In a bid to find the best, most luxurious rural destinations for a staycation in England, Scotland and Wales, reviewers at Land Rover have named the Cotswolds as the third best place in Great Britain for an upmarket staycation.
The 'Defender Destinations Index' looked at a location's population in comparison to the number of five-star hotels, Michelin-rated restaurants, wellness retreats, hiking trails and National Trust sites to rank each area.
The Cotswolds was recognised as outstanding for its 12 five-star hotels, 25 Michelin Guide restaurants, two five-star golf clubs, 38 luxury spa and wellness centres, six excellent hiking trails and three National Trust locations, all found within the area's honey-hued rural towns and villages.
Also taking a coveted place in the survey's top three was the Lake District at number one and the New Forest National Park at number two.
The Cotswolds is internationally celebrated as an area of outstanding natural beauty and its 787 square miles start at the border regions of south Warwickshire and Worcestershire, running through west Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire and down into parts of Wiltshire, Bath and Somerset.
Its highest point is Cleeve Hill in Bishop's Cleeve, at 1,083 feet above sea level, which is also where one of the country's prettiest and most-walked hiking trails runs through — the Cotswold Way, a 102-mile footpath across some of England's most breathtaking scenery.
In Gloucestershire, Land Rover reviewers looked at luxury venues such as Ellenborough Park, Gloucestershire's only AA five-star hotel; Michelin-star restaurants such as Le Champignon Sauvage and Lumière; five-star golf clubs like Stinchcombe Hill Golf Club; and National Trust locations such as Snowshill Manor, Hidcote and Woodchester Park.
