The Cotswolds in February

February is snowdrop month in the Cotswolds, and otherwise nearly as quiet as January. The snowdrops are at their best from late January into the middle of February, the first lambs are in the fields by the end of the month, and the only crowds come in the school half term, a week in the middle of the month. On the wolds the Met Office's averages (opens in a new tab) give a high of 7°C, a low of 1°C and about three hours of sunshine a day. It is the driest month of the winter, with 55mm of rain on 11 days, and the days lengthen fast: from about nine hours of daylight on 1 February to nearly eleven by the end, with sunset moving from just before 5pm to about 5.45pm.

The averages are for Little Rissington, on the high ground above Bourton-on-the-Water. Cold, clear February days give the longest views from the escarpment, and the mud underfoot is the only real hardship.

What is in flower in February

Snowdrops, everywhere, and the month is planned around them. Our guide to snowdrops in the Cotswolds has the five gardens in full. This is the short version for the month.

Colesbourne Park opens at weekends for its collection of about 350 varieties, on four weekends from the end of January, with tickets sold online in advance and none at the gate. Painswick Rococo Garden has about five million snowdrops in its valley and takes online bookings only in February, with no paying on the day, though you can book up to the day itself. Batsford Arboretum is open every day without booking, and Cerney House Gardens at North Cerney the same. Rodmarton Manor near Tetbury, which grows many different sorts of snowdrop, some of them rare, has opened for them on a few winter afternoons. Its own site gave no snowdrop dates when we checked, so ring 01285 841442 before you go.

A mild winter brings the whole season forward by about a fortnight and a hard one holds it back, so the gardens post updates on their own sites through the month, and those are worth reading the night before you go. Colesbourne opens its gates (opens in a new tab) at 11am and its parking is in the grounds. The lane outside is not for parking.

The National Garden Scheme (opens in a new tab)'s snowdrop festival opens some private gardens for charity, and its site lists the gardens and their dates. The village churchyards are free. By the last week, in a mild year, the first daffodils are out on the verges and the hellebores are flowering in the gardens.

What is on in February

February has one custom and a steady run of markets. The Stroud Wassail was held on a Saturday in February (21 February in 2026) at the Museum in the Park in Stratford Park, Stroud: morris sides, songs, a beast dance for children dressed as animals, and the wassailing itself, free, mostly outdoors. The next date is to be confirmed: the museum lists it on its calendar once it is set, so check there before you go. Our story on wassailing has the custom's history.

The farm year starts again too. The Cotswold Farm Park near Guiting Power closes from early January and opens its lambing barn for February half term, and it is the place to take children to see the lambing. Its own calendar did not yet show its February opening days when we checked, but it lists Lambing After Dark evenings on Saturdays in February. Its animal barns and indoor play suit a wet week.

The markets run as usual. Stroud Farmers' Market fills Cornhill every Saturday, Stow Farmers' Market is on the Square on the second and last Thursdays, and Cirencester, Moreton-in-Marsh and Witney have their weekly charter markets. February has no bank holiday, and nothing else of ours that needs booking.

What is open and what is closed in February

More is open than in January, and the list grows through the month. Westonbirt, Batsford and Cerney House open every day, Colesbourne and the Rococo Garden open for their snowdrops, and by the middle of the month the Cotswold Farm Park and the Cotswold Falconry Centre beside Batsford are due to reopen, though neither had published its reopening day when we checked. The falconry centre flies its birds three times a day, at 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3pm, from mid-February to mid-November.

Still shut are Sezincote, which reopens in March, Sudeley Castle, which usually opens in mid-March (14 March in 2026), and Bourton House Garden, shut until April. The rooms of Lacock Abbey are closed from November to the start of March. The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway lists no trains for February, and Burford's Tolsey Museum stays shut until April. Each listing gives the latest dates we have. Check the place's own site too.

Walks for February: the mud month

The field paths are at their worst in February, after three months of rain, and the river meadows are often under water. Walk on the escarpment and the commons, where the limestone drains, and save the valley walks for May. Waterproof boots are not optional. The light lasts until about 5pm at the start of the month and 5.45pm at the end, so a walk started after an early lunch is home in daylight.

• Painswick and Painswick Beacon, 5 miles (8km) with 250m of climbing, out to the hill fort on Painswick Beacon and back past the Rococo Garden's gate. Walkers on AllTrails report mud in winter and early spring, and a short stretch beside the B4073 on a narrow path
• Blockley and Batsford Park, 4.9 miles with two climbs and deep mud in winter, past the arboretum
• Leckhampton Hill and the Devil's Chimney, 4 miles above Cheltenham, with one steep climb and Belted Galloway cattle on the common in winter, so dogs go on a short lead near them

The Cotswold Way along the top of the escarpment drains better than any valley route, and our Cotswold Way guide has all 15 sections. Our dog-friendly guide has the rules for the gardens and commons.

Where to stay and eat in February

February suits a short stay with a snowdrop garden, a walk and a pub on the same road, so pick a base by the garden you want. For Painswick and the Rococo Garden, the Falcon on New Street has 11 rooms and dogs welcome throughout, and the Butchers Arms at Sheepscombe is a short drive for lunch. For Batsford, stay in Moreton-in-Marsh, where the White Hart Royal is on the High Street and the station is on the Cotswold Line, so you can come without a car. Our places to stay in Painswick page has the rest. Our winter weekend in Broadway and the north takes in Batsford's snowdrops on its Sunday.

Rooms are easy to find except over the half term weekends. If you are staying near Cheltenham in March as well, book that now: the Festival fills every room for miles around in the middle of the month.

The Cotswolds Info newsletter

Events, new places and the best of the season, about once a month. Unsubscribe at any time.

Leave this field blank

Your name

Your email address

Yes, send me the Cotswolds Info newsletter

Sign me up

Half term and the crowds in February

February half term is the one busy week of the month: Gloucestershire's schools (opens in a new tab) break for a week in the middle of February, and Oxfordshire's take the same week. The Rococo Garden names half term as its busiest time, and Bourton-on-the-Water fills on its fine days. Go on the weekdays either side and you will have the gardens nearly to yourself.

There is no bank holiday in February. Outside half term the weekdays are as empty as January's, and the snowdrop gardens on a Tuesday morning are the quietest they will be all season. Our guide to the Cotswolds without the crowds has the busy hours for the rest of the year.

If you only have a day in February

Book the Rococo Garden for its 10am opening on a weekday in the second week of the month and walk the valley while the light is low. Have lunch at the Falcon in Painswick, then walk up to Painswick Beacon in the early afternoon for the Severn Vale and, on a clear day, the Malverns, and be down by about 5pm, when the light goes.

If you would rather not book, go to Batsford for the morning, lunch in Moreton, and spend the afternoon at the falconry centre next door once it has reopened in mid-February. Our guide to when to visit the Cotswolds has the rest of the year, and our bluebell woods guide picks up the woods in April.