The Cotswolds — England's Golden Heart

The Cotswolds are the England you imagine when you close your eyes and think of the English countryside. A gently rolling hill landscape in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Wiltshire, crisscrossed by dry stone walls, inhabited by sheep, and dotted with villages made of honey-colored Cotswold limestone that have remained virtually unchanged for centuries.

The most beautiful villages:

• Bibury — William Morris called it "the most beautiful village in England." The Arlington Row — a row of stone weavers' cottages from the 14th century — is the most photographed scene in the Cotswolds. The crystal-clear River Coln flows beside it. It doesn't get more idyllic
• Castle Combe — Often voted "the most beautiful village in Britain": a single street winding through perfect stone houses to the medieval market cross and church. Filming locations for Stardust and War Horse
• Bourton-on-the-Water — The "Venice of the Cotswolds" with shallow stone bridges over the River Windrush. In summer, children splash in the crystal-clear water. More touristy than other villages, but deservedly popular
• Stow-on-the-Wold — Historic market town on a hill with the largest market square in the Cotswolds. The north door of St. Edward's Church, framed by ancient yews, inspired Tolkien's Doors of Moria
• Chipping Campden — The northernmost Cotswolds gem: a main street with terraced houses from the 17th century, glowing golden in the evening light. Start of the Cotswold Way (164 km long-distance trail)

The Cotswolds are an AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) — not a national park, but strictly protected. Best explored by rental car, but the Cotswold Way (Chipping Campden to Bath, 164 km) is also a fantastic long-distance trail.