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Boutique hotels

Self-catering properties

Cotswolds Overview

United Kingdom

Countryside
Hillsides and honey-coloured hamlets
Country life
Gently does it

More typically English than a bowler-hatted Bertie Wooster whistling Elgar, this chunk of gently undulating and seemingly evergreen countryside is enough to send Anglophile tourists into apoplexy.

Britain’s largest designated area of natural beauty, the Cotswolds covers an area roughly bounded by Oxford to the east, Cheltenham to the west, Stratford to the north and Bath to the south. Long before the tourist invasion, the Romans left their legacy in towns such as Cirencester, and remains of villas and forts can be seen from Bury Hill to Woodchester. Today, besides sheep, the area is home to some of the country’s most scenic towns and villages – all thatched cottages, ducks waddling across village greens and honey-hued churches. Other sensory delights include strolls on the beautiful banks of the River Wye, or following Fosse Way, the arrow-straight Roman road that still pierces through the loveliest landscapes imaginable.

Completely Cotswolds

The area’s famously photogenic hamlets and villages owe much of their attractiveness to Cotswold stone, a yellow limestone quarried in the region’s eponymous hills. The hue changes depending on the source: Northern Cotswold stone is characterised by a rich, honeyed gold; as you approach Bath, the colour is a delicate pale buttermilk.

Local Knowledge

Taxis
The smaller towns have limited taxi services – book in advance. Hotel staff will know the best local firms.

Tipping culture
10 or 15 per cent is standard, but many restaurants now add a discretionary 12.5 per cent, so be careful not to tip twice.

Packing tips
Take a packet of Rennie if you intend to gorge on the region’s renowned cheeses; and some decent walking boots and a waterproof jacket will serve you well if you plan to do any exploring on foot.

Recommended reads
Cider With Rosie, Laurie Lee’s childhood recollections of rural Gloucestershire, is perhaps the most lyrical literary evocation of the area. Jerome K Jerome’s protagonists in his masterpiece of Victorian wit, Three Men in a Boat, drift through the Cotswolds on part of their journey. Local poet UA Fanthorpe also writes about the region – try her erudite Collected Poems.

Regional specialities
It would be perverse to come to the Cotswolds and not fill yourself with delicious Double Gloucester, a smooth whole-milk cheese first produced in the 16th century. The best is made by octogenarian Diana Smart of Old Ley Court in Churcham, who uses milk from her herd of Brown Swiss, Holstein and Gloucester cows (www.smartsgloucestercheese.com).

Currency
Pound sterling (£).

Time zone
GMT.

Dialling codes
Country code for the UK: +44.

Don't go home without...

… buying a bottle of easy-drinking English white from the Three Choirs Vineyards in Newent (+44 (0)1531 890223). Team it with Double Gloucester at your next Seventies-themed cheese-and-wine party.