The Cotswolds

 Cotswolds leisure break - step back in time 400 years

What better place to choose than the Cotswolds for your perfect leisure break. If you are looking to stay in a hotel near Stow on the Wold, Broadway, Bourton on the Water, or Chipping Campden, look no further than our charming Cotswolds Country hotel.

Congratulations on choosing The Cotswolds for your perfect leisure break. The Cotswolds is the largest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England and Wales. The charming Cotswold hills, plus our bordering town and city touring bases such as Stratford-upon-Avon, Bath and Oxford nearby, make the area one of the most famous places in the world to visit. It is renowned for its honey-coloured limestone villages in a beautiful rural setting and is also home to some of the world’s most famous historic castles and world-standard gardens. There are also many world-class events which have their home in this most famous of Royal Counties.

Enjoy the English Countryside

Footpaths in the parish of The Crown of Crucis, Ampney Crucis, Gloucestershire - ask at reception for a guide to the lovely walks around the hotel, in the Ampneys. Visit the following tourism websites for general information on planning a visit to the Cotswolds.

www.cotswolds.info
www.cotswolds.com
www.visitcotswolds.co.uk

Cotswolds Tea Rooms

There are some excellent tea shops in the Cotswolds & nothing beats a good Cotswold cream tea, which usually consists of two delicious home-made scones, strawberry jam & clotted cream plus a pot of tea. Prices vary & so will quality but you can expect to pay on average £4.00 for each serving. Of course cream teas are only part of the cuisine as there is normally much more to satisfy most appetites anytime during the day.
www.cotswoldgateway.co.uk/teashops

History of the Cotswolds

Geologically the Cotswolds is a limestone mass stretching 100 miles SW by NE with Bath to the south and Chipping Campden to the north. The 'wold' is old English for 'upland common'. These rolling hills are used mainly for sheep and arable farming. The local breed, 'the Cotswold' can produce a fleece in excess of 10 Kilos. At one time the area had half a million sheep and the wool trade with Europe was significant. Flemish weavers were brought to England and the merchants became wealthier than the King. Numerous fine homes and churches were built from the wealth of this trade. This trade lasted several centuries but when it was over the human devastation was dreadful. It did mean however that the towns in the Cotswolds have been left undeveloped as can be seen at places like Chipping Campden. These are now preservation areas and the villages will remain as they were built many centuries ago.