What Is the Notswolds? A Guide to England's Quietly Emerging Countryside
If you have started seeing the word "Notswolds" in the travel pages and wondered whether you missed the memo, you are not alone. It is a name that has gathered real momentum over the past couple of years, and it describes the countryside right on our doorstep. Here is what it means, where it is, and why people are beginning to make the trip.
What is the Notswolds?
The Notswolds is an informal name for the stretch of limestone countryside anchored by Rutland and reaching into the neighbouring counties, offering the stone villages, market towns and rolling farmland of the Cotswolds without the crowds or the prices. It is not an official designation and you will not find it on an Ordnance Survey map. It is a nickname that stuck, coined with a wink, and now used by everyone from national magazines to the people who live here.
The name does exactly what you would expect: it defines the region by what it is not. As Country Life put it in 2024, this is countryside with all the ambience of the Cotswolds without the price tag.
Where is the Notswolds?
The Notswolds sits in the centre of England, anchored by Rutland, the country's smallest county, and extending through the borderlands of Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Cambridgeshire.
The exact boundaries are cheerfully disputed, which is part of the charm of an unofficial region. What holds it together is the geology. The Notswolds lies north of the Cotswolds proper, along the same seam of oolitic limestone that built so much of England's most photographed architecture. That is why the villages here glow the same honey colour, and why places like Stamford are so often described among the finest stone towns in England.
The Welland Valley, where The Shambles sits, runs through the heart of it.
Why are people talking about it now?
The Notswolds has moved from local shorthand to national coverage in a short space of time. Country Life made the case for it in late 2024, Country & Town House returned to it in 2026 describing it as an emerging region and a quiet pretender to the Cotswolds crown, and there is now a dedicated platform at notswolds.com championing the area's independent makers, growers and businesses.
The appeal is straightforward. The Cotswolds are wonderful and extremely well known, which means coach parties, booked-out tables and prices to match. The Notswolds offers a similar landscape with more room to breathe, and the sense that you have found something rather than followed someone.
What is there to do in the Notswolds?
At its heart is Rutland Water, the largest reservoir in England, with around twenty-six miles of walking and cycling trails circling the shore, along with sailing, birdwatching and bike hire. Beyond it, the wider region has more than a thousand miles of footpaths and bridleways.
The market towns are the other draw: Stamford, Oakham, Uppingham, Oundle and Market Harborough, each with independent shops, galleries and places to eat that have not been flattened into sameness. Scattered between them are the great estates and houses, many still family-run and open to visitors, from Burghley to Kirby Hall, Deene Park and Rockingham Castle.
We have written more about all of this in our guide to the local area and our round-up of the best pubs nearby.
How do you get to the Notswolds?
It is far better connected than a hidden region has any right to be. London is around an hour away by train, with mainline stations at Stamford, Oakham, Peterborough and Grantham. By road you have the A1 and the A47 close at hand, and East Midlands, Luton and Stansted airports are all within reach. Once you are here, almost everything is a scenic drive down a country lane.
Where should you stay in the Notswolds?
The pleasure of this region is that it rewards a base rather than a checklist. Distances are short, the lanes are lovely, and the best days tend to be the ones where you set out with a rough plan and end up somewhere you had not heard of.
The Shambles sits in the Welland Valley, a short drive from Stamford and Rutland Water, in exactly the kind of stone village the Notswolds is named for. It is a two-bedroom, two-bathroom cottage with private parking, a private gym and secure bike storage, which makes it a practical base whether you are here to walk, cycle the Rutland Water circuit or simply eat well and do very little.
If you would like to stay in the Notswolds, we would love to have you.
Notswolds: the short version
Is the Notswolds a real place? Yes, though it is an informal name rather than an official region. It describes the limestone countryside centred on Rutland and its neighbouring counties.
Is Rutland in the Notswolds? Rutland is generally considered the heart of it.
What is the difference between the Cotswolds and the Notswolds? Both sit on the same limestone seam and share the stone villages and rolling countryside. The Notswolds lies further north, is far less visited and is considerably cheaper.
How far is the Notswolds from London? Around an hour by train to mainline stations including Stamford, Oakham, Peterborough and Grantham.
Where is the best base for exploring the Notswolds? Anywhere in the Welland Valley puts you within easy reach of Rutland Water, Stamford and the market towns, with the great houses and estates a short drive in most directions.
