Bibury, Gloucester

COTSWOLDS AND THE COUNTY OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE

North of Bath, the Cotswolds, and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and Gloucestershire provide many opportunities for half and full day tours.

Stone and wool have given the Cotswolds their special richness. The natural soft limestone and the prosperity of the medieval wool trade created superb buildings in a spectacular landscape.

Cirencester, capital of the Cotswolds, was originally a Roman military station and nearby is the well preserved Chedworth Roman Villa.

Wool towns such as Cirencester, Tetbury, Fairford, Northleach, Stow-on-the-Wold and Chipping Camden all show the fine houses and magnificent ‘wool churches’ built and endowed by the wealthy medieval wool merchants.

Minchinhampton and Rodborough Commons are open grassland and woodland high on the Cotswold limestone plateau. For centuries they have been grazed by sheep and cattle and managed as common land.

Gloucestershire towns and villages have much to explore: Tewkesbury with its Abbey and Alleyways; Winchcombe, ancient Saxon capital and nearby ruins of Hailes Abbey; Malmesbury with its Abbey; the weaving villages of Bourton-on-Water and Bibury.

Gloucester, the county town, has a magnificent Norman Cathedral and Victorian Docklands. The regency spa town of Cheltenham was at its most fashionable between 1790-1840 and the spa waters can still be tasted in the Pittville Pump Room.

Stately Homes to visit include: Berkeley Castle, scene of the brutal murder of Edward II; Snowshill Manor, with its eclectic collection of craftsmanship; Sudeley Castle, with Royal connections over 1,000 years; the Tudor Owlpen Manor in a remote wooded valley; the Elizabethan house at Chavenage; and Dyrham Park, little changed since it was built in 1692-1704.

Gardens to visit include: Painswick Rococo Gardens, Hidcote Manor and Westbury Court Water Gardens. There are arboretums at Batsford and Westonbirt. The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust have a large site at Slimbridge on the Severn Estuary.

Let Bath Parade Guides help you make the most of your visit to the Cotswolds and Gloucestershire.