Cotswold Outdoor Ltd is primarily an adventure recreation

Adventure recreation

Adventure recreation refers to active and outdoor activities such as backpacking , rafting, climbing, and outdoor survival. A few universities give degrees in adventure recreation, which aim to teach graduates how to run a business in the field of adventure recreation...

 retailer. Founded in 1974, the company originated in the Cotswolds

Cotswolds

The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...

, and was based out of a garage next to the Cotswold Water Park

Cotswold Water Park

The Cotswold Water Park is the United Kingdom's largest water park. It consists of 147 numbered lakeswhich were formed by allowing old gravel quarries to become filled with water.-Location:...

, from which the founders sold a range of basic camping accessories. Cotswold Outdoor is the recommended retailer for the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme and The Scout Association. Now with over 60 stores nationwide, Cotswold Outdoor has a mail order service selling outdoor clothing, camping and climbing equipment, travel and active clothing, hiking boots, adventure racing gear and much more.