The Cotswolds

Intimate and benign, the Cotswold Hills beckon you, in a polite, English sort of way, to their central ribbon of rolling countryside. North of Bath, east of Gloucester and west of Oxford, this is the land of afternoon tea, warm beer and bicycling vicars – it is quintessentially English. Neat fields, lush woodland, clear rivers and narrow, hedge-lined lanes crisscross a network of pretty villages. In them the houses, churches, cottages and farms are built of the famous warm, honey-coloured Cotswold stone. Walking here is a delight.

The region is defined by that stone. It’s the golden building blocks of the villages, but it’s also the limestone bedrock of the hills, and peeps out beneath your feet where the topsoil has peeled away. The Cotswold Way traces the spine of these hills, often along the steep escarpment that slices down their western edge, offering exhilarating views over the River Severn and Wales beyond.

The human landscape of the Cotswolds is down to wool. Sheep here produced a large portion of medieval England’s wealth, and some of that money was clearly spent locally, on still-fine buildings. In the 17th century the wool trade died but the massive physical changes of the Industrial Revolution bypassed the Cotswolds. Of course, the hills are not set in aspic and have, thankfully, engaged with the modern world, but today this is England at its most affluent. Villages exude a heady aroma of solid bank accounts and abound with expensive public schools, new cars and golf courses. But beneath the picture-postcard views, high property prices make it impossible for many locals to buy a home in their home town. THE COTSWOLDS

HIGHLIGHTS

The better-than-bird’s-eye view over Cheltenham and the River Severn, and towards the Brecon Beacons, from Leckhampton Hill ( p116 ) Wandering the Windrush Way to cross tiny bridge after tiny bridge in the ‘Venice of the Cotswolds’ – Bourton-on-the-Water ( p120 ) With only 30 miles of the Cotswold Way to go, being smoothed, stretched and soothed at a luxury spa in Cheltenham ( p117 ) The gorgeous golden buildings of Chipping Campden ( p111 ) – a fitting finish to a fantastic trail THE COTSWOLDS the Planning sections foreach walk. the Planningsections and eastof Cheltenham). ern partof thisarea (northof Cirencester No 45 upon-Avon Worcester &the Malverns of Dean, Cotswold Teashop Walks There are shelves-full from. Try tochoose Books 172 1:50,000mapsNo (OS)Landranger Survey Useful mapsforwalkingincludeOrdnance Maps INFORMATION The Cotswolds 108 Berkeley Chipping Sodbury (37mi) To Wales (37mi) To Wales W ORCESTHI South-West The Cotswolds (18mi) Bristol To Slimbridge To the For mapscovering individualwalks,see (15mi) Bristol To Bristol &Bath, THECOTSWOLDS ••Information

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