The Cotswolds (England’s Largest National Landscape)
The Cotswolds stretch across much of Gloucestershire, rolling hills dotted with villages where time stands still. Covering 800 square miles, the name is a blend of Cot (sheep enclosure – ie. dry stone walls) and Wold (a hill). So the name literally means ‘sheep enclosure on a hill’.
England’s largest National Landscape also covers parts of Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire – which has Broadway Tower, from where you can view for 60 miles across 16 counties!
The Cotswold Way National Trail stretches over 100 miles, giving stunning views of the countryside from Chipping Campden to Bath. Walkers who love a challenge could try Broadway Tower.
Out walking? Follow the Countryside Code to keep all creatures safe. Keep dogs away from steep banks, mushrooms (and other toxic plants/trees) and on leads during nesting season (and near barnyard friends and wild ponies).
At the coast, keep away from nesting birds and never walk on sand dunes. Learn how to keep dogs safe by the seaside (check beach bans before travel).
How to upright an overturned sheep
If when out walking you see a sheep on its back (due to pregnancy or rain-soaked wool), just firmly right it back (or it will die) then stay with it, until the rain has drained off.
Bourton-on-the-Water
This village is beautiful, but there are concerns over ‘TikTok visitors’ who descend to take selfies with beautiful backdrops. But leave litter behind, having no appreciation of local nature and heritage.
Bibury is smaller and quieter, with a line of old weavers’ cottages besides a green bank and stream.
Other places here are:
- Stow-on-the-Wold (with antique shops and bookshops)
- Chipping Campden (fine stone buildings and an old church)
- Burford (on the Oxfordshire edge)
Castle Combe (England’s prettiest village?)
If you love a proper English village, Castle Combe is as good as it gets. Hidden amid the Cotswolds in Wiltshire, it has honey-coloured cottages that date back centuries, with thick stone walls and steep roofs.
This village has strict laws to preserve it from modern ugliness! Banned things include street lights (so take a torch at night!), aerials and large new-built homes. It features one of the oldest working clocks in England, yet has no face (medieval workers would listen to the chimes, to tell the time)
Today, the village is only home to around 50 people in the centre, with over 100 buildings having Grade II historic listing status, and most buildings are several centuries old.
