The Cotswolds by Madeleine Shearer

With its undulating hills, green fields, picturesque honey-coloured stone villages and magnificent mansions, it is no surprise that the Cotswolds is documented as the largest "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" in England and Wales. Covering nearly 800 square miles, it takes in parts of seven English Counties: Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, Somerset and Herefordshire. Its central location makes it an ideal holiday destination, close to London, Bristol, Oxford and the Midlands.

Built largely on its medieval wool trade of the 15th and 16th Century, many parts of the Cotswolds still echo their historic past, with timeless villages and market squares still used today for antique fairs and farmers’ markets. The famous Cotswold stone, from local limestone quarries, was used to build both humble farm cottages and glorious churches. Historically, as the wool trade declined in England, giving way to cloth manufacturing in the 16th and 17th Centuries, the Cotswolds became a forgotten part of England. And it is this turn of events which has preserved the Cotswolds for visitors today, earning its well-deserved title as one of the most visited parts of England.

Cirencester church

There is plenty to see and do in the area: stately homes including Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, the birthplace of Winston Churchill; the unspoilt cities of Oxford and Bath with their magnificent buildings; grand towns like Cheltenham and Gloucester; museums such as the Roman Corinium Museum in Cirencester, or the birthplace of Gustav Holst in Gloucester; gardens such as the only surviving Rococo garden in Painswick or the Mill Dene Garden with its working water mill; steam railways and wildlife parks including the Cotswold Wildlife Park, a favourite of children of all ages. Or you could simply choose to while away your day with a country walk to a traditional English pub, and enjoy the glorious views, so favoured by artists and writers.

If it’s a more active holiday you're looking for, the Cotswold Water Park, on the south-western edge of the Cotswolds, covers 40 square miles with 140 lakes and 100 miles of cycle lanes, offering country walks, fishing, water sports, golf, riding and a variety of holiday homes to suit all budgets.

swan at Cotswold Water Park

The Thames Path runs through the Water Park, just a few miles from its source and the Cotswolds is a great base if you are planning to walk the path. The lakes include a number of designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest and are an important base for overwintering waterfowl, so make a great location for bird watchers.
 

Whatever your interest, the Cotswolds provides you with an abundance of activities to make your holiday in this wonderful part of England memorable, and you will want to return to see more.

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