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The Captivating Cotswolds

One of the most beautiful areas in England, the Cotswolds, offers unique stone-built heritage, gently rolling hills and broad sweeping valleys. Explore historic market towns and discover small charming villages dotted across the landscape, each with an interesting church and perhaps a country pub! Every season throws a different light on this quintessentially English scene. Autumn is of course a beautiful time. Imagine what the Cotswolds will look like now.


Places to visit
There are famous cities such as Bath, well-known beautiful towns like Cheltenham and hundreds of delightful villages such as Burford and Castle Combe. The local honey-coloured limestone, used for everything from the stone floors in the houses to the tiles on the roof, has ensured that the area has a magical uniformity of architecture.

You will see ‘Drystone walls’ everywhere in the fields. Many were built in the 18th and 19th centuries. Building these walls takes considerable skill, as there is no cement to hold the stones together. They represent an important historical landscape and a major conservation feature – and are of course still used by farmers to enclose sheep and cattle.

Where to stay
You’ll find a wide choice of accommodation, from elegant country house hotels and small family run bed and breakfasts to excellent farmhouses, self catering and camping and caravan sites.

Food and drink
The Cotswolds is an agricultural area and its food producers have wonderfully tasty cheeses, wines, fruits, vegetables, juices, biscuits, beers, meat and fish. You should be able to buy these from local shops in towns and villages in the Cotswolds. Farmers' markets are also held regularly in many of the market towns in the area. The Cotswolds is known for historic hotels and a great tip is to visit these for afternoon tea, where you can enjoy traditional scones, sandwiches and cakes.

Walking
There are some great walks in the Cotswolds, many based in and around the characteristic towns and villages. One of the best ways to walk with confidence in the countryside is to use a Circular Walk, following a leaflet describing the route. This will provide a map with clear instructions and usually notes places of interest to look out for on your way.

To explore some of the historic towns in the Cotswolds, why not spend an hour following a Town Trail taking in the architectural heritage and history written in stone, before stopping for a drink at a traditional pub or afternoon tea at a tearoom?

A well-earned rest should be enjoyed! For a perfect English Autumn visit the Cotswolds. Mellow in an endless sleepy scene and let the summer float away over distant meadows.

(Article from www.enjoyengland.com)