Minchinhampton and Rodborough Commons are part of the Cotswold Hills, a 350 hectare escarpment of Jurassic limestone that extends for about 100 miles from Bath to Edge Hill in Warwickshire.
Landscape
The Commons are on the top of the north west face of the Cotswold Hills, forming a dramatic escarpment overlooking the valley of the River Severn. Most of the Commons lie on the flat hill-top plateau of the escarpment, but there are also a series of steep, wooded valleys.
The Common's elevated position make them an excellent viewpoint from which to see the eastern edge of the Severn Vale, as well as the urban and industrial development of Stroud and Nailsworth in the valleys of the River Frome and its tributaries.
Land use
The limestone that forms the escarpment has been a major factor in the land-use history of the area. The stone has been used as building material and field boundaries for centuries, creating the attractive patchwork of towns, villages and farms for which the Cotswolds are famed.
The grassland that grows on the limestone soils offer excellent grazing for sheep and cattle. The Commons on the hilltops around Stroud were a key to the area's success as a centre for wool production in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
Land protected
The Cotswold Hills are nationally and internationally renowned as some of the finest rural landscapes in Britain. The region was designated by the Countryside Commission, now the Countryside Agency, as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1966. This gives it additional planning protection as a 'heritage landscape' of national importance.
There are 41 AONB's in England and Wales, covering landscapes that are considered to be the finest or most characteristic of their type. At 2038 sq. kms. the Cotswolds AONB is the largest of the AONBs.
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