The Cotswold England Great Britain UK Accommodation Tourist Guide and Information

WELCOME TO
THE COTSWOLDS


The Lygon Arms Hotel	Buckland Manor Hotel	Dormy House Hotel

The Cotswolds Welcomes Visitors From Around The World To
Its Hotels, B & B's, Holiday Cottages, Restaurants,
Pubs, Shops, Galleries, And Attractions.

The Cotswolds is the largest of 40 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) in England and Wales, and it is definitely one of the most captivating - known and appreciated by people from all corners of the world. The area is characterised by pretty towns and villages built of the underlying honey coloured Cotswold stone, rolling fields of farm and grassland, and internationally important beech and yew woods. This range of hills in west-central England, lies mainly within the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, but extends into parts of Worcestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire.

cotswold stone cottages at snowshill village

Diary Of Local Events 2008
11June - 26 July: Longborough Festival Opera, Longborough, Nr Moreton-in-Marsh (01451 830292)
3-6 July: Royal Show - Stoneleigh Park Warwickshire - Farming, Food & Rural Life (024 76 696 969)
4-6 July: Diesel Nostalgia on road and rail - Glos & Warwickshire Railway, Toddington(01242 621405)
17 July: Jazz and Swing night at the Crown and Trumpet Inn, Broadway - The Swing Museum (01386 853202)
25 – 27 July: CLA Game Fair - Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire (0844 8480990)
31 July: Jazz and Swing night at the Crown and Trumpet Inn, Broadway - Swing from Paris (01386 853202)
8-10 Aug: Record Revolution: Shellac to Vinyl from Dan Leno to Bill Haley, Farncombe Estate, Broadway (01386 854100)
14 Aug: Jazz and Swing night at the Crown and Trumpet Inn, Broadway - ´Spats´ Langham´s Hot Fingers (01386 853202)
15-18 Aug: Cotswold Gardens to Delight (3 days) Letta Jones MA Farncombe Estate, Broadway (01386 854100)
28 Aug: Jazz and Swing night at the Crown and Trumpet Inn, Broadway - Nick Gill and Debbie Arthers (01386 853202)
27-28 Sept: Malvern Autumn Show - Three Counties Showground Malvern (01684 584900)


Cowley House Bed & Breakfast	2, The Old Bakery Holiday Cottage	Dove Cottage Bed & Breakfast

People have lived and worked in the Cotswolds for over 6000 years. The Romans arrived in the Cotswolds in AD47, quarrying the local stone and building now famous roads, like the Fosse Way, towns like Cirencester and cities like Bath and Gloucester. In the Middle Ages, the wool trade made the Cotswolds prosperous - Cotswold wool merchants built themselves grand houses and endowed magnificent Cotswold stone 'wool' churches which still stand today. The native Cotswolds sheep was known as the 'Cotswold Lion', at one time providing wool for over ½ of England's cloth. The Speaker of the British House of Lords still sits on the Woolsack showing where the Medieval wealth of the country came from.


Crown & Trumpet Inn Pub / Bed & Breakfast	Laburnum Cottage Holiday Cottage	Lower Mill Cottage Holiday Cottage

There are over 3000 miles of public footpath in the Cotswolds - The Cotswold Way is a well known long-distance footpath, approximately 103 miles (166 km) long, running the length of the AONB, mainly on the edge of the Cotswold escarpment with good views over the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham. Walking The Cotswold Way or part of it is a great way to take in th this beautiful countryside and many Hotels and Bed & Breakfasts are happy to arrange luggage transportation to your next overnight location.


Russells of Broadway Restaurant With Rooms	The Old Stationhouse Bed & Breakfast	Whiteacres Bed & Breakfast

The Cotswolds has always been a favourite with artists, writers and musicians, including William Morris, Laurie Lee, Henry James, J.M.Barrie,Vaughan Williams, and American artists Francis Davis Millet and John Singer Sargent. From the southern end of the Cotswolds, Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon is just a stone's throw away, as is Malvern whose most famous son Sir Edward Elgar was the most significant British composer of his time.


Broadway Tower	Thornbury Castle Hotel

The Broadway Tower was once the home of Arts and Crafts Movement founder William Morris, and today is is the centrepiece of an extensive country park. Also worthy of special note is the Lygon Arms in Broadway (photo at top of page), at different times, both Charles I and Oliver Cromwell stayed at this beautiful Inn.
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Sudeley Castle, situated on the outskirts of Winchcombe also has a varied and interesting history and is lovely place to visit. Rebuilt in the 15th Century, it was later owned by Sir Tomas Seymour who married Catherine Parr, the widow of Henry VIII. She is buried in the chapel which is one of the few parts of the original building to survive.
For a really special stay in a Tudor Castle Palace boasting the oldest Tudor gardens in England, Thornbury Castle is a luxury hotel which provides a perfect base to explore the Cotswolds. King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, stayed here, and Princess Mary, later Queen Mary I, also lived here for several years. Today, much still remains of the original 16th century building.

Whether you want to visit the picturesque villages and towns, enjoy walking through the pretty countryside, take in the magnificent local stately homes, gardens, and arboreta, follow the trail of kings and queens or famous artists, writers and musicians, there is plenty to see and do in the Cotswolds. We hope you will find this Site to be informative and of interest to you and whether you visit for just a few hours or for a longer stay we can assure you of a Warm Welcome - We look forward to seeing you soon.

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Broadway Winner Of The 2007 Calor Worcestershire Village Of The Year

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