Helen’s guidebook - Wining, dining & places to visit

Helen
Helen’s guidebook - Wining, dining & places to visit

Village Gastropubs

A few of our favourite places. Booking usually necessary.
10-15 minutes by car. Quintessential Cotswold country pub serving delicious fresh local produce. Highly rated, booking essential.
67 locals recommend
The Bell at Sapperton
67 locals recommend
10-15 minutes by car. Quintessential Cotswold country pub serving delicious fresh local produce. Highly rated, booking essential.
about 10 minutes by car. Busy modern country dining with cask ales and good wine list.
58 locals recommend
The Falcon Inn
London Road
58 locals recommend
about 10 minutes by car. Busy modern country dining with cask ales and good wine list.
20 minutes by car. Seasonal British cooking in this stylish 17th Century coaching inn.
57 locals recommend
The Wheatsheaf Inn
West End
57 locals recommend
20 minutes by car. Seasonal British cooking in this stylish 17th Century coaching inn.
25 minutes away by car. Perfect for a special occasion. Modern British cooking and excellent Sunday lunch.
23 locals recommend
The Swan At Southrop
23 locals recommend
25 minutes away by car. Perfect for a special occasion. Modern British cooking and excellent Sunday lunch.
40 minute drive. ‘Britain’s Poshest Pub’, and close to its sister operation, the famous Daylesford Organic Farm Shop.
127 locals recommend
The Wild Rabbit
127 locals recommend
40 minute drive. ‘Britain’s Poshest Pub’, and close to its sister operation, the famous Daylesford Organic Farm Shop.
One of the closest on our list, at South Cerney, 5 minutes drive. Delicious freshly prepared local produce in a relaxed atmosphere.
22 locals recommend
Royal Oak
High Street
22 locals recommend
One of the closest on our list, at South Cerney, 5 minutes drive. Delicious freshly prepared local produce in a relaxed atmosphere.
7 mins by car. Recently refurbished, this 16thc inn has been transformed into a boutique hotel with fine modern dining.
14 locals recommend
The Crown Of Crucis
14 locals recommend
7 mins by car. Recently refurbished, this 16thc inn has been transformed into a boutique hotel with fine modern dining.
Now renamed The Boot. 15 minutes by car. Showcasing local and seasonal produce.
55 locals recommend
The Village Pub
55 locals recommend
Now renamed The Boot. 15 minutes by car. Showcasing local and seasonal produce.
Four mins by car, the closest on our list. Recently refurbished pub in the heart of neighbouring South Cerney. Good food and ales.
15 locals recommend
Eliot Arms
15 locals recommend
Four mins by car, the closest on our list. Recently refurbished pub in the heart of neighbouring South Cerney. Good food and ales.

Restaurants

A few favourites. Booking usually necessary.
Modern Spanish/European tapas.
9 locals recommend
Tierra and Mar
29 Sheep St
9 locals recommend
Modern Spanish/European tapas.
The best Indian restaurant in town in our view. Ignore the unprepossessing entrance and enjoy. Take-away available.
Sultan
23 Dyer St
The best Indian restaurant in town in our view. Ignore the unprepossessing entrance and enjoy. Take-away available.
Good food, smart decor.
13 locals recommend
Indian Rasoi
14 Dollar St
13 locals recommend
Good food, smart decor.
Good authentic food and splendid decor. Take away available.
40 locals recommend
Thai Emerald
36 Castle St
40 locals recommend
Good authentic food and splendid decor. Take away available.
Traditional French from this reliable chain.
25 locals recommend
Côte Brasserie - Cirencester
4 Black Jack St
25 locals recommend
Traditional French from this reliable chain.
Take away only.
15 locals recommend
South Cerney Fish and Chips
15 locals recommend
Take away only.
Very good classic food with a modern twist. Relaxed and sophisticated dining with lovely enclosed garden in Tetbury.
The Close Restaurant
Long Street
Very good classic food with a modern twist. Relaxed and sophisticated dining with lovely enclosed garden in Tetbury.
Upscale hotel & spa with restaurant featuring dishes from the garden and locally sourced ingredients. 15 mins by car.
28 locals recommend
Barnsley House
28 locals recommend
Upscale hotel & spa with restaurant featuring dishes from the garden and locally sourced ingredients. 15 mins by car.
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, try the dishes cooked in the wood-fired oven at this well-rated Cirencester wine-bar/restaurant.
Sam & Jak
2 Cricklade Street
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, try the dishes cooked in the wood-fired oven at this well-rated Cirencester wine-bar/restaurant.
Also named MBB. Chic seasonal, local and fresh dishes in this buzzy restaurant inside the Corn Exchange in the centre of Cirencester.
53 locals recommend
MADE BY BOB
53 locals recommend
Also named MBB. Chic seasonal, local and fresh dishes in this buzzy restaurant inside the Corn Exchange in the centre of Cirencester.
Tasty tapas and a great selection of wines in this atmospheric Tetbury bar.
Lola & Co Tapas
20A Long Street
Tasty tapas and a great selection of wines in this atmospheric Tetbury bar.

Breakfast & lunch

Modern dishes for snacks or something more substantial. Fabulous cakes.
24 locals recommend
Jacks
44 Black Jack St
24 locals recommend
Modern dishes for snacks or something more substantial. Fabulous cakes.
Great homemade soups and salads
Cafe Mosaic
Dyer Street
Great homemade soups and salads
Cosy little Cirencester pit-stop with a pretty courtyard.
Heather's
12 Black Jack St
Cosy little Cirencester pit-stop with a pretty courtyard.
Tucked away in the heart of the countryside near Poulton, popular with walkers and cyclists enjoying superb homemade treats.
11 locals recommend
The Gilbertine Kitchen
Unit 15 Priory Court
11 locals recommend
Tucked away in the heart of the countryside near Poulton, popular with walkers and cyclists enjoying superb homemade treats.

Places to visit... in no particular order.

Known as the Capital of the Cotswolds, Cirencester is a bustling market town with a myriad of independent shops and boutiques and plenty of places to eat, drink and relax. Explore the lanes and yards off Black Jack Street and the Corn Hall. There are Farmers’ Markets on the 2nd and 4th Saturday morning of each month. Cirencester’s Monday and Friday Charter Market is one of the oldest in Britain - it was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086! The Corn Hall has an Antiques or Craft Market most Fridays and Saturdays. The honey-coloured Church of St John the Baptist in the centre of town is the largest parish church in the country and one of the finest ‘wool’ churches, dating from the 12th century. Renowned for its perpendicular porch, fan vaults and tombs of some of the wool merchants who funded it. In Roman times Cirencester, then called Corinium Dobunnorum, was a major settlement second only to London. Relics from that time are still dug up on a regular basis - check out the beautiful mosaics displayed at the town’s Corinium Museum on Park Street.
373 locals recommend
Cirencester
373 locals recommend
Known as the Capital of the Cotswolds, Cirencester is a bustling market town with a myriad of independent shops and boutiques and plenty of places to eat, drink and relax. Explore the lanes and yards off Black Jack Street and the Corn Hall. There are Farmers’ Markets on the 2nd and 4th Saturday morning of each month. Cirencester’s Monday and Friday Charter Market is one of the oldest in Britain - it was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086! The Corn Hall has an Antiques or Craft Market most Fridays and Saturdays. The honey-coloured Church of St John the Baptist in the centre of town is the largest parish church in the country and one of the finest ‘wool’ churches, dating from the 12th century. Renowned for its perpendicular porch, fan vaults and tombs of some of the wool merchants who funded it. In Roman times Cirencester, then called Corinium Dobunnorum, was a major settlement second only to London. Relics from that time are still dug up on a regular basis - check out the beautiful mosaics displayed at the town’s Corinium Museum on Park Street.
HM King Charles’ organic garden. Booking essential, guided tours only. Excellent tea room & lunches.
55 locals recommend
Highgrove Gardens
55 locals recommend
HM King Charles’ organic garden. Booking essential, guided tours only. Excellent tea room & lunches.
Beautiful mosaics and other artefacts in the remains of an impressive Roman villa, nestled in tranquil countryside.
105 locals recommend
Chedworth Roman Villa
105 locals recommend
Beautiful mosaics and other artefacts in the remains of an impressive Roman villa, nestled in tranquil countryside.
Independent historic family brewery, open for tours and still making and delivering ales in the traditional way.
51 locals recommend
Hook Norton Brewery
Brewery Lane
51 locals recommend
Independent historic family brewery, open for tours and still making and delivering ales in the traditional way.
A gorgeous sight and scent in the height of summer, with a tearoom and shop selling all things lavender.
82 locals recommend
Cotswold Lavender
82 locals recommend
A gorgeous sight and scent in the height of summer, with a tearoom and shop selling all things lavender.
Watch a few chukkas, sip some Pimms, lounge on a picnic rug. What finer way to spend a sunny Sunday? You might even spot one or two royals!
23 locals recommend
Cirencester Park Polo Club
23 locals recommend
Watch a few chukkas, sip some Pimms, lounge on a picnic rug. What finer way to spend a sunny Sunday? You might even spot one or two royals!
Over 40 square miles, with more than 150 lakes. Great outdoor activities, hiking and cycling tracks, nature reserve, picnic sites and restaurants.
88 locals recommend
Cotswold Country Park & Beach
Spratsgate Lane
88 locals recommend
Over 40 square miles, with more than 150 lakes. Great outdoor activities, hiking and cycling tracks, nature reserve, picnic sites and restaurants.
Browse over 160 fashion and luxury brands at bargain prices at this famous outlet shopping destination
413 locals recommend
Bicester Village
413 locals recommend
Browse over 160 fashion and luxury brands at bargain prices at this famous outlet shopping destination
Cotswold manor house packed with extraordinary treasures gathered over a life time by inveterate collector Charles Wade.
119 locals recommend
National Trust Snowshill Manor and Garden
119 locals recommend
Cotswold manor house packed with extraordinary treasures gathered over a life time by inveterate collector Charles Wade.
Walk in the footsteps of kings and queens in this beautiful castle. It has played an important role in England's history over the last 1,000 years, yet is still a family home, with romantic ruins and award-winning gardens.
248 locals recommend
Sudeley Castle
248 locals recommend
Walk in the footsteps of kings and queens in this beautiful castle. It has played an important role in England's history over the last 1,000 years, yet is still a family home, with romantic ruins and award-winning gardens.
Sitting above the picturesque village of Broadway, the tower offers breathtaking views across up to 16 counties (on a fine day!). There's also a tea-room for a well-deserved reward if you walk up from the village.
220 locals recommend
Walk to Broadway Tower
Middle Hill
220 locals recommend
Sitting above the picturesque village of Broadway, the tower offers breathtaking views across up to 16 counties (on a fine day!). There's also a tea-room for a well-deserved reward if you walk up from the village.
To William Morris, father of the Arts and Crafts movement, Kelmscott was "heaven on earth." He lived here with his wife and family, and his friend, artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The home is furnished with items made by them and other luminaries of the Arts and Crafts movement.
45 locals recommend
Kelmscott Manor
45 locals recommend
To William Morris, father of the Arts and Crafts movement, Kelmscott was "heaven on earth." He lived here with his wife and family, and his friend, artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The home is furnished with items made by them and other luminaries of the Arts and Crafts movement.
One of the best known and most influential Arts and Crafts gardens in the UK, famed for its outstanding herbaceous borders and its series of 'garden rooms', each with its own character.
159 locals recommend
National Trust - Hidcote
159 locals recommend
One of the best known and most influential Arts and Crafts gardens in the UK, famed for its outstanding herbaceous borders and its series of 'garden rooms', each with its own character.
A must for Downton Abbey fans, the real-life stately home where it all happened. Around a 45-minute drive from Mill Loft, in the lovely North Wessex Downs.
156 locals recommend
Highclere Castle
156 locals recommend
A must for Downton Abbey fans, the real-life stately home where it all happened. Around a 45-minute drive from Mill Loft, in the lovely North Wessex Downs.
Tours and tastings by appointment at this award winning vineyard 10 minutes away.
8 locals recommend
Poulton Hill Vineyard
8 locals recommend
Tours and tastings by appointment at this award winning vineyard 10 minutes away.
The national arboretum of the Forestry Commission with walks through 15,000 specimens from all over the world. Awesome treetop walkway, activities and restaurant.
340 locals recommend
Westonbirt, The National Arboretum
340 locals recommend
The national arboretum of the Forestry Commission with walks through 15,000 specimens from all over the world. Awesome treetop walkway, activities and restaurant.
Extravagant architecture and extensive parkland, steeped in history. It is one of England's largest houses and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.
657 locals recommend
Blenheim Palace
657 locals recommend
Extravagant architecture and extensive parkland, steeped in history. It is one of England's largest houses and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.
Superb Arts and Crafts house and garden designed by one of the leading lights of the movement in the Cotswolds.
8 locals recommend
Rodmarton Manor
Oathill Lane
8 locals recommend
Superb Arts and Crafts house and garden designed by one of the leading lights of the movement in the Cotswolds.
Bibury - One of the most popular stops on the Cotswold tour and home to the much photographed former weavers' cottages.
Arlington Row
Awkward Hill
Bibury - One of the most popular stops on the Cotswold tour and home to the much photographed former weavers' cottages.
Here you will find Stroud's multi-award winning Farmers Market with celebrity spotting thrown in. Every Saturday morning at Cornhill Market Place and surrounding streets.
Cornhill, Stroud GL5, UK
Here you will find Stroud's multi-award winning Farmers Market with celebrity spotting thrown in. Every Saturday morning at Cornhill Market Place and surrounding streets.

City/town information

The Roman city of Bath - Famed for its beautiful Regency terraces and thermal baths, a magnet for tourists, plus scores of good restaurants, bars and shops, especially in the upper end of the city.
544 locals recommend
The Roman Baths
Abbey Churchyard
544 locals recommend
The Roman city of Bath - Famed for its beautiful Regency terraces and thermal baths, a magnet for tourists, plus scores of good restaurants, bars and shops, especially in the upper end of the city.
Picture perfect Cotswold Village, used as a location in many films, most recently Warhorse. Well worth a detour on the way to Bath. Parking is at the top of the hill.
Castle Combe
Picture perfect Cotswold Village, used as a location in many films, most recently Warhorse. Well worth a detour on the way to Bath. Parking is at the top of the hill.

Neighbourhoods

Burford, Stow-on-the-Wold and the Slaughters - chocolate box Cotswold villages and tourist hotspots.
181 locals recommend
Cotswolds
181 locals recommend
Burford, Stow-on-the-Wold and the Slaughters - chocolate box Cotswold villages and tourist hotspots.