The ‘Cotswolds of Spain’ has chocolate-box villages and plenty of vineyards
THERE'S a region in Spain that has been compared to the beautiful Cotswolds in the UK.
Two and a half hours away from Barcelona is the region of El Matarraña.
The region is often referred to as the 'Spanish Tuscany' with quaint chocolate-box villages that look a lot like the English Cotswolds.
Valderrobres is one of the most charming villages in Matarraña, and dates back to Medieval times.
Scattered around the village are small stone houses, a historical castle, a town square and a city hall building.
The Spanish village strikes a resemblance to Castle Combe - a village in the Cotswolds crowned the 'prettiest in the UK' on a number of occasions.
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Just like Valderrobres, the village of Castle Combe dates back to the 12th century and also has its own castle.
There are also locally run coffee shops, bars and shops around the main streets.
In the Matarraña region you'll also find over 37,000 hectares of olive groves. There are also lots of vineyards, so there are fields of green for miles.
And it's not in Matarraña that you'll find vineyards, the Cotswolds also like to create tasty wine.
There are around 10 vineyards in the Cotswolds including the Three Choirs Vineyards in Newent that covers 75-acres.
In the South Cotswolds, the Woodchester Valley Vineyard produces white, red, rose, and sparkling wines.
Puertos de Beceite is a national park and mountain range in Matarraña.
It's the perfect place for hiking with plenty of canyons and lakes where you can also do some outdoor activities.
The highest point is the peak of Mont Caro which stands at 1,441 meters tall.
While the Costwolds doesn't have mountain ranges, it does have some steep hills. The Malvern Hills in the Worcestershire Beacon stand at 425 meters high.
Along the Puertos de Beceite are lots of spots of natural beauty like waterfalls, lakes and ponds.
One beautiful place along the many hiking trains is El Parrizal Beceite, a stunning waterfall.
There are no national parks in the Cotswolds, instead, the whole of the region is an 'Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty'.
Over the landscape there are many natural ponds and lakes as well as the man-made Cotswold Water Park which has 180 lakes.
They might look similar but the landscape is very different.
The weather in Matarraña can reach lows of -15C at the highest levels, and a maximum of 40C in the lowlands.
In the Cotswolds, the temperature can reach highs of of 22C in the summer months and an average low of 5C in the winter.
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This Cotswold village has its own beach
The village of Shorncote is the perfect place for a dip...
Cotswold Country Park and Beach, found in the village of Shorncote, near Cirencester, in Gloucestershire, has stretches of sand, swimming lagoons, and an inflatable aqua park.
The easiest way to reach the beach is by car, but the beach can also be accessed by train from Swindon or Cheltenham.
Those looking for a day out at the beach will need to get off the train at Kemble and take a taxi to the park from there. A return ticket from Swindon to Kemble costs £8 for a full-paying adult without a railcard.
Sun Travel team also discovered this Spanish village with volcanoes and a waterfall.
And this is our favourite Cotswolds village with riverside games and old sweet shops.
