Cotswolds
Sign in to saveThe Cotswolds ( ) is a region of South West, South Central England and West Midlands. Along a range of wolds or rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper River Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham. The area is defined by the bedrock of Jurassic limestone that creates a type of grassland habitat that is quarried for the golden-coloured Cotswold stone. It lies across the boundaries of several English counties: mainly Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, and parts of Wiltshire, Somerset, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire. The highest point is Cleeve Hill
Key facts
- Protected area.name
- Cotswolds
- Protected area.image
- Castle combe cotswolds.jpg
- Protected area.image_caption
- Castle Combe, a Cotswolds village with buildings made of Cotswold stone
- Protected area.image_map
- Cotswolds AONB locator map.svg
- Protected area.map_caption
- Location of the Cotswolds National Landscape within England
- Protected area.location
- England
- Protected area.area_km2
- 2038
- Protected area.established
- 1966
- Protected area.named_for
- cot + wold, 'sheep enclosure in rolling hillsides'
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
16 sectionsContents
- History
- Etymology
- Geography
- Economy
- Tourism
- Housing development
- Cotswolds National Landscape
- Places of interest
- Transport
- Railways
- Demographics
- In culture
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
The Cotswolds ( ) is a region of South West, South Central England and West Midlands. Along a range of wolds or rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper River Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham. The area is defined by the bedrock of Jurassic limestone that creates a type of grassland habitat that is quarried for the golden-coloured Cotswold stone. It lies across the boundaries of several English counties: mainly Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, and parts of Wiltshire, Somerset, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire. The highest point is Cleeve Hill at , just east of Cheltenham. The predominantly rural landscape contains stone-built villages, towns, stately homes and gardens featuring the local stone.
A large area within the Cotswolds has been designated as a National Landscape (formerly known as Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, or AONB) since 1966. The designation covers , with boundaries roughly across and long, stretching south-west from just south of Stratford-upon-Avon to just south of Bath, making it the largest National Landscape area and England's third-largest protected landscape.