The Cotswolds Region

"The Cotswolds" are rather less easy to pin-point than an individual village, and edges are a little "fuzzy" due to boundary changes, architectural styles, historical allegiances and general confusion. However, it can probably be described as the region lying between Stroud and Chipping Camden to the west and north, and perhaps Tetbury (or even Bath) and Witney to the south and east. Give or take a bit!

Probably the easiest way to define the area is actually to simply follow the government, which defined the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1966. As well as giving a clear boundary, this status means that the area is protected as a very special - but functioning, working- landscape of national importance. It is the largest AONB in England and Wales, covering 790 sq miles (2,038 sq km) and stretching some 78 miles (126 km) from north to south. More information on this can be found here.

The Cotswolds and Wool

The region is characterised by its distinctive architecture and "old world" look: the result of past wool merchants and landowners made wealthy by the rich pastureland. Much of the region now lies within conservation areas that protect the buildings, and so it remains a magnet for tourists, walkers, visitors and people generally wishing to escape the pressure of modern urban living.

Wool was really at the heart of the landscape, and it's easy to under-estimate this supremely valuable commodity. Perhaps brought to the area by the Romans from their base at Corinium, the modern Cirencester, sheep provided meat, milk and clothes. Later on, great flocks of these animals roamed the hills throughout the region, and their fleeces and wool were exported all over Europe. It was the money from this trade that paid for the construction of the region's many fine houses, villages and churches. Indeed, it was wool tax that reputedly paid the ransom of King Richard the Lionheart when he was captured during the Crusades, and to this day the Lord Chancellor sits in Parliament on a woolsack: a symbol of the country's traditional source of wealth.

Touring the Cotswolds

The northern Cotswolds region is generally very good for walking and cycling, with quiet roads, gentle gradients (with some exceptions!), and wonderful pubs and villages around every bend.