The Cotswolds are a range of rolling hills in south central England. Designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1966, it has unique features derived from the local golden-coloured limestone known as Cotswold stone. The predominantly rural landscape containing stone-built villages, historical towns, and stately homes and gardens, is known worldwide. Many consider the Cotswolds as representative of the archetypal English landscape.
The area is roughly 25 miles (40 km) across and 90 miles (145 km) long, stretching south-west from just below Stratford-upon-Avon to just beyond Bath. It is within easy reach of London and several other English urban centres. The Cotswolds lie across the boundaries of several English counties; mainly Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, but also parts of Wiltshire, Somerset, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire. The highest point of the region is Cleeve Hill at 1,083 ft (330 m), just to the north of Cheltenham.
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- 1 Bourton-on-the-Water – a village at the northern end of the Cotswolds
- 1 Burford – a small Cotswold town on the A40
- 1 Cheltenham – largest town in the area, good shopping
- 1 Chipping Campden – a small Cotswold town
- 1 Chipping Norton – a friendly Oxfordshire market town; gateway to the Cotswolds from the east
- 1 Cirencester – a busy market town
- 1 Gloucester – the only city in the area, more alternative than Cheltenham, with fewer chain shops
- 1 Moreton-in-Marsh
- 1 Stow-on-the-Wold – town in north Cotswolds
- 1 Stroud – a smaller town, with a bit more industry, improving town centre
- 1 Tetbury – a market town, famous for its royal connections as the home of Prince Charles
- 1 Winchcombe – a small Cotswold town, home to Sudeley Castle and Hailes Abbey
- 1 Witney – market town near Oxford, known historically for its woolen blankets
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