Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: 32 reasons why it deserves its designation

One of the most beautiful landscapes in the UK with its vibrant towns and charming villages, bags of history and intrigue, vast countryside and impressive architecture, we choose 32 reasons why the Cotswolds is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Lower Slaughter, the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire

1. The Cotswolds are famed for their fairytale villages.

2. From the charming cottages of Arlington Row, Bibury…

3. ...to perhaps the most photographed village of them all…

4. ...it’s easy too see why residents and visitors alike enjoy village life so much.

5. The honey-coloured cottages of Broadway are bound to give you major house envy...

6. ...or perhaps this beautiful house in the Oxfordshire village of Swinbrook will…

7. ...or the Cotswold stone properties on The Hill, Burford.

8. There’s always plenty to see and do in the vibrant Cotswold market towns including Stow-on-the-Wold…

9. ...Chipping Campden...

10. ...Chipping Norton...

11. ...and also Burford.

12. The Cotswolds are also home to some of the UK’s most striking stately homes.

13. Including Snowshill Manor, home to Charles Wade’s quirky and extraordinary treasures from his past…

14. ...and Charlecote Park which has been at the heart of the Lucy family for over 900 years…

15. ...and the gorgeous gardens of Rodmarton Manor are just waiting to be explored.

16. You can explore Sudeley Castle, the only private castle in England to have a Queen (Katherine Parr) within its grounds...

17. ...or Blenheim Palace, the home of the Dukes of Malborough and birthplace of war-time Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill.

18. You can admire the ruins of Minster Lovell Hall, a former 15th century manor house…

19. ...the wondrous Rollright Stones...

20. ...or perhaps the impressive ruins of Hailes Abbey, near Winchcombe’s town centre...

21. The region is home to over 50 per cent of the UK’s Jurassic unimproved limestone grassland. The limestone grassland of Crickley Hill is rich in plant life, beech woodlands and steep valleys...

22. ...while the vast landscape of limestone grassland at Cleeve Common is popular with walkers...

23. ...Rodborough Common...

24. ...is inhabited by rare butterflies such as Chalkhill Blue and the Duke of Burgundy.

25. There are plenty of countryside walks to enjoy in the Cotswolds…

26. ...you could even begin at the start of The Cotswold Way National Trail in Chipping Campden.

27. The region is a pleasure to explore in the spring, especially when soaking in the pink and white blossom adorning the trees at Westonbirt Arboretum…