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Towns and Villages

[image Bourton River]

The busy market towns, formally the centres of the wool trade, are still the focus of activity in the Cotswolds.

The villages are the true jewels in the Cotswold crown, their honey-coloured stone buildings, old-world charm and tranquillity summing up so much of the Cotswold magic.  In fact, most villages - and towns for that matter - are attractive but just a few have captured the limelight and appear frequently on calendars and book covers.

'Stow-on-the-Wold where the wind blows cold, and the cooks can't roast their dinners'

'..... little neate stone built town, good innes for the traveller' - Celia Fiennes in the 17th century on Moreton 'Hindmost' or Moreton 'Henmarsh'

'William Morris called Bibury 'the most beautiful village in England'

'Nothing gruesome here - 'Slaughter' derives its name from 'miry place' which it certainly isn't now!'