The Cotswolds

Undulating gracefully across six counties, the Cotswolds region is a delightful tangle of golden villages, thatched cottages, evocative churches and honey-coloured mansions. In 1966 it was designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, surpassed for size in England by the Lake District alone.

No one’s sure what the name means, but ‘wolds’ are rolling hills, while ‘cots’ might be ‘cotes’, or sheep pens. Certainly the region owes its wealth, and exquisite architecture, to the medieval wool trade, when ‘Cotswold Lion’ sheep were prized across Europe. Attentions later turned towards textiles instead, but the Industrial Revolution passed the Cotswolds by. Hailed by William Morris in the 19th century as encapsulating a timeless English rural idyll, it remains both a prime residential area and a treasured tourist destination.

Criss-crossed by long-distance trails including the 102-mile Cotswold Way, these gentle yet dramatic hills are perfect for walking, cycling and horse riding.

Explore The Cotswolds

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Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout The Cotswolds.

  • Street

    Arlington Row

    Bibury's most famous attraction, this ravishing row of rustic cottages – as seen in movies like Stardust – was originally a 14th-century wool store,…

  • Museum

    Corinium Museum

    Most of this wonderful modern museum is, of course, dedicated to Cirencester’s Roman past; reconstructed rooms, videos and interactive displays bring the…

  • Bird Sanctuary

    Cotswold Falconry Centre

    Home to over 150 birds of prey (owl, vulture, eagle and, of course, falcon), this exciting spot stages displays of the ancient practice of falconry at 11…

  • Castle

    Sudeley Castle

    During its thousand-year history, this magnificent castle has welcomed many a monarch, including Richard III, Henry VIII and Charles I. Half a mile…

  • Gardens

    Painswick Rococo Garden

    England's only surviving rococo garden, half a mile north of Painswick, was laid out by Benjamin Hyett in the 1740s as a vast 'outdoor room'. Restored to…

  • Historic Building

    Minster Lovell Hall

    The main sight in Old Minster is Minster Lovell Hall, a 15th-century riverside manor house that fell into ruins after being abandoned in 1747. You can…

  • Church

    St John the Baptist’s Church

    Burford's splendid church, near the river, took over three centuries to build, from 1175 onwards. Its fan-vaulted ceiling, Norman west doorway and 15th…

  • Park

    Batsford Arboretum

    Created from 1880 onwards by Bertie Mitford (Lord Redesdale), and later briefly home to his famous granddaughters, the Mitford sisters, these exotic 22…

  • Tower

    Broadway Tower

    Built in 1798 to resemble an imaginary Saxon fort, this turreted Gothic folly looks down on Broadway from atop the escarpment, 1 mile southeast. William…

  • Church

    St John the Baptist’s Church

    One of England's largest parish churches, the cathedral-like St John's boasts an outstanding Perpendicular Gothic tower with flying buttresses (c 1400),…

  • Archaeological Site

    Uley Bury

    England’s largest Iron Age hill fort, dating from around 300 BC, sprawls across 13 (overgrown) hectares above Uley. A 1.1-mile perimeter track leads…

  • House

    Stanway House

    There's little more to the pretty village of Stanway than a few thatched-roofed cottages, a church and this magnificent Jacobean mansion, concealed behind…

  • Archaeological Site

    Chedworth Roman Villa

    This large and luxurious Roman villa was rediscovered by a gamekeeper in 1864. Though the earliest section dates to around AD 175, it was at its most…

  • Gardens

    Highgrove

    The private residence of Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, a mile southwest of Tetbury, is famous for its exquisite, sustainable, organic…

  • Ruins

    Hailes Abbey

    Now lying in ruins 3 miles northeast of Winchcombe, this 13th-century Cistercian abbey was once, thanks to a long-running medieval scam, one of England’s…

  • Archaeological Site

    Belas Knap Long Barrow

    Dating from around 3000 BC, Belas Knap is one of the country’s best-preserved neolithic burial chambers, complete with ‘false’ portal leading nowhere. The…

  • House

    Kelmscott Manor

    Nestling near the Thames 20 miles west of Oxford (northwest of Faringdon), Kelmscott Manor is a gorgeous garden-fringed Tudor pile that was bought in 1871…

  • House

    Woodchester Mansion

    When work on grand, graceful Woodchester Mansion, off the B4066 3 miles north of Uley, was abandoned in the mid-1860s, the roof was on but the house was…

  • Museum

    Broadway Museum & Art Gallery

    Set in a magnificent 17th-century coaching inn, Broadway’s town museum has close links with Oxford’s prestigious Ashmolean Museum. Its fascinating…

  • Church

    St Mary’s Church

    Painswick centres on this fine 14th-century, Perpendicular Gothic wool church, surrounded by 18th-century tabletop tombs and clipped yew trees sculpted to…

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in The Cotswolds.

  • Activities