendations?
Please come on board and subscribe.
At least once a week, I will share a special place I’ve been to that I think others will love too. Usually this will be in the Cotswolds but sometimes it will be elsewhere in the South West of England or in London.
I will give you a carefully considered review, photos tips and my honest thoughts about particular places — such those on the hit list for influencers — which may not necessarily be the best places to head to on a whirlwind tour!
And bear with me while I get up and running and add the content.
Gradually, I’ll be building up a searchable list of articles in the archive on places to go and things to do, including some recommendations on shopping, restaurants, cafes and places to stay.
Why should you pay for this?
I paywall much of my content in recognition of the considerable time and effort I put into researching, taking photos and writing this guide, and acknowledgement of the value I hope you find in reading it.
Paid subscribers can ask me questions and make suggestions for places they’d like more info on.
Any wonderful people who generously become Founding Members will get bespoke recommendations for their itinerary, depending on their interests and plans.
If you want to find out why The Cotswolds is special, and why you should visit it, hop on over to my Quick Guide to The Cotswolds.
Until next time, bye for now!
Clare
PS: this is my first post so if you want to do something nice to help someone just starting out on Substack you will genuinely make my day: subscribe, like, restack or leave a comment. Thank you so much!