United Kingdom
Cotswolds in May
🌷 SpringCool and some showers.
🎒 Pack: warm jacket for evenings
Why May scores 9.0What goes into the score
How it works- Weather comfort8.8
- !Cool (16.6°C highs / 6.8°C lows)
- ✓Comfortable humidity (dew point 7.8°C)
- ✓Mostly dry (~64 mm rain)
- Air quality9.4
- ✓Good (within WHO guideline) (PM2.5 ~9 µg/m³)
- Seasonal hazards10.0
- ·No notable seasonal hazards
- Safety baseline7.5
- ·Increased caution
| May | Jul | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 9.0 Excellent | 9.5 Excellent |
| Season | 🌷 Spring | ☀️ Summer |
| High / low | 17° / 7° | 22° / 12° |
| Rain | 64 mm | 64 mm |
| Humidity | dew pt 8° | dew pt 13° |
| PM2.5 | 9 µg/m³ | 4 µg/m³ |
Typical-month data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) 2015–2024 (modelled, not a forecast).
Holidays & crowdsMay 2027
Long weekendThere's at least one long weekend. Domestic travel picks up and popular spots get busier over those days.
- May Day 1–3 May · 3 days off in a row
- Spring Bank 29–31 May · 3 days off in a row
National holidays only; regional holidays and school breaks aren't included. Source: holidays (open-source public-holiday calendar).
Explore CotswoldsEvents, sights, food & souvenirs
Check event dates locallyA rural area of rolling hills in south-central England, known for honey-coloured stone villages, country walks and traditional pubs.
Badminton Horse TrialsDate variesUsually early May
A major international eventing competition.
Why go: Large crowds; expect traffic on country roads.
Where: Badminton Estate
Cooper's Hill Cheese RollingDate variesUsually the late May bank holiday
Competitors chase a cheese down a very steep hill.
Why go: An unofficial event; spectators should take care on the slope.
Where: Cooper's Hill, near Brockworth
Coming up later
Lavender seasonDate variesUsually June to August
Fields of lavender in bloom.
Why go: Peak bloom is usually July.
Where: Lavender farms in the Cotswolds
Cheltenham FestivalDate variesUsually mid-March
Four days of jump horse racing, one of the biggest events in British racing.
Why go: Accommodation across the area books out.
Where: Cheltenham Racecourse
Bibury
A small village known for Arlington Row, a line of old weavers' cottages.
Bourton-on-the-Water
A village with low stone bridges over a shallow river.
💡 Very busy on summer weekends.
Chipping Campden
A market town with a historic high street and market hall.
Castle Combe
A picture-postcard village of stone cottages in a wooded valley.
Blenheim Palace
A grand palace and park near Woodstock, birthplace of Winston Churchill.
Cotswold Way
A long-distance footpath along the western edge of the hills.
Gloucester cheeses
Double and Single Gloucester, traditional local cheeses.
Cream tea
Scones with clotted cream and jam, with tea.
💡 Village tearooms
Pub Sunday roast
Roast meat with vegetables and Yorkshire pudding.
💡 Country pubs
Local ales
Beers from Cotswold breweries.
💡 Village pubs
Woollen goods
Wool products recalling the area's wealth from the wool trade.
💡 Shops in market towns
Local cheeses
Cheeses from Gloucestershire dairies.
💡 Farm shops
Lavender products
Oils and gifts from Cotswold lavender farms.
💡 Farm shops