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Known as one of the UK’s largest and most striking landscapes – at nearly 800 square miles and stretching across six counties (Somerset, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire) – The Cotswolds offers a variety of activities and holiday-let options with a backdrop of vibrant rolling hills for mini-breaking couples and family holidaymakers alike.

Whether you choose to hike your way along the 102-mile Cotswold Way, ride some of the 3,000 miles of bridleway on horseback or encounter by car the olde worlde villages built of golden stone, you’ll find something beautiful waits in this magical part of the country.

Relax on a rural ramble through ancient woodlands, across nature reserves and beside more than 4,000 miles of historic Cotswold stone walls. Check out the autumn colours or experience the lush vitality of spring among 15,000 specimens of glorious trees at Westonbirt Arboretum.

Take in the Cotswolds countryside via steam train by hopping on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway at Toddington or Cheltenham. The Cotswolds Wildlife Park in Burford, with its creative parkland layout that makes the rhinos appear thrillingly close, and its multitude of remarkable creatures is well worth a visit too.

But there’s much more to the Cotswolds than its natural history, flora and fauna. Want to live the high life? If so, head towards the energy of towns like Cirencester and Bath, where you’ll find everything from plentiful retail opportunities and polo matches to arts centres and a fantastic spa.

Much of the Cotswolds’ heritage can be found in its historic country estates and architecture, including Berkeley Castle with its links to Shakespeare and Winston Churchill’s birthplace Blenheim Palace. While the quintessential Cotswolds cottages and picturesque low bridges in Bourton on the Water are a popular site for visitors, seeing it all in miniature at the only grade II listed model village in the country is enchanting too.

When it comes to food, the Cotswolds has a burgeoning menu. Local cheeses are a fine example; these are not only rolled down Cooper’s Hill near Gloucestershire each year but often enjoyed with crackers and a glass of Three Choirs wine. There are a range of restaurants and traditional pubs offering great food such as Gloucestershire Old Spot pork throughout the area. Places of note are the authentic and delicious Suwanna Thai Restaurant in Witney and the Old Badger Inn in Eastington that serves local real ales and tasty tapas.

Love Cottages can recommend the finest and best-suited holiday-lets for your next trip to the Cotswolds so click below to take your first step towards scenic sanctuary at your Cotswolds holiday cottage today.