Cotswolds AONB

The Cotswolds (/ˈkɒtswoʊldz/ KOTS-wohldz, /-wəldz/ -⁠wəldz[1]) is an area in south central and south west England comprising the Cotswold Hills, a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment, known as the Cotswold Edge, above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale. The area is defined by the bedrock of Jurassic limestone that creates a type of grassland habitat rare in the UK and that is quarried for the golden-coloured Cotswold stone.[2] It contains unique features derived from the use of this mineral; the predominantly rural landscape contains stone-built villages, historical towns and stately homes and gardens.

Designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1966,[3] the Cotswolds covers 787 square miles (2,040 km2) and is the second largest protected landscape in England (second to the Lake District)[4] and the largest AONB.[5] Its boundaries are roughly 25 miles (40 km) across and 90 miles (140 km) long, stretching south-west from just south of Stratford-upon-Avon to just south of Bath. It lies across the boundaries of several English counties; mainly Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, and parts of Wiltshire, Somerset, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The highest point of the region is Cleeve Hill at 1,083 ft (330 m),[6] just east of Cheltenham.

The hills give their name to the Cotswold local-government district, formed on 1 April 1974, which administers over half of the area. Most of the District is in the county of Gloucestershire; some 80% of it is within the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The main town is Cirencester and the Cotswold District Council offices are located in that community.[7] The population of the 450-square-mile (1,200 km2) District was about 83,000 in 2011.[8][9] The much larger area referred to as the Cotswolds encompasses nearly 800 square miles (2,100 km2),[10] over five counties: Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, and Worcestershire.[11] The population of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty was 139,000 in 2016.[12]

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