Gloucestershire Activities
Worth getting out of bed for...
- Viewpoint
- Just north of Stow-on-the-Wold, the Broadway Tower is a glorious 18th-century Gothic folly perched 312 metres above sea level, offering soul-soothing views across the Severn Valley and to the Welsh mountains.
- Arts and culture
- The Arts and Crafts movement began in the area, and its influence is everywhere. Kelmscott Manor, the house William Morris shared with Gabriel Rossetti, is beautiful (+44 (0)1367 252486; www.kelmscottmanor.co.uk). There are more Arts and Crafts wonders at Rodmarton Manor in Cirencester (+44 (0)1285 841253) and Hidcote Manor Garden, near Chipping Campden (+44 (0)1386 438333). Cheltenham has a year-round array of events, including the Cheltenham Festival of Literature, which has hosted writers as various as Stephen Fry, Maya Angelou and Bret Easton Ellis (www.cheltenhamfestivals.com).
- Something for nothing
- Walking in Gloucestershire is a joy. The Cotswold Way is a well-marked trail that, in its entirety, runs 105 miles from Chipping Campden in the north to Bath in the south. Pick up a walking guide from a local tourist office and choose a section that suits your energy levels.
- Shopping
- There is great antiques shopping to be done in Gloucestershire, with plenty of Arts and Crafts represented, as you’d expect. Stow-on-the-Wold is the antiques epicentre, but try Burford, Cirencester, Tetbury and Moreton-in-Marsh, too. There are also some excellent local markets: Moreton-in-Marsh on Tuesdays, Tetbury on Wednesdays, and Cirencester on Mondays and Fridays. If you’re a foodie, you could spend many happy hours in the House of Cheese in Tetbury, where you can get life-affirmingly wonderful cheeses, as well as chutneys and pickles, or in the Daylesford Organic Farm Shop.
- And
- Take a walk through the fabulous Rococo Garden at Painswick (01452 813204; www.rococogarden.org.uk). This extraordinary example of 18th-century Rococo outdoor design was left overgrown until the Seventies, when it was rediscovered and restored. Now you can dine there, get lost in the maze, see an outdoor Shakespeare production, even host a very chichi wedding.
Diary
March If you’re feeling sporty, visit the Cheltenham Races, including the Gold Cup (www.cheltenham.co.uk). From April, you can watch the polo at Cirencester Park Polo Club (www.cirencesterpolo.co.uk). October Cheltenham Festival of Literature has big bookish names every year (www.cheltenhamfestivals.com).
