Talk:Cotswolds

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[edit] Counties

What does the term 'counties' signify here? If recent administative then there should be at least two more, South Glos., and BANES. If recent ceremonial it should include Avon.

The list given only makes sense as the counties list in a very limited time-frame. Linuxlad 22:56, 1 Mar 2005 (UTC) (resident of South Glos.)

The convention has grown up on Wikipedia that when describing geographical locations in England (such as the Cotswolds) we use the current ceremonial counties. The main justification is that these are (a) formally defined and (b) commonly understood. The alternative of traditional counties fail tests (a). The alternative of administrative counties fails test (b), especially since HMG made such an inconsistent pigs-ear of the way it went about creating unitary authorities (eg. some unitaries were given administrative county status, others were not even though the administrative county they were previously in was abolished).
On that basis, I think the previous list of counties was correct, in that South Gloucestershire is part of the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire and BANES is part of the ceremonial county of Somerset. I will clarify this in the article. -- Chris j wood 12:00, 2 Mar 2005 (UTC)
Ah, I see you already had. I've put a brief clarification in the 'where' para of the header section, and moved the substance of your clarification to separate section, as I didn't think exact county details merited the prominence of its own paragraph in the header section. -- Chris j wood 12:09, 2 Mar 2005 (UTC)


If that's WP policy, well so be it - If so it's the first time I've seen it thus stated. In an area like this (10 miles North of Bristol) the policy does NOT appear the most sensible one and has a rather antidiluvian feel! I'd have thought most people would have expected the use of admin counties. I doubt most people in South Glos have the slightest idea which man with the feathered hat is theirs! (later - just checked with wife and 17yr old son. Both gave their county as South Glos and had not the slighest idea which ceremonial county they were in - and I only know because I was a councillor during the pre-1995 review, and noted the recommendation on L/Ls as being potentially confusing.)

Usage of ceremonial counties is thus a policy you are doomed to explain afresh each usage! Linuxlad 08:38, 3 Mar 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Pictures

A blurred picture of some trees and sky - surely this cannot be notable! CustardJack 13:05, 10 May 2005 (UTC)

It's the article that has to be notable, not any images. The photo is supposed to convey what it is like to travel through the Cotswolds. I'm happy to delete it if the consensus is that the photograph isn't appropriate. --Etimbo | Talk 14:44, 16 May 2005 (UTC)
It adds nothing to the article, and should not be there, IMO. Grinner 15:19, May 16, 2005 (UTC)
Are we are talking about "Horse in a field of buttercups"? If so then I like the pic very much and it illustrates Cotswolds just fine (I live close by, in Yate, near Bristol). Yes, the pic could show almost anywhere in the UK but the uploader chose to put it under Cotswolds. It should stay - Adrian Pingstone 12:14, 31 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Fans of the Cotswolds

who was the famous american president who used to cycle through the cotswolds and like england alot becuase of it. was it fdr?

[edit] Spam?

I've been pointed to discuss the recent edit on this and other national parks pages. In each case a link has been put in to "bedsearcher". At best I don't see it as useful (the link comes up with nothing found!), at worst it is at least a form of spam. Opinions sought thanks. --Nigel 08:06, 22 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] What's 'in the Cotswolds'?

Well few people round here (Thornbury) would think Berkeley is 'Cotswolds'. Neither does Pevsner who carefully splits Gloucestershire between Cotswolds, and Vale & Forest of Dean editions, placing Berkeley (and Thornbury) firmly in the latter. We used to fight long turf wars on this on Stroud DC, where the geographic division essentially coincided with the political division also! Linuxlad 16:00, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

I've removed the link to Berkeley Castle, it most definitely is not in the Cotswolds, as you said - Adrian Pingstone 08:23, 19 August 2006 (UTC)


But what about Chipping Sodbury? The town itself is clearly down on the plateau, though its main street has a Cotswold feel, like Cirencester. And some of the Sodbury outliers like Old Sodbury are clearly Cotswolds. Little Sodbury is passed by the Cotswold Way so I'd certainly count that. All in all the town is similar to Cheltenham, which advertises itself (IIRC) as 'the gateway to the Cotswolds'. I'd let the link stay in the links list, with a qualifier. Bob aka Linuxlad 16:32, 5 October 2006 (UTC)

AONB near Chipping Sodbury
AONB near Chipping Sodbury
To help the discussion here's a map of the precise location of the AONB boundary (yellow) outside Chipping Sodbury. I didn't draw the line, I grabbed it off one of the official AONB sites but I unfortunately didn't note its web address - Adrian Pingstone 20:17, 5 October 2006 (UTC)
Seems to confirm what I wrote, so the new point is...?
Linuxlad 22:46, 5 October 2006 (UTC)
There isn't a "new point" I just thought the map was interesting! - Adrian Pingstone 15:10, 6 October 2006 (UTC)
Here are a couple of government websites with Cotswold AONB maps (including the one excerpted above)
I am not sure how accurately the AONB boundary matches with what has been traditionally known as the Cotswolds. --Hroðulf (or Hrothulf) (Talk) 13:16, 6 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Link request

Hello I would be grateful if you would consider adding my website to the external links for the Cotswolds. URL is http://www.cotswolds-stay.co.uk and is the sister site to www.chilterns-stay.co.uk which is linked on your Chilterns page. Many thanks

Sim Bowman Owner - Cotswolds-stay.co.uk80.42.67.106 16:52, 4 September 2006 (UTC)

We can't put your site on the article because Wikipedia does not allow sites that are entirely an advert, as yours is. Sorry but that's the rule. I know that some of the sites, already on the article, include accommodation but they have much else about the Cotswolds so we accept that. Unfortunately, now you've mentioned it, the Chilterns link will have to go (if still there) - Adrian Pingstone 20:23, 5 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Counties

Sort of continuation from the "What's 'in the Cotswolds'?" bit, and I agree to Hroðulfs point. What defines the edges? I wouldn't go on goverment maps for one. I think they are more to control tourism than to state where the traditional cotswold area is.

The 2nd paragraph reads "The Cotswolds lie within the current ceremonial counties of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Somerset, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire. The county of Gloucestershire forms the largest area of the Cotswolds.". I don't think this is stated quite right. Although it does say that "Gloucestershire forms the largest area of the cotswolds" I think it would be better to say that the cotwolds lie mostly within Gloucestershire, but continue into the edges of etc. etc. Of the other counties I was surpised to see some there, although I think it is correct as long as its stated that they only lie along the edges of some counties such as oxfordshire or wiltshire.

I say this becuase I spent a large period at school in the very North of oxfrodshire, and people did consider it to be in the cotswolds but only a short drive south and you were not. I live in South-Northants, where after banbury the hills reappear in a lesser form to make the south-northants uplands. I wouldn't consider it part of the cotswolds, but if worcestershire is, then I would. Some of my family have lived for many generations in wiltshire now in a village next to Corsham (wich is one of the photographs on the page) and they would not consider themselves to be in the cotswolds, but again in the hills that continue on in a lesser form to the south.

Where exactly it falls could varie depending on what defines it; the hills, the stone, or the district, but in short I think the opening bit should say something more along the lines of...(but put better!) "The Cotwolds mostly lie within Glousetershire but continue up onto the edges of Warwickshire and Oxfordshire, and run off into other hill formations in Wiltshire, Somerset, Northmaptonshire*, and Worcestershire**.

  • = Put there as if some of the other counties are there, then should it be?
    • = Worcestershire doesnt really contain part of the cotswolds, nore does it contain smaller hills that are a continuation from the cotswolds. I havn't checked this, but If I recall correcly Evesham is the nearest town to the cotswolds, but sits a few miles north of the very definate Northern edge of the wolds.

Thanks, (OSM/User:Ben.) 03:34 29th January 2007 (UTC)

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