The Cotswolds

Wool - The Cotswolds were mainly built on the wool trade, and you can still see many examples of mills along the way. Many of the impressive local buildings were constructed with money from the wool trade. The local sheep are called the 'Cotswold Lions' and have been brought back from the brink of extinction. 

Outstanding Beauty - The Cotswolds is the largest Area of Outstanding Beauty in England and the second-largest protected area after the Lake District. The Cotswolds are rural England at its most stunning; the towns and villages with their warm honey limestone facades add charm and beauty to the natural wonder surrounding them. 

Unique Local Customs - There are a lot of fascinating local customs, which you can participate in should you be visiting the area at that time of year. There is an annual cheese rolling at Coopers Hill, Birdlip, where contestants roll wheels of Double Gloucester cheese down a hill. There is also a football game in Bourton on Water where the goalposts are on either side of a river! These are only the tip of the iceberg too. 

Limestone - The Limestone is what gives the Cotswolds villages and churches their honey-coloured glow. The drystone walls built in the Cotswolds are everywhere, and you will pass alongside many on your travels. If you laid them end to end, they would stretch further than the Great Wall of China.