Days out in Gloucestershire

• Batsford Arboretum
  The earliest verifiable recorded history of Batsford Park, of which the Batsford Arboretum forms the central part, dates back to the Freeman family who owned the estate in the early part of the 17th Century.
  
• Berkeley Castle
  In 1153 Maurice Berkeley completed this fortress by the Severn Estuary at the command of Henry II, and ever since has been the home of the Berkeley family.
  
• Birdland
  Birdland is set in woodland, river and gardens, this natural setting is inhabited by over 500 birds
  
• Bourton House Garden
  The Cotswolds' best kept secret! An award-winning three acre garden surrounding a fine 18th century Manor House and Grade I listed 16th century Tithe Barn.
  
• Chavenage
  This historic Elizabethan house, home of the Lowsley-Williams family, contains much of interest to the discerning visitor. Visitors can see the tapestry rooms and furniture and relics of the Cromwellian period.
  
• Chedworth Roman Villa
  Access to main mosaics reopens fully Spring 2012! If you want to visit the National Trust's oldest stately home, the Chedworth Roman Villa is the site to visit!
  
• Clearwell Caves Ancient Iron Mines
  When you visit Clearwell Caves you are entering some of the very oldest underground workings in Britain.
  
• Cotswold Falconry Centre
  Cotswold Falconry invites you to a spectacular demonstration with a large variety of birds of prey flying free. This gives a remarkable insight into the ancient art of falconry.
  
• Cotswold Farm Park
  The Home of Rare Breed Conservation offers the chance to meet over 50 flocks and herds of British rare-breed farm animals.
  
• Cotswold Motoring Museum & Toy Collection
  The museum is bulging with great cars, quaint caravans, precarious looking motorcycles, enamel signs and an intriguing collection of motoring curiosities!
  
• Dean Heritage Centre
  Situated in a converted former mill in the picturesque Soudley Valley, the Dean Heritage Centre is the ideal starting point for a visit to the Forest.
  
• Dyrham Park
  The impressive baroque mansion of Dyrham Hall was principally developed by William Blathwayt. He married Mary Wynter in 1686 and on the death of her father began work on the neglected manor house.
  
• Edward Jenner Museum
  Edward Jenner was born in Berkeley in 1749. Orphaned before he was 5 years old, his brothers and sisters set him on a career of medicine.
  
• Gloucester Cathedral
  A warm welcome awaits you at Gloucester Cathedral - one of the finest medieval buildings in the country and the jewel in the city of Gloucester's crown.
  
• Gloucester Waterways Museum
  The Gloucester Waterways Museum is housed in an original Victorian warehouse in Gloucester's Historic docks.
  
• Gloucester Waterways Museum - Trips
  Gloucester Waterways Museum run 45 minute boat trips from Merchants Quay, Gloucester Docks, travelling down the Gloucester Sharpness Canal.
  
• Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway
  The Gloucester Warwickshire Railway is in the process of rebuilding and restoring part of the former Cheltenham to Stratford-upon-Avon mainline as a heritage railway. Currently operating from Toddington to Gotherington.
  
• Great Western Railway Museum (Coleford)
  The Great Western Railway Museum is housed in one of the last remaining permanent railway buildings in the Forest of Dean, on the original site of Coleford Railway Yard. It is the original GWR Goods Station of 1883.
  
• Hailes Abbey
  Hailes Abbey is to be found nestling in the beautiful Cotswold countryside. Built in the 13th century by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, Hailes became famous when presented with a phial that was said to contain the blood of Christ.
  
• Hidcote Manor Garden
  Hidcote Manor Garden is one of those gardens which can only be found in England! It was created by keen horticulturist, Major Lawrence Johnston, on a Cotswold property bought for him by his mother.
  
• International Centre for Birds of Prey
  Once more under the direction of Jemima Parry-Jones, the Centre has undergone a substantial facelift and everything has been upgraded. Please come to visit.
  
• Kelmscott Manor
  Kelmscott Manor, a grade 1 listed Tudor farmhouse adjacent to the River Thames, was the summer home of William Morris from 1871 until his death in 1896. Morris loved the house as a work of true craftsmanship, totally unspoilt and unaltered.
  
• Lodge Park and Sherborne Estate
  Gloucestershire is well known for its fine Regency architecture and gracious spa towns, and Lodge Park was built in keeping with this affluent lifestyle.
  
• Lydney Park Gardens
  Lydney Park Gardens is open during the Spring and on certain days in the summer as part of the National Garden Scheme (Yellow Book).
  
• Newark Park
  Built as a hunting lodge around 1550, this tall, symmetrical building with its mullioned windows reflects the sophisticated style of the Elizabethan court rather than that of a local country house.
  
• Owlpen Manor
  Owlpen Manor and Gardens is closed for restoration during the 2010 and 2011 seasons.
  
• Painswick Rococo Gardens
  The sole, complete survivor from the brief Rococo period of English garden design (1720-1760).
  
• Prinknash Abbey Bird and Deer Park
  On entering the Park over 50 peacocks and waterfowl welcome you as you walk towards the Love Bird Aviary and the Golden Wood full of golden Pheasants .
  
• Rodmarton Manor
  Rodmarton Manor, near Cirencester in Gloucestershire, was one of the last country houses to be built in the old traditional style when everything was done by hand with local stone, local timber and local craftsmen.
  
• Snowshill Manor
  Few places are more historic than the lovely Tudor buildings which make up Snowshill manor. Beautifully built in local Cotswold stone, the existing modest house was built between the 15th and 18th Century.
  
• Stanway House and Fountain
  Stanway House, an outstandingly beautiful example of a Jacobean manor house is situated near Winchcombe in the glorious Gloucestershire countryside and is now the setting for a 300ft single jet gravity fountain - the tallest fountain in Britain.
  
• Stanway Water Garden
  One of the finest 18th century water gardens, restored in 1998, Stanway lies beneath the 700 foot high Cotswold escarpment. Its grand formal Canal, with 165 foot high fountain , stands on a great grass terrace overlooking the Jacobean manor house.
  
• Sudeley Castle Gardens & Exhibitions
  Award winning gardens and medieval ruins surround Sudeley Castle, which sits nestled in the Cotswold Hills on the edge of the historic town of Winchcombe.
  
• Westbury Court Garden
  Westbury Court Garden offers a little touch of the Netherlands in the heart of Gloucestershire.
  
• Westonbirt The National Arboretum
  Westonbirt - The National Arboretum, in the South Cotswolds, is one of the most magical and important tree gardens in the world. With over 600 acres of picturesque historic landscape
  
• Woodchester Mansion
  Hidden in a secluded Cotswold valley, untouched by time and the modern world, lies Woodchester Mansion, an unfinished masterpiece of Victorian building.
  

Places to Visit in Gloucestershire

• Arlingham
  Arlingham is a delightful unspoiled village in the Horseshoe Bend of the River Severn. Off juncton 13 of the M5, head for Frampton on Severn then go straight through the vilaage, keep left over the canal for 3 m.
  
• Bibury
  Seven miles north-east of Cirencester, Bibury is on the southern edge of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding National Beauty.
  
• Bishops Cleeve
  The large village of Bishops Cleeve is situated at the bottom of Cleeve Hill, three miles north of Cheltenham in the picturesque Cotswolds.
  
• Bourton-on-the-Hill
  Bourton-on-the-Hill is a charming Cotswold village in a beautiful area of Gloucestershire. From its hillside location it overlooks the larger village of Moreton-in-Marsh on the famous Fosse-Way.
  
• Bourton-on-the-Water
  Bourton-on-the-Water is one of the showpieces of the Cotswolds, its picturesque beauty and charm make it a favourite place for visitors. The sparkling clear water of the River Windrush flows through the main street.
  
• Bristol
  Bristol - the Capital of the West Country - is famous for its tourist attractions, maritime heritage and excellent shopping. It has wonderful architecture, lots of engineering history, a first class university and great night life.
  
• Cheltenham
  Cheltenham is one of Britain's finest Spa towns, set in a sheltered position between the rolling Cotswold Hills and the Severn Vale, it enjoys a mild and pleasant climate. Cheltenham became famous as a Spa in the late 18th century.
  
• Chipping Campden
  The historic town of Chipping Campden in north Gloucestershire is a Mecca for visitors, from home and abroad. Chipping Campden is set on the edge of the Cotswolds.
  
• Cinderford
  The town at the heart of the Forest of Dean. Cinderford grew up at the point where the Littledean to Coleford Road crossed Bideford Brook (known also as Cinderford or Soudley Brook).
  
• Cirencester
  Cirencester is a busy market town, situated in the southern Cotswolds, often referred to as the Capital of the Cotswolds.
  
• Coleford
  The market town of Coleford, known to have been in existence from 1275, has an attractive centre. The Clock Tower is all that remains of the original church built in 1821and demolished in 1882.
  
• Coln Rogers
  This idyllic Gloucestershire village takes its name from the fast flowing River Coln, which flows from the Cotswolds and eventually feeds into the mighty Thames.
  
• Down Ampney
  Down Ampney is the birthplace of composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. In the bell tower of the old church, there is a modest exhibit about his life.
• Gloucester
  Overlooked by the Cotswold Hills, in the lush Severn valley, the city of Gloucester is perfectly located and easily accessible, from all corners of the country. Whatever you're length of stay, you'll find there's so much to see and do.
  
• Little Witcombe
  The small hamlet of Little Witcombe is in Gloucestershire, just off the M5 and within striking distance of Gloucester.
  
• Lydney
  There has been a settlement at Lydney ever since Roman times. It is thought that Lydney Park was a significant Roman settlement with a temple, bath house and guest house dating back to the 4th century.
  
• Mickleton
  The Cotswold village of Mickleton has lots of things to do and see. This article is a great guide to the best local attractions and villages worth visiting.
  
• Moreton-in-Marsh
  Moreton-in-Marsh, the lovely old market town in the north Cotswolds, grew up around the Fosse Way, the old Roman road which runs through the wide main street.
  
• Newent
  Newent is the smallest of the four towns in the Forest of Dean District and lies in the North West corner of the county of Gloucestershire, known for many years as the capital of the Ryelands.
  
• Staple Hill
  Staple Hill is a suburb of Bristol which comes under the administrative control of the South Gloucestershire Local Authority. The strange name 'Staple Hill' may derive from the old English word 'steap' meaning 'steep'
  
• Stow-on-the-Wold
  Stow-on-the-Wold is the highest of the Cotswold towns, situated at the meeting place of eight roads. Stow was the most important market town in the north Cotswolds when the sale of the sheep and wool was at its height.
  
• Stroud
  The Gloucestershire market town of Stroud is ten miles south of Gloucester and is a popular destination for tourists visiting the scenic Cotswolds.
  
• Tewkesbury
  Tewkesbury is a medieval gem famed for its timber framed buildings. An ancient settlement situated at the meeting of the rivers Avon and Severn, a delight for those seeking 'Olde England'
  
• Toddington
  The idyllic Cotswolds village of Toddington in Gloucestershire it is 12 miles north east of Cheltenham.
  
• Upper Slaughter
  The village of Upper Slaughter lies two miles beyond the better-known Lower Slaughter, just off the A429 trunk road between Bourton-on-the-Water and Stow-on-the Wold. This area is, without any doubt, one of the most beautiful in England
  
• Westbury-on-Severn
  Westbury-on-Severn is an attractive rural village situated, as its name suggests, on the River Severn. It is noted for its most unusual parish church which has a separate steeple.