The Cotswolds

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland you will find a number of places labelled as AONB. What does this acronym stand for? Well, it means Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a type of protected area where people can go to enjoy the countryside and the people that live and work there have their way of life preserved. One such AONB is the Cotswolds.

This is an area of just over 2000 square kilometres and six counties each have a part of the Cotswolds. The main three are Gloucestershire, g-l-o-u-c-e-s-t-e-r-s-h-i-r-e, Oxfordshire, o-x-f-o-r-d-s-h-i-r-e, and Warwickshire, w-a-r-w-i-c-k-s-h-i-r-e. You'll notice that the spelling of English place names is irregular to say the least!

So what's in The Cotswolds that makes it so special? It's characterised by lots of small towns and villages that many people consider to be 'typical' of the traditional English countryside. It's a bit like going back in time. The people of fiercely proud of their villages and make sure they are always clean and well looked after. They love the fact that visitors come from all over the world to admire them, curious to see what awaits them in towns with wonderful names such as Chipping Norton, Stow on the Wold, Upper Slaughter and Shipton under Wichwood.

So, some suggestions for your visit. Firstly, why not visit Bath? This is the Roman town in the western part of the Cotswolds which gets its name from the very fact that they built baths here after finding a natural hot spring. It's one of the best preserved Roman baths in the world, and if you would like to see it an adult ticket will cost you £10.00 except for July and August when you'll pay £1.00 extra. The price includes a guided tour.

Next get yourself over to Gloucester cathedral. It's a 1300 year old structure and well worth a visit. Not far from here is Berkely Castle, built in 1117 and home to a very prominent English family. Make sure you have enough time to do the tour and really get a feel for a traditional English castle.

For those of you who like walking you could always try the Cotswold Way, a 103-mile long footpath. Obviously not all on the same day - break your journey up into several days and stay in some welcoming hotels and guest houses.

Otherwise you can hop in your car and take the beautifully named 'Romantic Road'. Start from Cheltenham and follow either the North or South routes, two large loops which eventually bring you back to the starting point. Along the way you'll pass through some of the villages and see the countryside which typifies the region.