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Cotswolds, Bath & Oxford Holiday Cottages
The Cotswolds, Bath & Oxford or your ideal Holiday Cottage venue
The Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are located in the county of Gloucestershire and offer the cottage holiday visitor rolling hills and tree-lined valleys with an abundance of beautiful little towns and villages. The Cotswolds are an area of outstanding natural beauty, the family birthplace for the late Princess Diana and a royal country retreat for our royal family, and where Charles met Diana. A cottage holiday in the Cotswolds is a fabulous base for touring other attractions of the heart of England. Come to the Cotswolds and enjoy your cottage holiday.
Places to visit in the Cotswolds:-
Bibury, Painswick, Stroud, Winchcombe, Stow-on-the-Wold, Tetbury (both of these towns have the highest concentration of Antique shops outside of London), contact the Cotwold's Antique Dealers Association for more information www.cotswolds-antiques-art.com, Snowhill Manor, Cirencester, Tewkesbury, Dursley, Nailsworth, Wooten-under-edge,
Cities to visit in Gloucestershire & The Cotswolds:-
Gloucester, Cheltenham, Stroud, The Royal Forest of Dean and The Severn Valley,
Attractions to Visit in Gloucestershire & The Cotswolds:-
Cheltenham Race Course, Blenheim Palace, Gloucester Cathedral (famous for the Doomsday Book), Chedworth Roman Villa, Corinium Museum and Sudeley Castle, home of Henry VIII last Queen. A cottage holiday to the Cotswolds must include the Cotswolds Heritage Centre which tells the story of the woollen industry and the Cotswolds rural past.
A cottage holiday in the Cotswolds will bring you long relaxed summer days and romantic log fires in the Winter. Spring bluebells are in abundance and the subtle range of yellows and browns of Autumn colours are all excellent reasons why visitors keep coming back to the enjoy a cottage holiday in the Cotswolds.
Without question Bath must be one of the most beautiful cities to visit in Great Britain and enjoy your holiday cottage location.
Bath
Bath is located on the banks of the river Avon in the county of Avon in the west county of England. Bath is just over 100 miles from London and is world renowned for its unique Roman heritage and the Roman Baths legacy. Formerly called Aqua Sulis [The Spa town of Sul Minerva], this wonderful city first started out as Roman trading centre and was made popular by the Roman development of the existing natural hot springs that emanated from mother earth.
The origin of the healing baths is the hot mineral spring that exudes from a reservoir at 117deg. F. The legend of the Bath hot springs were sealed with the healing of the prince Bladud, a leper, and the healing powers stretch back over 2000 years.
The Romans constructed elaborate enclosed hot spring baths which can still be seen, although the roof has long gone. It was Roman custom to take of the waters, which have healing and therapeutic powers, and the Bath Spa became a popular meeting place for Roman dignitaries. It was available to all wealthy and merchant roman citizens probably much to the bemusement of the local English and Celtic occupants.
The Romans, who invaded Britain in AD43, were quick to exploit the healing properties of the natural hot spring and with their far advanced engineering skills they embarked upon a development programme on the site named Aqua Sulis. This included a Temple and a health hydro, which incorporated bathing pools, saunas, exercise baths, cold plunge pools and Turkish baths. The development of the Roman bath complex was an ongoing process stretching over four centuries.
The baths were dedicated to the goddess Sulis Minerva, and were one of the most sought-after retirement places in Roman Britain. The surrounding area was like a retirement village containing country villas and several temples. Bath has been described as one of Europe's most beautiful and elegant cities and visitors can only see why.
Some Must see attractions for your Bath Cottage Holiday
Roman Baths, Hot Springs, Abbey, The Royal Crescent, Museum of Costume, Sally Lunn's Refreshment House and Museum, Jane Austen Centre, Bath Museum, Standing Stones of Stanton Drew, Bath Aqua Theatre of Glass, Holborne Museum of Art, Pulteney Bridge and Horse Drawn Guided Tours.
Some must see attractions around Bath
Stonehenge, the Cotswolds and Bristol.
Bath cottage holidays will be a unique mixture of ancient Roman history and Georgian architecture, made famous by the architect Beau Nash who transformed the city to become Britain's premier Georgian spa town, with sweeping Georgian terraces and architecture constructed with Cotswold stone. Cottage holidays in and around the fabulous city of Bath is like stepping back in time. Bath itself is set in a saucer shaped geography and, if you stay on the rim of the saucer, you will enjoy wonderful views across the city all surrounded by rolling Somerset countryside.
Oxford
The home to the World Famous Oxford University http://www.ox.ac.uk/ a seat of international learning, and frequented by international statesmen and women alike seeking the highest education standards before taking up official office in their home country. Oxford is known around the world for its University but for the rest of the British population is also has other notoriety. TV viewers will recognise Oxford as the home of the famous long running Inspector Morse Detective series. Filmed in Oxford you can now visit the Information centre on Broad Street on most Saturdays to enjoy Inspector Morse Walking Tours through the heart of Oxford City, which trace the footsteps of Oxfords famous TV detective.
Oxford has many Ghost tours where you can experience ghostly talks and walks to inspire and fire up your imagination and fear if you book your oxford cottage holiday close by.
Park & Enjoy
Oxford operates a superb park and ride scheme where over 5,000 cars can be easily accommodated and you should not try to venture into the city with your car as it is far too crowded with fellow travellers and tour buses. Instead, use the Park and Ride service, which operates frequent buses from numerous car parks on the city's ring road, with locations at Redbridge, Pear Tree (junction A34/A44), Thornhill, Water Eaton and Sea court. Buses start early at around 05:30am Monday to Saturday and at 08:20am on Sundays. So your cottage holiday trip into Oxford by car is easily accommodated no matter what time you rise.
Alternatively, you might prefer leg power and cycle around Oxford, joining hundreds of other cyclists into Oxford or along the Thames with guided Cycle tours every Sunday morning during the summer. See www.capital-sport.co.uk for information and booking including bike hire.
Maybe you would prefer a gentle punt in a boat along the Thames from Oxford or Cherwell. Punting on the Thames is one of Oxford's true pleasures, offering great entertainment and amusement for those watching from the safety of the riverbank.
Prehistoric Sites in Oxfordshire
Rollright Stones
Located 1 m SE at Long Compton, on the A34, the Rollright Stones form a circle of Neolithic Age some 100 feet across all set in a wooded clearing. The legend tells of a King that left his troops [the stone circle] to look over the adjacent valley and whilst they watched they plotted a treasonable act of treachery.
Uffington White Horse - Uffington, Oxfordshire, off the B4507
Some say it looks like a horse some say a dragon some say it is Celtic and others say Iron Age. The facts remain uncertain, but one thing is for sure, once you are airborne it might even be considered to have extraterrestrial influences. Whatever you think you have to admit the White Horse is impressive. Cut into a hillside just below an Iron Age hill fort, and only a mile from Wayland's Smithy.
Wayland's Smithy - Uffington, Oxfordshire, off the B4507
Originally a megalithic Wayland's Smithy was a mortuary house, and later it became a chambered tomb covered by an elaborate stone entrance.
An Oxfordshire cottage holiday offers you a wealth of local attractions and a bustling city with stunning architectural splendour.