10 THINGS THAT MAKE THE COTSWOLDS UNIQUE
We all know how beautiful the Cotswolds is but there are many traditions and hidden gems that make it unique. We have picked 10 things you might not have known exist here.
OUR FAVOURITE SPORTS ARE SOMEWHAT UNUSUAL
When you think of sport in the Cotswolds you may perhaps think horse racing at Cheltenham, Polo at Cirencester or the Badminton Horse Trials, but some of the most unusual, and popular, sports do not involve horses.
The Cotswolds is home to the shin-kicking world championships which take place at the annual Cotswold Olimpicks (1st June 2018) in Chipping Campden. "Fighters" will fill their trousers with straw and kick each other in the shins until one surrenders. You will also see football being played in the River Windrush in Bourton on the Water (27th August 2018), a tradition of over 100 years, and the most bizarre of all is Cheese Rolling (28th May 2018) where people chase a Double Gloucester cheese down Cooper's Hill with the winner - the first to reach the bottom - wins the cheese!
When you think of sport in the Cotswolds you may perhaps think horse racing at Cheltenham, Polo at Cirencester or the Badminton Horse Trials, but some of the most unusual, and popular, sports do not involve horses.
The Cotswolds is home to the shin-kicking world championships which take place at the annual Cotswold Olimpicks (1st June 2018) in Chipping Campden. "Fighters" will fill their trousers with straw and kick each other in the shins until one surrenders. You will also see football being played in the River Windrush in Bourton on the Water (27th August 2018), a tradition of over 100 years, and the most bizarre of all is Cheese Rolling (28th May 2018) where people chase a Double Gloucester cheese down Cooper's Hill with the winner - the first to reach the bottom - wins the cheese!
WE HAVE THE BEST PUBS INCLUDING THE OLDEST INN IN ENGLAND
We may be bias but we truly believe that The Cotswolds has the best pubs in the UK serving wonderful local food and great ales and local spirits. It is also home to the oldest inn in England with parts of The Porch House in Stow on the Wold dating back to 947AD.
image via The Porch House
IT'S ABSOLUTELY HUGE!
The Cotswolds is the largest of 46 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in England and Wales covering 790 sq miles and set across the boundaries of several English counties with the majotity in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, and other parts in Wiltshire, Somerset, Worcestershire and Warwickshire.
If you love walking then The Cotswold Way offers just over 100 miles of magical walking, with long distance views from the Cotswold escarpment, and journeys through picturesque villages and past famous ancient sites, from Chipping Campden in the north to Bath in the south.
The Cotswolds is the largest of 46 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in England and Wales covering 790 sq miles and set across the boundaries of several English counties with the majotity in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, and other parts in Wiltshire, Somerset, Worcestershire and Warwickshire.
If you love walking then The Cotswold Way offers just over 100 miles of magical walking, with long distance views from the Cotswold escarpment, and journeys through picturesque villages and past famous ancient sites, from Chipping Campden in the north to Bath in the south.
CROCODILES AND RHINOS LIVE HERE...
Did you know that the UK's only crocodile zoo, Crocodile of the World, is located near Burford? You do now! Crocs are not the only uncommon animals to live in the Cotswolds with the Cotswold Farm Park boasting many rare breeds of farm animal and the Cotswold Wildlife Park being home from everything from Lions and White Rhinos to Red Panda and Bearded Dragon.
Did you know that the UK's only crocodile zoo, Crocodile of the World, is located near Burford? You do now! Crocs are not the only uncommon animals to live in the Cotswolds with the Cotswold Farm Park boasting many rare breeds of farm animal and the Cotswold Wildlife Park being home from everything from Lions and White Rhinos to Red Panda and Bearded Dragon.
image via Cotswold Wildlife Park
AS DO KERRY AND KURTAN
If you haven't yet watched BBC3's This Country you are really missing out . Set in Northleach, the series follows the everyday life of cousins Kerry and Kurtan Mucklowe, played by siblings Daisy and Charlie Cooper, as they take on the struggles of the adult world.
If you haven't yet watched BBC3's This Country you are really missing out . Set in Northleach, the series follows the everyday life of cousins Kerry and Kurtan Mucklowe, played by siblings Daisy and Charlie Cooper, as they take on the struggles of the adult world.
