Bourton on the Water

This Gloucestershire village is known mainly for its model village, an exact replica of the actual village; the Cotswold Motor Museum (home of Brum); the Birdland wildlife park and also the River Windrush, which runs through the village, spanned at several points by small, picturesque bridges.

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Moreton in Marsh

A town in the North Cotswolds, Moreton is home to a weekly market and an annual agricultural show. The town also has a Caravan Club site a short walk from its centre.

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Stow on the Wold

Another North Cotswold town, Stow lies on the Fosse Way, a Roman road linking Lincoln to Exeter. In 1646, Stow was the location of the Battle of Stow of the Wold, which took place during the English Civil War. Nowadays, Stow is more famous for its biannual Horse Fair, held in May and October.

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Chipping Campden

A small market town, Chipping Campden is famous for a variety of reasons, including: its terraced high street, dating from the 14th-17th Century; the annual Cotswold Olympicks (Dover's Games) and Scuttlebrook Wake; the Campden Wonder story (www.thecampdenwonder.com); and the Cotswold Arts and Crafts movement. As mentioned earlier, the town is also the start of the Cotswold Way.

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Winchcombe

Near to the North Cotswold town of Winchcombe are the tourist attractions of Sudeley Castle, a 15th Century castle with beautifully maintained gardens, and the remains of Hailes Abbey, a 13th Century abbey destroyed during the Reformation. The town is also home the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, a volunteer-run heritage railway, and Goffs Brewery.

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Cirencester

The market town of Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary to the River Thames. During the Roman times, Cirencester was known as the city of Corinium and was, at the time, the 2nd largest Roman city in Britain.

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Burford

Situated in the county of Oxfordshire, the town of Burford is very popular with tourists, due to its long, steeped high street; fine buildings and medieval bridge. The town is also home to the Cotswold Wildlife Park.

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Fairford

A small town in Gloucestershire, Fairford is best known for being home to RAF Fairford, where the annual Royal International Air Tattoo takes place, bringing a large number of visitors to the area.

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Northleach

Like Chipping Campden, the market town of Northleach was made wealthy by the wool trade during the 15th Century. This wealth can be seen in the size and quality of the its church, The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, known as "The Cathedral of the Cotswolds".

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Chedworth

A small Gloucestershire village, Chedworth is the location of Chedworth Roman Villa. Now looked after by the National Trust, it is believed to be around 1700 years old.

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Leckhampton

Situated at the bottom of Leckhampton Hill is the village of Leckhampton. Near the top of the hill is the "Devil's Chimney", a limestone rock formation. This is believed to have been made by local quarrymen. According to local legend, however, the devil was trapped under the hill by locals after tormenting them on their way to church and constructed the chimney above his prison to let free the fires of hell.

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Severn Springs

Also at the base of Leckhampton Hill are the Severn Springs, sometimes referred to as being the source of the River Thames, which runs through Oxford and London. It is also the place in which the River Churn rises.

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Bibury

Another small village in the county of Gloucestershire, Bibury is famous for its trout farm; the Arlington Row, a row of terraced 17th Century cottages; and Arlington Mill, situated on the River Coln.

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Upper / Lower Slaughter

The small village of Lower Slaughter is very popular with tourists due to due its picturesque scenery and old Victorian corn mill (now a gift shop and museum) that sits on the River Eye. A short walk away is the equally small village of Upper Slaughter, once dominated by a Norman Castle, but still retaining its fine Norman church.

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Broadway

One of the few Cotswold villages to lie in Worcestershire, Broadway is often described as the "Jewel of the Cotswolds". It is also known for its Lygon Arms Hotel, which was originally known as the White Hart. During the English Civil War, both King Charles I and Oliver Cromwell stayed in the hotel, although at different times.

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Stanway

Stanway is a small village in Gloucestershire and is most famous for its Jacobean manor, Stanway House. In the grounds of the house is one of the largest gravity-fed water fountains in the world, with water able to reach a height of around 300ft (90m).

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Painswick

The town of Painswick is best known for the legend of its church yew trees. It is said that the churchyard will never contain more than 99 yew trees, as any 100th tree would be pulled out by the devil were it to be planted. This legend has been disputed, however, by a recent count of the yew trees, which found there to be 102. Nearby is Painswick Beacon, which offers wide views over the River Severn.

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Cheltenham

Cheltenham is the largest town in the county of Gloucestershire and is famous for both its Regency architecture and the annual Cheltenham Gold Cup, a popular horse-racing event that is second only to the Grand National. Cheltenham is also known as a spa town, due to the mineral springs discovered in the town in 1716.

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Gloucester

Although not actually in The Cotswolds, Gloucester is the county town of Gloucestershire and is the 46th largest city in England. It is situated on the River Severn and is a port, connected to the Severn Estuary by the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal. Although many of the warehouses, docks and wharfs fell into disrepair over time, a restoration programme was started in the 1980s. Now, some of the warehouses house the National Waterways Museum, whilst others have become shops, bars and luxury apartments.

Also in the city is Gloucester Cathedral, which is the burial place of King Edward II and also provides the interiors for Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films. Gloucester is also famous for the Gloster Aircraft Company, where Sir Frank Whittle invented the first jet engine. In addition, the city hosts the Three Choirs Festival, one of the oldest music festivals in Europe, every three years.

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Bath

At the very South of the Cotswolds, in Somerset, lies the city of Bath. Once a Roman spa, it is founded on the only naturally occuring hot springs in the UK and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city is most famous for its Royal Crescent, a row of 30 terraced houses laid out in a crescent, which is widely thought to be one of the UK's best examples of Georgian architecture.

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Yanworth

Fourteen miles South East of Cheltenham lies the small village of Yanworth, with a population of only around 300. The village is part of the Stowell Park estate.

 

For information on tours of The Cotswolds area, visit www.cotswolds-tour.com