Where Are the Cotswolds?
In 1966 the Cotswolds was designated by the British government as an “Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty” (AONB), giving it extra protection with building and farming restrictions. Most of the Cotswolds is privately owned, not government owned. The Cotswolds is the second largest AONB; the Lake District is the largest. The Cotswolds are located mostly in the county of Gloucestershire, but with parts in neighboring counties (Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, South Gloucestershire, Wiltshire). The area covers 790 square miles; over 80% is farmland with 4,000 miles of Cotswold stone walls. It is hard to pin down the exact boundaries of the Cotswolds. The Cotswolds AONB is clearly defined (see their map), but since the Cotswolds are not an official county, but is area within several counties, and this area has been referred to by this name for hundreds of years, the borders get a bit muddled. The Cotwolds AONB includes the city of Bath and some of the surrounding countryside but s
