“The Cotswolds is easy on the
eye, but there’s wildness too,
if you know where to look”
NEVER SWIM ALONE. KNOW YOUR LIMITS, ENTER SLOWLY AND STAY CLOSE TO THE SHORELINE. COLD WATER CAN DRAMATICALLY DECREASE SWIMMING ABILITY.Why Middle England rocks
The rich variety of central England’s
landscapes is the result of vast
tectonic shifts over thousands of
millions of years, since Britain lay on
the equator under the warm Rheic
Ocean. Millions of tiny sea creatures
were deposited then calcified to form
the limestone bedrock of the Peaks
and the classic golden stone of the
Cotswolds, while valuable coal
deposits that shaped the human
history of the Midlands came from
swamps and rainforests in Triassic
river deltas.MIDDLE ENGLAND
(but not as you know it)
There are scores of beautiful woods,
meadows with seas of f lowers and wildlife
species galore in the little-celebrated
counties of Worcestershire, Warwickshire,
Leicestershire and Rutland*. Wander
among the vast swathes of bluebells in the
ancient Outwoods in Nanpantan,
Leicestershire, where huge, gnarled trees
and granite outcrops provide a natural
playground. Arboreal explorers willing to
veer off the well-beaten trail will be
enchanted by the legendary Pagan Oak,
Worcestershire, which grows remarkably
atop the rocky edge of a deep hollow. An
important place of pilgrimage, especially at
solstices, it’s adorned with ribbons,
feathers, pentagrams and other trinkets.
Climb inside to find more decorations and
see if there’s a new visitors’ book hidden in
the trunk. Another natural wonder is
Merry’s Meadow in Rutland, host to rare
species of f lora, including the frog orchid.
Standing majestically atop Tysoe Hill (near
Upper Tysoe in Warwickshire), is a curious
12-sided 18th-century windmill providing
glorious views. The county is also host to
several wild-swimming spots, including
the deep, wide meander at Marlcliff, above
a pretty weir – good for a few lazy hours in
summer – and a mile upstream, the
medieval bridge at Bidford-on-Avon. At
Walton-on-Trent you can swim to an island
with a rope swing, while the nearby old
quarry-cum-wetland is home to bitterns- in spring, listen out for the male’s
distinctive boom.
POSTCARD PRETTY
(but with an edge)
Often written off as either quaint and
chocolate-boxy or the playground of therich and famous, the Cotswolds is certainly
easy on the eye, but there is wildness here
too, if you know where to look. With more
than 3,000 miles of footpaths and
bridleways (and even more miles of
traditional stone walls) you can get well
away from the hotspots. A peaceful walk
along an old railway line through
Chedworth Nature Reserve, between
Chedworth and Withington in
Gloucestershire, brings you to a bubbling
tufa spring, where the lime-rich water
deposits calcite to create a curious waterfall
formation. Spoonley Wood Roman Villa,
near Winchcombe, also in Gloucestershire,
is a ruin that is being slowly reclaimed by
nature, well hidden among the trees.
Remnants of the walls are still standing,
some of the f lagstones remain in place and
there is a section of beautiful mosaic f loor
protected by a small roof. A few miles south
west stands another local landmark –
Devil’s Chimney on Leckhampton Hill near
Cheltenham is a famous and dramatic pillar*Rutland was absorbed into Leicestershire in 1974, but reinstated as a county 23 years later. It measures just
over 16 miles north to south and east to west and its motto, ‘Multum in Parvo’, means Much in Little.Greenfield Waterfall in
the Peak District.
Around 20 million
people live within an
hour’s journey of
this area. Only one of
them is pictured here»
79“TheCotswoldsis easyonthe
eye,butthere’swildnesstoo,
if youknowwheretolook”
NEVER SWIM ALONE. KNOW YOUR LIMITS, ENTER SLOWLY AND STAY CLOSE TO THE SHORELINE. COLD WATER CAN DRAMATICALLY DECREASE SWIMMING ABILITY.
WhyMiddleEnglandrocks
TherichvarietyofcentralEngland’s
landscapesis theresultofvast
tectonicshiftsoverthousandsof
millionsofyears,sinceBritainlayon
theequatorunderthewarmRheic
Ocean.Millionsoftinyseacreatures
weredepositedthencalcifiedtoform
thelimestonebedrockofthePeaks
andtheclassicgoldenstoneofthe
Cotswolds,whilevaluablecoal
depositsthatshapedthehuman
historyoftheMidlandscamefrom
swampsandrainforestsin Triassic
riverdeltas.MIDDLE ENGLAND
(but not as you know it)
There are scores of beautiful woods,
meadows with seas of f lowers and wildlife
species galore in the little-celebrated
counties of Worcestershire, Warwickshire,
Leicestershire and Rutland*. Wander
among the vast swathes of bluebells in the
ancient Outwoods in Nanpantan,
Leicestershire, where huge, gnarled trees
and granite outcrops provide a natural
playground. Arboreal explorers willing to
veer off the well-beaten trail will be
enchanted by the legendary Pagan Oak,
Worcestershire, which grows remarkably
atop the rocky edge of a deep hollow. An
important place of pilgrimage, especially at
solstices, it’s adorned with ribbons,
feathers, pentagrams and other trinkets.
Climb inside to find more decorations and
see if there’s a new visitors’ book hidden in
the trunk. Another natural wonder is
Merry’s Meadow in Rutland, host to rare
species of f lora, including the frog orchid.
Standing majestically atop Tysoe Hill (near
Upper Tysoe in Warwickshire), is a curious
12-sided 18th-century windmill providing
glorious views. The county is also host to
several wild-swimming spots, including
the deep, wide meander at Marlcliff, above
a pretty weir – good for a few lazy hours in
summer – and a mile upstream, the
medieval bridge at Bidford-on-Avon. At
Walton-on-Trent you can swim to an island
with a rope swing, while the nearby old
quarry-cum-wetland is home to bitterns- in spring, listen out for the male’s
distinctive boom.
POSTCARD PRETTY
(but with an edge)
Often written off as either quaint and
chocolate-boxy or the playground of therich and famous, the Cotswolds is certainly
easy on the eye, but there is wildness here
too, if you know where to look. With more
than 3,000 miles of footpaths and
bridleways (and even more miles of
traditional stone walls) you can get well
away from the hotspots. A peaceful walk
along an old railway line through
Chedworth Nature Reserve, between
Chedworth and Withington in
Gloucestershire, brings you to a bubbling
tufa spring, where the lime-rich water
deposits calcite to create a curious waterfall
formation. Spoonley Wood Roman Villa,
near Winchcombe, also in Gloucestershire,
is a ruin that is being slowly reclaimed by
nature, well hidden among the trees.
Remnants of the walls are still standing,
some of the f lagstones remain in place and
there is a section of beautiful mosaic f loor
protected by a small roof. A few miles south
west stands another local landmark –
Devil’s Chimney on Leckhampton Hill near
Cheltenham is a famous and dramatic pillar*Rutland was absorbed into Leicestershire in 1974, but reinstated as a county 23 years later. It measures just
over 16 miles north to south and east to west and its motto, ‘Multum in Parvo’, means Much in Little.Greenfield Waterfall in
the Peak District.
Around 20 million
people live within an
hour’s journey of
this area. Only one of
them is pictured here»
79