Introduction
- The Cotswolds
A region
of low hills in the west of England, famous above
all for its exquisite villages built of gilded
limestone. Officially designated an Area of
Outstanding Natural Beauty, construction that is
likely to spoil the timeless appeal of the area is
forbidden. The Cotswolds have far more to offer
than its admittedly beautiful villages - abbeys and
churches, Neolithic burial chambers, Roman villas,
medieval manor houses and castles, and the canals
and abandoned mills from the Industrial Revolution
abound in this most varied of landscapes. The
Cotswolds are situated approximately 100 miles/160
kms to the west of London.
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The
Cotswold Way
The
Cotswold Way has finally achieved national trail
status, joining the ranks of the Pennine Way and
other trails entitled to grant aid for their
creation and maintenance. A route along the
Cotswold edge was first mooted in the early 1950s
but only in 1968, when Gloucestershire County
Council carried out a recreational survey, was the
idea resurrected. In 1970, it was decided to create
the Cotswold Way, based on existing roads and
public rights of way. Amendments were made over the
following years, with enthusiastic voluntary help
from the Cotswold Warden Service, and in 1983 the
first official application for national trail
status was made. It took another fifteen years
before the go ahead was finally given in
preparation for its official opening in 2004.
Consequently, improvements to the way marking and
other facilities have been undertaken and the acorn
that signifies a National Trail is to replace the
white dot that was the route's distinguishing mark
throughout its time as a regional trail.
The trail runs for a hundred miles adhering to a
route close to the Cotswold escarpment, between
Chipping Campden in the north and Bath in the
south. The route also passes through, or close to,
many picturesque villages and a significant number
of historically important sites and landmarks.
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