The Cotswold’s is located in Gloucestershire and includes Cirencester, South Cerney, Stroud, Cheltenham and other rural locations in-between. Groups looking to tour the Cotswold’s in the UK can choose from a wide range of activities. The Cotswold’s encompass many pretty villages with a typical English feel and landscape. Walk though fields, narrow lanes, and ancient forests, while admiring beautiful streams, stone cottages, churches, old barns, and manor homes.

 

Groups can enjoy any of the following Cotswold tours:

 

Coach Tours: If you want it all done for you shoes a pr-organized tour. They can bring your group around the Cotswold’s to explore lanes and villages in a comfortable mini-bus that is more suitable for accessing narrow lanes.

 

Walking tours: Groups can take long leisurely walks through the countryside and villages. There is a large verity of walks in the Cotswold’s. The Gloucestershire way offers 100miles of footpaths and bridle ways. This trail starts at Chepstow and goes through the Forrest of Dean and Tewksbury. Shorter walks that can be done I a full or half day include

 

* Painswick to Uley (17 miles).

* Chipping Campden to Broadway (6 miles) or to Winchcombe (18 miles).

* Cheltenham to Painswick (17 miles).

* Winchcombe to Dowdswell Reservoir, Cheltenham (12 miles).

 

The Cotswold’s Village Trail explores 27 towns, villages and hamlets. They also include shops, inns, churches, workhouses, medieval cottages and more. In addition, historical sites such as, the Iron Age Hills forts, a Gothic folly, a ruined Medieval Abby, a Sezincote Hours and the Sudeley Castle are also viewed.

 

Talk, Lectures & Slide shows: Interested guests can take advantage of many discussions and exhibits that cover a vast range of interesting topics related to the Cotswolds and earlier eras.

 

Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway:  Toddington; Return to the past on a 20 mile round trip steamer. This steamer will transport visitors through the Cotswolds. Special group rates for parties of 10 or more apply.

 

Sudeley Castle tour: Set against the beautiful Cotswolds, this royal castle is over 1000 years old and comes with spectacular gardens. Group tours must be booked in advance. Group rates require at least 6 persons.

 

Cotswold Farm Park: Visit this amazing conservation of rare breeds. The tour of the farm includes nature trails, walks through the woodlands and much more. Group rates require a minimum of 5 persons with a maximum of 100 persons.

 

While visiting the Cotswolds, visitors may be interested in renting one of the Gagingwell Cottages. These cottages were once used by monks as retreats as far back as 1549 and are spread over 3 acres of land. The hamlet of Gagingwell consists of 10 buildings and is only 6 miles from the market town of Chipping Norton and only 7 miles from where Winston Churchill was born in Blenhein Palace, Woodstock.  Guests should enjoy these private and comfortable accommodations where they can walk, site-see, ride horses and even golf. They can also enjoy shopping, restaurants and pub at any one of the nearby villages.

 

There are plenty of B&Bs and small hotels dotted around the Cotswold’s but most of these would not be suited towards groups with most of the B&Bs having no more than 4 rooms. If you are visiting with a medium to large group you may need to consider staying in one of the larger towns such as Cheltenham of Gloucester as your base to explore the Cotswold’s from. If you look harder there are a number of hotels with 20 – 30 rooms located in the more rural locations. Some of them are in some truly beautiful locations although they can be very remote to access and you will need car or coach transport to and from these locations.

 

You can find group hotels and transport in the Cotswolds by visiting www.mygrouptour.com or www.in-holidays-europe.co.uk

Technorati Tags: Cotswolds, Exploring, Group

The Cotswolds is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and offers the ideal place to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and retreat to the countryside to enjoy an idyllic Cotswold holiday.

This unique countryside is a picturesque place for the keenest of walkers and cyclists, along with those who are just looking to relax and unwind. There is a variety of accommodation in some stunning settings from hotels, guesthouses, self-catering cottages to camping in the outdoors.

Walking in The Cotswolds

There are many ways to walk the Cotswolds countryside, whether it’s by a published route guide, your own map or by a guided walking leader. The Cotswold Way is a long distance walking trail that runs between the market town of Chipping Campden in the North and the city of Bath in the South. It passes through picturesque villages close to a number of historic sites, churches and lakes.

Cotswolds Water Park

The Cotswolds Water Park is Britain’s largest water park and consists of over 140 lakes covering 40 square miles. Within the area there is Keynes Park which provides a range of outdoor facilities all year round including a lakeside cafe, nature reserves, water sports, safe bathing, walking and cycling trails, adventure park and angling. Neighbridge Park is on the other hand, more undeveloped and offers an idyllic setting for people who want to get away.

The Cotswold countryside offers something for everyone, come rain or shine. This unique combination of countryside and culture makes the perfect Cotswolds break for families, couples or groups of friends.

Technorati Tags: Cotswolds, Countryside, Exploring, Holidays

Exploring the Cotswolds
The Cotswolds is a beautiful corner of England that’s at the top of the list of places you must visit in the UK. Stretching from Ilmington in Warwickshire for over 100 miles to the historic city of Bath, it’s officially an area of outstanding natural beauty.  ‘Wold’ is an old English word meaning ‘open rolling countryside in the uplands’.

When ‘Wool’ was King
Historically many of the Cotswolds towns and villages owe their initial prosperity to the wool industry. This trade lasted several centuries, with over half a million sheep grazing the land at one stage, and a highly significant volume of trade with Europe. Flemish weavers were brought to England to cope with demand, and many of the wool merchants grew wealthier than the King!  As a result, numerous fine homes and churches were built over the centuries from the wealth of this trade. Fast-forward to present day life and the booming wool industry has long gone – however you still find sheep and arable farming on the open rolling hills. The local breed ‘the Cotswold’ can produce an impressive fleece in excess of 10 Kilos.

English Castles and Market Towns
Amongst the contours of the countryside you’ll find a whole host of interesting places to visit including English castles, ancient churches, glorious gardens, stately homes and many historic houses.  Head out towards the picturesque market towns and you’ll find some of the oldest chartered weekly markets in the country! You can literally spend days out exploring the picturesque Cotswold countryside and many visitors take time out for a leisurely ramble – stopping for refreshments in a traditional Cotswolds pub.

Beautiful Cotswolds Scenery
Magnificent parkland and lakes, spectacular walks and breathtaking scenery awaits you with a wide range of wildlife such as badgers, beavers, butterflies, wild deer, kingfishers, nightingales, otters, egrets, owls and precious wild orchids. A ‘top of the list destination’ if: you’re exploring the UK for the first time; seeking a traditional Cotswolds Cottage holiday for a family break, or looking for a romantic weekend away. You’ll find plenty to do and see with pretty towns and villages scattered everywhere, providing a picture-perfect backdrop, easily identified as ‘The Cotswolds’ by the mellow coloured stone buildings. Alternatively, visit Cotswolds Water Park – there’s award winning modernist architecture and spectacular lakeside accommodation available for those looking for all of the modern-day luxuries in a traditional Cotswolds countryside setting.

Cotswolds Towns and Villages
Places in the Cotswolds where you may wish to research before your visit are: Adlestrop, Amberley, Bath, Bibury, Blockley, Bourton on the Water, Broadway, Burford, Castle Combe, Charlbury, Cheltenham Spa, Chippenham, Chipping Campden, Chipping Norton, Chipping Sodbury, Cirencester, Cotswold Water Park, Fairford, Gloucester, Guiting Power, Ilmington, Lacock, Lechlade, The Slaughters, Malmesbury, Mickleton, Minster Lovell, Moreton in Marsh, Nailsworth, Northleach, Painswick, Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon, Snowshill, Stanton, Stow on the Wold, Stroud, Tetbury, Willersey, Winchcombe, Woodstock, and Wotton under Edge.

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