Cotswolds
The
Cotswolds is the name given to a range of hills in central
England, sometimes called the "Heart of England", a hilly area reaching over 300 m or 1000 feet. The area has been designated as the
Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The highest point in the Cotswolds is
Cleeve Hill at 330m/1083ft.
The Cotswolds lie within the current
ceremonial counties of
Oxfordshire,
Gloucestershire,
Wiltshire,
Somerset,
Warwickshire, and
Worcestershire. The county of Gloucestershire forms the largest area of the Cotswolds.
The spine of the Cotswolds runs southwest to northeast through six counties (see note above), particularly
Gloucestershire,
Oxfordshire, and southern
Warwickshire. The northern and western edges of the Cotswolds are marked by steep escarpments down to the
Severn valley and the
Avon. This
escarpment or
scarp feature (sometimes called the
Cotswold Edge) is a result of the uplifting (tilting) of the limestone layer, exposing its broken edge. This is a
cuesta, in
geological terms. The
dip slope is to the southeast. On the eastern boundary lies the city of
Oxford and on the west is
Stroud. To the south the middle reaches of the
Thames Valley and towns such as
Cirencester,
Lechlade and
Fairford are often considered to mark the southern limit of this region. However, key features of the area, especially the characteristic uplift of the Cotswold Edge, can be clearly seen as far south as
Bath and towns such as
Chipping Sodbury and
Marshfield share elements of Cotswold character.
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A Cotswold scene at Bibury in Gloucestershire. |
The area is characterised by attractive small
towns and
villages built of the underlying
Cotswold stone (a yellow
oolitic limestone). This limestone is rich in
fossils, in particular fossilised
sea urchins. In the
Middle Ages, the
wool trade made the Cotswolds prosperous; hence the
Speaker of the British
House of Lords sits on the
Woolsack showing where the Medieval wealth of the country came from. Some of this money was put into the building of
churches so the area has a number of large, handsome Cotswold stone "
wool churches". The area remains affluent and has attracted wealthy people who own
second homes in the area or have chosen to retire to the Cotswolds.
Typical Cotswold towns are
Bourton-on-the-Water,
Broadway,
Burford,
Chipping Norton,
Cirencester,
Moreton-in-Marsh,
Stow-on-the-Wold and
Winchcombe. The village of
Chipping Campden is notable for being the home of the
Arts and Crafts movement, founded by
William Morris at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. William Morris lived occasionally in
Broadway Tower a folly now part of a country park. Chipping Campden is also known for the annual
Cotswold Games, a celebration of sports and games dating back to the early
17th century.
The Cotswolds were designated as an
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in
1966, with an expansion on
21 December 1990 to 1,990 square kilometres. In 1991 all AONBs were measured again using modern methods. The official area of the Cotswolds AONB increased to 2,038 square kilometres. In 2000 the government confirmed that AONBs had the same landscape quality and status as National Parks. 2006 is the 40th anniversary of The AONB.
The largest of 40 AONBs in England and Wales, the Cotswolds AONB stretches from the border regions of South Warwickshire and Worcestershire, through West Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire and takes in parts of West Wiltshire and Bath and North East Somerset in the South.
The
Cotswold Way is a long-distance footpath (approx 103 miles) running the length of the AONB, mainly on the edge of the Cotswold escarpement with good views over the
Severn Valley and the
Vale of Evesham.
The Cotswold Voluntary Wardens Service was established in 1968 to help conserve and enhance the area. There are now over 300 Wardens. In 2005 they gave over 36,000 hours of their time.
The Cotswolds are ringed by the
M5 motorway ,
M40 motorway and the
M4 motorway giving easy car access to the area. The main non-motorway roads through the area are the A46:
Bath â€"
Stroud â€"
Cheltenham, A419:
Swindon â€"
Cirencester â€"
Stroud, A429:
Cirencester â€"
Stow on the Wold â€"
Moreton-in-Marsh, and the A40:
Oxford â€"
Burford â€"
Cheltenham. These all roughly follow the routes of ancient roads; some laid down by the
Romans, such as
Ermin Street and the
Fosse Way.
The area is bounded by two major rail routes:- in the South by the main
Bristol-Bath-London High Speed line and in the West by the
Bristol-Birmingham main lineMain line, high speed rail services to the big cities are reached via for example
Bath,
Swindon,
Oxford Cheltenham and
Worcester. High speed services to London, are also available from smaller stations at Kemble near
Cirencester,Kingham Station near
Stow on the Wold and
Moreton-in-Marsh station.
Cheltenham is a hub for
National Express coach services. Local bus service across the area do exist, but are infrequent. The best source of information is the local tourist offices.
Between
1974 and
1995 parts of the AONB fell within the newly formed administrative and ceremonial
County of Avon. After
1995 Avon was divided between four administrative unitary authorities with 'shadow county' status, the relevant ones for the AONB being
South Gloucestershire and
Bath and North-East Somerset. For ceremonial purposes these counties are returned to their pre-1974
lord lieutenancies.
 |
A horse in a field of buttercups in the Cotswolds (Spring 2005). |
*
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England*
Geology of the United Kingdom*
Cotswold sheep*
Cotswold Line*
The Official Cotswolds Tourism website â€" Tourist guide
*
The Cotswolds â€" Tourist guide
*
Cotswolds website â€" Cotswolds accommodation, events and information
*
Cotswolds â€" Guide to accommodation, events and attractions
*
Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Website*
The Cotswold Hyperguide â€" A visitor's view of some Cotswold towns and villages
*
Guide to the Cotswolds*
This is the Cotswolds â€" Local news and information
*
Yate and Chipping Sodbury Guide â€" A Guide to Yate, Chipping Sodbury on the Southern Edge of the Cotswold Escarpment
