d edition of Bradt's The Cotswolds, part of Bradt's distinctive 'Slow Travel' series of guides to UK regions, local resident and experienced travel writer Caroline Mills shares her favourites in a region that includes some of US visitors' most popular places outside London.
Drawing on more than 50 years' living in the Cotswolds, and combining engaging first-person narrative with authoritative advice, Mills slows readers down and helps them delve deeply into a range of regions: the Cotswolds National Landscape Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB); the Cotswold escarpment, hills and valleys; the Wiltshire Cotswolds and the area known as the Four Shires; three Cotswold 'gateways' (Stratford-upon-Avon, Bath and Oxford); the lesser-known 'hidden' fringes of the Cotswolds, including the Oxfordshire Cotswolds, which follow the youthful Thames Valley, and the Cotswold Way National Trail.
The Cotswolds' rich manmade heritage includes: Highgrove Gardens (the private home of King Charles III and the Queen Consort); Oxford University (the world's oldest); Stratford-upon-Avon (home to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre); the Roman towns of Bath (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and Cirencester, plus Fosse Way (one of the UK's most important Roman roads); many famous castles, abbeys, country houses and estates (including Blenheim Palace, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site); the American Museum (the only museum of its kind outside the USA); and quintessential English villages such as Bibury (with the photogenic Arlington Row) and Broadway (where there was a notable American Artist's colony in the early 20th century).
With a harmonious combination of quintessential rural England, charming provincial market towns, appealing countryside, quirky British events such as Gloucestershire's annual cheese-rolling competition or Tetbury's Woolsack Races, and a wealth of local food-and-drink producers, the Cotswolds are an all-year-round destination, whether for a day trip, a quiet weekend away as part of a wider visit, or a multi-week holiday. Whether your interests comprise city or country, historic buildings or horseriding, walking or gastronomy, Bradt's Cotswolds (Slow Travel) is the perfect guide to facilitate in-depth exploration and intense enjoyment.