Cotswold Hills, range, mainly in Gloucestershire, W England, extending c.50 mi (80 km) NE from Bath; Cleeve Cloud (c.1,080 ft/330 m) is the highest point. Its crest line forms the Thames-Severn watershed. The region is famous for Cotswold sheep and for its picturesque stone houses and villages. Many noteworthy megalithic monuments and long barrows are found in the Cotswolds. Among the ruins is Hailes Abbey, founded in 1246. The Cotswold Games were held there from the 17th to the 19th cent.