Stay in the Cotswolds
The Cotswolds is home to some of England's finest countryside and is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). It is protected as a special landscape of national importance and lies between Gloucester, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Oxford and Bath. Parts of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire all lie within the Cotswolds. The Cotswolds is the largest AONB in England and Wales, with a long tradition of hospitality. The area continues to offer manor house hotels, high-quality B&Bs, self-catering cottages and award-winning pubs and tea-rooms. It attracts visitors all year round and is a fascinating place to explore.
There are charming villages, historic towns, impressive churches, rolling countryside and glorious gardens. Walking, cycling and horse riding are popular pursuits. There are many towns and villages to explore in The Cotswolds, including Cheltenham, Bourton-on-the-Water, Stow-on-the-Wold, Chipping Norton and Cirencester.
There are internationally important beech and yew woods, giving sensational seasonal colour. Cotswold stone buildings are known all over the world and the dry stone walls cover more than 6,000kms. As well as excellent walking, there are many attractions in the Cotswolds, including Cotswold Wildlife Park and Blenheim Palace and world class gardens like Hidcote Manor Gardens, Painswick Rococo Garden and the 600 acre Westonbirt Arboretum, a must visit in the autumn when the 16,000 tress show off their colour. There is a great range of accommodation in The Cotswolds, from self catering holiday cottages to friendly guest houses and luxury hotels and spas.
Cheltenham
Cheltenham Spa became popular for visitors about 300 years ago, when the first natural spring was first discovered. It soon became a popular Spa town and is now still famed for its Regency architecture, great shopping and of course horse racing. Every year the town becomes the centre of the sporting world for The Cheltenham Festival.
Burford
It is the architecture in Burford that sets it apart. This village in the north Cotswolds has some of the finest examples of 17th and 18th century houses, many of which front the broad High Street. In medieval times Burford was a centre of the wool trade, but nowadays is more focussed on the antiques trade, with many fine antique shops lining Burford High Street. For your stay in the Cotswolds, you may want a hotel, guest house, bed and breakfast, hostel, camp site, spa resort, self catering cottage or a holiday park – simply select your chosen accommodation to view more details.
There are many exciting events happening in the Cotswolds through the year and the Cotswolds area offers several world class visitor attractions not to be missed.