A Taste of the
Peak District
The Cotswolds self catering holiday cottage accommodation …
Places to stay in and around the Cotswolds (self-catering holiday cottages).
Click here to find self-catering accommodation in the Cotswold Hills of England.
The Cotswolds attracts visitors to England because of the wide variety of holiday options, conference centres and corporate events. Come to the rolling Cotswold Hills of the UK to explore the stately homes and gardens, visit towns and villages, walk the hundreds of miles of footpaths, enjoy the road cycling, off-road mountain biking or experience the many other outdoor activities practised in the area. If you own a Cotswold Hills holiday accommodation business - self-catering cottages, hotel or bed and breakfast please contact us for details of our advertising (£40 per annum).
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in central England. They lie mainly within the UK counties of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, but partly extend into the neighbouring counties of of Wiltshire, Somerset, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. They are roughly 25 miles by 90 miles in size and are typically English rolling hills. The high point is Cleeve Hill, just north of Cheltenham, which is a shade over 1000 feet (330m for metric people). They are aligned roughly NE-SW and are composed of Jurassic oolitic limestone which is fossiliferous in places, particularly echinoids such as Clypeaster (if my geological memory serves me correctly!). The Cotswold Edge, a classic escarpment, forms the western and northern boundaries. The dip of the limestone is to the SE. The limestone is quarried as Cotswold stone and has a pleasant yellowish tinge.
The area became prosperous from the Wool Trade during the Middle Ages and is still regarded as a prosperous area as it has attracted many affluent people who own second homes or who have retired to this beautiful region of England.
The well known (in mountain biking circles anyway) Hell of the North Cotswolds mtb race is a mass outing for serious and not so serious mountain bikers. It is a massive event organised brilliantly by the Winchcombe CC and Cheltenham & County CC and has various categories. In wet weather it can truly be a hellish ride owing to plenty of glutinous mud!