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WINTER IN THE COTSWOLDS

There can be nowhere better to spend an English winter than in Gloucestershire.

For those who enjoy long winter walks, the flat-topped, rolling Cotswold hills, dusted with snow or frost, really do take some beating.? The long distance footpath known as the Cotswold Way, winds its way along the tops from near Bath in the south to Stratford-Upon-Avon in the north. The total length is just over 100 miles, and en route passes through some of the most attractive countryside in England.

But for those of us who are on the look-out for less ambitious walks or walks with the family, Gloucestershire is?awash with footpaths and bridleways. There are walks beside rivers and canals, through woodlands and forests, hidden valleys and beautiful towns and villages.? Everywhere the mellow honey-coloured Cotswold stone, captured by the low winter sun, breathes warmth into the landscape.?

From the hills surrounding Broadway Tower there are amazing views across seven counties and a walk across Selsey Common near Stroud, provides spectacular vistas across the Severn Vale to the Forest of Dean and the Black Mountains beyond.

Gloucestershire is an ancient county and has been inhabited by man for thousands of years.? On many Cotswold hill-tops are the remains of Neolithic dwellings and burial mounds.? At Coaley Peak there are several long barrows including the gloriously named Hetty Pegler's Tump, where visitors can explore deep inside the barrow system.? On a winter's day there is great serenity to be found around these ancient sites.? They are wonderful places for reflection.

When the breeze freshens and shelter is required, one of the best winter walks is through the Woodchester valley, near Nailsworth.? This forgotten, steep-sided valley, now owned by the National Trust, has five ribbon-lakes, an incomplete Victorian mansion and scenery which looks positively Alpine on a frosty day.? Here, when the lakes freeze over, stones cast upon the ice will speed towards the opposite shore creating an echoing whisper which fills the valley.

Even in winter there are plenty of Cotswold gardens to enjoy.? It is at this time of year that evergreens and coloured barks take centre stage and there are no better places to enjoy them than at Batsford Arboretum, near Moreton-In-Marsh or Westonbirt Arboretum near Tetbury.? Both are open throughout the winter and such is the diversity of the trees and shrubs they contain, that there will always be something in flower or looking at its best, such as the sweetly-scented witch hazel with its brilliant sulphur-yellow flowers.

Also open throughout the winter are the gardens at the Cotswold Wildlife Park near Burford, which has a superb tropical glasshouse, and the gardens surrounding the 500 exotic birds found at Birdland Park and Gardens, Bourton-on-the-Water.? For those interested in the history of plants and gardens a visit to the Ernest Wilson Memorial Garden at Chipping Campden is a must.? Ernest Wilson is considered to have been one of Britain?s foremost plant collectors.? Born in Chipping Campden in 1876, he traveled extensively throughout temperate Asia. He introduced to Britain such horticultural gems as the Regal lily, Clematis armandii and the Pocket Handkerchief tree.? Although small, the Ernest Wilson Memorial Garden is a delight at any time of year.? Every plant in it was introduced to Britain by Wilson and in winter look-out for the stunning Paper-bark maple with its cinnamon-coloured flaking bark.

Although it may not always feel like it on a cold, dark December day, one of the delights of England is the fact that there are different seasons for us to experience and enjoy. So whatever you do this winter, make sure you get out and enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds us, and who knows we may bump into each other on one of Gloucestershire?s footpaths.