Looking for somewhere to stay, eat, drink or shop? www.findsomewhere.co.uk 1 Guide to Rural England GLOUCESTERSHIRE A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks Looking for somewhere to stay, eat, drink or shop? www.findsomewhere.co.uk 2 Gloucestershire Guide to Rural England For many, Gloucestershire is the Cotswolds, the Cotswolds. To the west, on the River the delightful limestone hills that sweep Severn, is the ancient city of Gloucester, while across the county from Dyrham in the south further down river is the Vale of Berkeley and to Chipping Campden in the north. As well historic Berkeley Castle. On the opposite bank as providing some of the most glorious of the river lies the Forest of Dean. Wild scenery and the prettiest villages in the woodland, royal hunting ground, naval timber GLOUCESTERSHIRE country, the county is also home to the reserve, important mining and industrial historic towns of Cirencester and region: the Forest has been all these, and today Cheltenham. “The most English and the least its rich and varied landscape provides endless spoiled of all our countryside.” So wrote J B interest for walkers, nature-lovers and Priestley in 1933 in his English Journey and, historians. Bounded by the Rivers Severn and more than 70 years later, his verdict would Wye, the area has been effectively isolated surely have been the same. from the rest of England and Wales and so However, Gloucestershire is not all about has developed a character all its own. LOCATOR MAP Sutton Great Clifton Pershore Newbold St Nicholas on Stour Malvern Evesham Mickleton Upton Shipston Staplow upon Severn Birlingham on Stour Chipping Campden Hereford Sedgeberrow Paxford Dormington Ledbury Hollybush Todenham Mordiford Bredon Allensmore Twyning Buckland Blockley Fownhope Bromsberrow Moreton-in-Marsh Callow Toddington Stocking Tewkesbury Yatton Dymock Longborough Much Birch Staunton Gotherington Winchcombe Llandinabo Newent Guiting Stow-on-the-Wold Power St Weonards Ross-on-Wye Cheltenham The Slaughters Bourton-on-the-Water Huntley Gloucester Fifield Whitchurch Charlton Andoversford Mitcheldean Kings Westbury Coberley Cinderford upon Severn Whaddon Monmouth Birdlip Chedworth Northleach Burford Coleford Painswick GLOUCESTERSHIRE Aldsworth Clearwell Parkend North Cerney Cotswold Stonehouse Bibury Wildlife Park Stroud Carterton Slimbridge Trelleck Lydney Sharpness Chalford Cirencester Coaley Frocester Clanfield Berkeley Tintern Lechlade Parva Nailsworth St Arvans Dursley Ewen Shorncote Faringdon Falfield Tetbury Cricklade Highworth Wotton- Chepstow Long Newton Thornbury under-Edge Westonbirt Charlton Shrivenham Purton Caldicot Wickwar Malmesbury Rodbourne Ashbury Sherston Hook Swindon Almondsbury Badminton Corston Chipping Stanton Wootton Sodbury St Quintin Bassett Avonmouth North Old Sodbury Wroughton Wroughton Castle Sutton Lyneham Combe Allington Benger Pucklechurch Baydon Warmley Marshfield Chippenham Ogbourne Long St George Ashton Corsham Calne Avebury BRISTOL Marlborough Nailsea Keynsham Beckhampton Swainswick Beanacre A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks Looking for somewhere to stay, eat, drink or shop? www.findsomewhere.co.uk 3 Towns and Villages Guide to Rural England Almondsbury pg 19 Frocester pg 35 Prestbury pg 41 Alvington pg 11 Gloucester pg 23 Redmarley d’Abitot pg 26 Badminton pg 21 Gotherington pg 42 Ruardean pg 9 Berkeley pg 17 Guiting Power pg 46 Selsley pg 34 Beverston pg 29 Hartpury pg 26 Slad pg 36 Bibury pg 52 Hidcote Bartrim pg 49 Slimbridge pg 16 Bisley pg 35 Horton pg 22 South Cerney pg 56 GLOUCESTERSHIRE Blockley pg 48 Inglesham pg 54 St Briavels pg 14 Bourton-on-the-Water pg 50 Kemble pg 57 Stanton pg 45 Bredon pg 28 Kempley pg 5 Stanway pg 45 Broadway pg 49 Lechlade-on-Thames pg 54 Staunton pg 12 Cannop pg 13 Littledean pg 9 Stinchcombe pg 31 Chedworth pg 52 Longhope pg 7 Stow-on-the-Wold pg 46 Cheltenham pg 39 Lower Slaughter pg 49 Stroud pg 32 Chipping Campden pg 48 Lydney pg 10 Tetbury pg 28 Chipping Sodbury pg 20 Marshfield pg 21 Tewkesbury pg 26 Cinderford pg 6 Minchinhampton pg 33 Thornbury pg 19 Cirencester pg 52 Miserden pg 39 Toddington pg 44 Clearwell pg 14 Mitcheldean pg 6 Tortworth pg 19 Cleeve Hill pg 41 Moreton-in-Marsh pg 47 Twigworth pg 25 Coleford pg 12 Nailsworth pg 34 Uley pg 31 Deerhurst pg 28 Newent pg 4 Upleadon pg 5 Didmarton pg 22 Newland pg 15 Upper & Lower Swell pg 47 Drybrook pg 6 Newnham-on-Severn pg 9 Upper Slaughter pg 49 Dursley pg 30 North Nibley pg 31 Westbury-on-Severn pg 6 Dymock pg 4 Northleach pg 51 Westonbirt pg 22 Dyrham pg 20 Ozleworth pg 30 Wickwar pg 22 Edge pg 37 Painswick pg 36 Winchcombe pg 42 Fairford pg 54 Parkend pg 14 Woodchester pg 33 Forthampton pg 28 Pauntley pg 26 Wotton-under-Edge pg 30 Frampton-on-Severn pg 15 A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks Looking for somewhere to stay, eat, drink or shop? www.findsomewhere.co.uk 4 Newent bullets, an act that caused the roof to Guide to Rural England collapse during a snowstorm in 1674. A new A Market House A Church of St Mary nave was started after Charles II agreed to E The International Centre for birds of Prey donate 60 tons of timber from the Forest of Dean. The church’s 150ft spire is a landmark D Castle Hill Farm E Three Choirs Vineyard for miles around. Capital of the area of northwest There aren’t too many windmills in Gloucestershire known as the Ryelands, and Gloucestershire, but at Castle Hill Farm, just the most important town in the Vale of outside town, is a working wooden mill with GLOUCESTERSHIRE Leadon, Newent stands in the broad triangle great views from a balcony at the top. of land called Daffodil Crescent. The rich A mile south of Newent is the Leadon Valley soil was traditionally used for International Centre for Birds of Prey growing rye and raising the renowned housing one of the largest and best collections Ryelands sheep, an ancient breed famed for of birds of prey in the world. The 110 aviaries the quality of its wool. The town was one of are home to eagles, falcons, owls, vultures, the county’s principal wool-trading centres, kites, hawks, caracaras, secretary birds and and the wealth produced from that trade buzzards. Between 20 and 40 birds are flown accounts for the large number of grand daily at the Centre, which is open every day merchants’ houses to be seen here. The most from February to November. Also on site are distinctive building in Newent is the splendid a tearoom, children’s play area, pets corner and timber-framed Market House, built as a picnic area. Call 01531 820286/821581. butter market in the middle of the 16th. - On the road north towards Dymock, set in century, its upper floors supported on 16 oak 75 acres of rolling countryside, the Three pillars that form an open colonnade. The Choirs Vineyard is the country’s largest wine medieval Church of St Mary has many producer. Unusually, there’s also a brewery outstanding features, including the shaft of a here, Whittington’s, named after Dick 9th-century Saxon cross, the 11th-century Whittington who is believed to have been Newent Stone and the 17th-century nave. born in the nearby hamlet of Pauntley. The During the Civil War, Royalist troops had vineyard also has a restaurant, shop and offers removed the lead from the roof to make bed and breakfast accommodation in rooms overlooking the rows of vines. Around Newent DYMOCK 3 miles N of Newent on the B4216 G Dymock Poets Dymock boasts some fine old brick buildings, including the White House Market House, Newent and the Old Rectory near the church A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks Looking for somewhere to stay, eat, drink or shop? www.findsomewhere.co.uk 5 and, outside the village, the Old Grange, Guide to Rural England which incorporates the remains of the Cistercian Flaxley Abbey. At the heart of the village is the early Norman Church of St Mary, whose unusual features include a tympanum depicting the Tree of Life, a 13th-century stone coffin lid, stained glass by Kempe – and the last ticket issued at Dymock station, in 1959. A corner GLOUCESTERSHIRE of the church is dedicated to the memory of the Dymock Poets, a group who based themselves in Dymock from before the First St Mary’s Church - Upleadon World War. The group, which comprised Lascelles Abercrombie (the first to arrive), UPLEADON Rupert Brooke, John Drinkwater, Wilfred 2 miles N of Newent off the B4215 Gibson, Edward Thomas and Robert Frost, A Church of St Mary the Virgin sent out its New Numbers poetry magazine The Church of St Mary the Virgin features from Dymock’s tiny post office. It was also some fine Norman and Tudor work, but is from here that Brooke published his War best known for its unique tower, half-timbered Sonnets, including The Soldier (“If I should die, from bottom to top; even the mullion think only this of me: That there’s some corner of a windows are of wood.