Gloucester: Gateway to the Cotswolds
Gloucester not only makes a great city break in itself, it also acts as a good touring base for groups visiting the Cotswolds and the Forest of Dean. Carrie Drage discovers what a visit to this historic city and the surrounding area can bring to your programme of group trips.
Gloucester is the perfect location for a city break and, with its close proximity to the Cotswolds and Forest of Dean, also offers countless opportunities for groups to extend a stay in the area. The city itself is steeped in history; dating back to Roman times when the city was known as ‘Glevum’, remnants of its past can still be seen here. The majestic Norman Cathedral is one of the city’s most redeeming architectural features; however, the Victorian warehouses, located at the historic Gloucester Docks, are also an impressive sight. Fifteen of theoriginal warehouses were restored in the 1980s and are now home to some of the city’s top attractions as well as several bars and restaurants.
The heart of the city
Gloucester provides good facilities for groups arriving by coach. Free coach parking for up to 13 vehicles can be found at the city’s centrally-located Westgate Car Park and all of the area’s attractions offer discounted group rates.
Gloucester Civic Trust runs walking tours that can be pre-booked for groups including Gloucester Experience Tours and Gloucester Docks Tours. As an alternative, GTOs can arrange Gloucester Ghost Walks, which depart from the tourist information centre.
Forming the centrepiece of the city is Gloucester Cathedral, which houses the tombs of King Edward II and Robert of Normandy – eldest son of William the Conqueror – and is renowned for its fan-vaulted cloisters. It is worth booking a guided tour of the cathedral in advance
of your visit as these can be tailor-made to suit the interests of your group. In recent years, the cathedral has made appearances in a string
of Harry Potter films and tours that take in filming locations have become extremely popular with visitors. Alternatively, groups unfamiliar with these films can arrange tours that take in the Crypt and magnificent medieval glass window.
Gloucester is a city that can easily be explored by foot. From the cathedral, a short walk along cobbled streets brings you to the pedestrianised shopping district incorporating Kings Walk Shopping Centre and The Mall Eastgate. Groups should schedule a stop at the House of the Tailor of Gloucester, located in a quaint area known as College Court, where the original building featured in Beatrix Potter’s classic tale stands. Here, you will find a gift shop and museum dedicated to the life and literature of Britain’s much-loved children’s author. The building is also the starting point for the city’s Beatrix Potter Themed Tours.
New for spring 2009, Gloucester will be adding to its existing shopping facilities with the opening of a £400 million waterside retail and leisure development, Gloucester Quays. As well as containing 100 designer outlet stores, the new development will feature waterside bars and restaurants, a maritime museum, marina, antiques centre, cinema and hotels. To mark the opening, a series of special events have been planned including a tall ships festival, firework display, fashion shows and a marching band parade.
The Docks and beyond
An important addition to any group itinerary is Gloucester Docks. The area was rejuvenated in the 1980s and the Victorian warehouses transformed into shops, bars, restaurants and museums. Groups wishing to base their itinerary around a visit to the Docks will be able to take advantage of free coach parking here.
One of the Docks’ biggest attractions is Gloucester Antiques Centre. Here, groups will find more than 140 antiques dealers selling everything from period antiques to modern collectables. The Centre also houses a first floor cafe serving homecooked meals and snacks.
The area is also home to the National Waterways Museum, which re-opened after a six-month redevelopment in May 2008. Two new galleries now form part of the attraction; the ‘Ecology Gallery’ is dedicated to the wildlife and ecology that can be found along the country’s canals, whilst the ‘Move It’ gallery provides an interactive space to explore how canals were built and operated, and how the engineering pioneers overcame technological difficulties to create a national transport network on water.
Groups can combine a visit to the attraction with the nearby Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum by purchasing a Gloucester Docks ‘Passport’ ticket. Here, groups can see displays relating to the Gloucestershire Regiment and the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars. Exhibits show some of the conflicts the soldiers fought in over a 300-year period including the Battle of Alexandria in 1801, Waterloo in 1815, both World Wars and the Battle of the Imjin River in 1951.
Alternatively, a joint ticket that includes admission to the National Waterways Museum and a 45-minute boat trip along the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal can be booked between April and October. Cruises aboard the ‘Queen Boadicea II’ and ‘King Arthur’ depart from outside the museum and feature commentary on the history of the canal.
Longer cruises that last between two and six nights also depart from Gloucester Docks. English Holiday Cruises operates boat trips on the River Severn Navigation on what are described as ‘riverboat hotels’. Cruises stop at various destinations en route allowing free time for groups to discover the area.
Aside from the Docks’ two museums, the city also offers Gloucester Folk Museum and Gloucester City Museum and Art Gallery. The first of these museums is housed in attractive Tudor and Jacobean buildings and explores the history, crafts, trades and industries of the region from 1500 up to the present day. A new extension at the rear houses recreated dairy and ironmonger shops as well as wheelwright and carpenter workshops.
Gloucester City Museum and Art Gallery, meanwhile, counts an Iron Age Birdlip mirror, one of the earliest backgammon sets in the world and paintings by Turner and Gainsborough among its best exhibits.
For the thrill seekers amongst you, Gloucester Ski and Snowboard Centre is a ‘must’. As well as a 220-metre dry ski slope – one of the longest in the country – and a Funpark featuring quarter pipes and jumps, the attraction is becoming increasingly popular for tubing, which involves hurling yourself downhill in a giant rubber ring. Equipment hire is inclusive in the price and ski or snowboard lessons can be purchased separately.
Just north of the city, Nature in Art is considered to be the world’s only museum dedicated to art inspired by nature. Housed in a Georgian mansion, the museum features work by 600 artists from over 50 countries. Spanning a period of 1,500 years, groups will typically see exhibits ranging from oriental treasures and watercolour landscapes to the Flemish masters and contemporary glass. Groups are welcomed with an introductory talk.
Alternatively, groups might like to take in a game of rugby at Kingsholm, home stadium for Gloucester Rugby. Discounted tickets are offered for groups of 10 or more.
A festival city
Gloucester also stages a number of world-class events throughout the year. Group savings can normally be made on tickets for chargeable activities.
Kicking off the festival year is the Gloucester International Cajun and Zydeco Festival in January, which takes place at the Gloucester Guildhall. The event attracts acclaimed Cajun and Zydeco music and dance performers – a fast-paced genre that features plenty of accordion, guitar and fiddle playing – from across the USA, Europe and the UK. Groups can sign up for instrument and dance lessons throughout the event.
In July, the Gloucester Festival launches with a traditional carnival procession and also incorporates a funfair, open air theatre performances and fireworks displays over a two-week period. The event takes place at various venues across the city.
Gloucester’s Heritage Open Days may also be of interest to groups visiting the city. The festival is considered to be the largest of its kind in the south west with free activities taking place in more than 70 different venues in September.
Another event to look out for is the Three Choirs Festival, a classical music event that is shared between the cathedral cities of Hereford, Worcester and Gloucester, which each play host to it once every three years. The latter is set to stage the event once more in August 2010 and is expected to attract large crowds with its choral and orchestral ensembles.
The Cotswolds
The Cotswolds, which lie mainly within Gloucestershire, feature arguably some of the most beautiful landscapes in Britain. Designated an ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’, the region has an identity of its own, with many of the buildings made from local limestone creating a warm honey-coloured appearance. Coach and walking tours of the Cotswolds and surrounding area can be booked through Blue Badge tourist guide Roger Bailey.
Aside from Gloucester, another good touring base for groups wanting to explore the Cotswolds is the spa town of Cheltenham. Here, groups can visit attractions such as the Holst Birthplace Museum featuring displays of the composer’s personal belongings, and Pittville Pump Rooms, a venue renowned for its acoustics that features a programme of orchestral concerts, comedy and live music. Historical costumes are also on display here.
From Cheltenham, there are two well signposted routes through the Cotswolds, collectively known as the Romantic Road. These take you through some of the most beautiful areas of the Cotswolds, taking in sleepy hamlets, bustling market towns and scenic landscapes en route. ‘The Road for Today’ route travels north past picturesque villages such as Winchcombe, Chipping Campden, Moreton-in-Marsh and Stow-on-the-Wold.
Alternatively, ‘A Road for Tomorrow’ travels south through Burford, Lechlade, Cirencester and Painswick, a town affectionately known as the ‘Queen of the Cotswolds’.
The Romatic Road offers plenty of opportunities for coach stops and major attractions can also be found in some of the towns and villages along these routes.
Located along the ‘Road for Today’, Winchcombe is best known for Sudeley Castle, which was originally built as a private home but was seized by the crown in 1461 and remained in the hands of the Kings of England until the death of Henry VIII in 1547. In 1817, a restoration project was begun on the partly ruined castle and its 14 acres of gardens have been frequented by numerous visitors since. Topiary is a dominant feature throughout the ten distinct garden ‘rooms’, which include Queens, Knot, White, Secret and East.
Also along this route, Batsford Arboretum, in Moreton-in-Marsh, was established in the 1880s as a wild garden. It has since grown to incorporate more than 1,600 different species of trees, shrubs and bamboo. A large emphasis is on the Far East with prominent collections including acers, magnolias, pines, Japanese cherries, oaks and the ‘handkerchief tree’, so named after its white leaves, which hang down over the flower heads resembling a folded handkerchief. A combined ticket that includes admission to the neighbouring Cotswold Falconry Centre can be purchased.
Located in the historic wool town, along the ‘Road for Tomorrow’ route, is Painswick Rococo Garden, famous for its winter snowdrop displays. The Garden, created in 1740, is a rare survivor from the rococo period of English garden design and features a formal garden, anniversary maze and a woodland area where wildflowers grow. Groups are offered a free introductory talk on arrival.
Off the Romantic Road, the Cotswolds offers a number of other group-friendly attractions. Situated near Tetbury, Westonbirt Arboretum was begun in 1829 by Robert Holford who was a keen plant collector and travelled the world bringing back new specimens from the places he visited. The arboretum now contains more than 3,000 species of trees and shrubs and offers visitors year-round interest with colourful displays of camellias, magnolias and blubells in spring and rich foliage hues in autumn. Guided tours can be arranged for groups.
Another venue offering guided tours is Berkeley Castle, which was transformed from a Norman fortress into a stately home in 1553. Groups can view the Norman Keep, which contains the dungeon where King Edward II was murdered in 1327 as well as the Great Hall and State Apartments. Surrounding the castle are terraced Elizabethan gardens featuring many rare plant species and there is also a Butterfly House set within a walled kitchen garden.
Nearby Slimbridge Wetland Centre, operated by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), provides a home for hundreds of swans, geese, ducks and flamingoes. Groups can take Landrover safaris of the reserve, observe floodlit swan feeds and take behind-the-scenes tours of the duckery.
The Forest of Dean
To the south-west of Gloucester lies the Forest of Dean, one of England’s few surviving ancient woodlands covering an area of 110 square kilometres. Lying between the rivers Wye and Severn, it offers countless opportunities for activities such as archery, abseiling, walking, quad biking, cycling, mountain biking, canoeing and climbing.
A good way to explore the area and learn more about its industrial past – the area was extensively mined for coal up until the 1960s – is to follow the free Sculpture Trail, laid out near Coleford in the heart of the forest. The four-mile path features 17 artworks set against a backdrop of green, red and gold foliage hues.
In addition to spectacular scenery, the Forest of Dean also provides a number of attractions for visiting groups. At Hopewell Colliery Museum, in Coleford, groups can take a guided tour of a genuine Forest of Dean coal mine. Visitors are equipped with helmets and lamps before being lead into the mine to learn about its history and the conditions in which the miners worked.
Not far from here, groups can visit Clearwell Caves for another lesson on the area’s industrial heritage. The underground tunnels and chambers were created over a period of 3,000 years as the caves began being mined for iron ore. Here, groups can see displays of how primitive miners once worked in the caverns and view vintage engines – used to power early pneumatic drills – in the Engine Room.
In Norchard, near Lydney, the Dean Forest Railway also revisits a bygone age, providing steam train rides along an eight-mile route to Parkend. ‘Scenic Supper Tours’ are run using a heritage diesel railcar on specified dates in July and August, which provide real ale and a fish and chip supper onboard. Alternative dining options can also be provided year-round for groups.
Situated in a converted mill beside an attractive millpond in the Soudley Valley, the Dean Heritage Centre contains five galleries that trace the history of the Forest from the Ice Age to the present day. Guided gallery tours are available for groups for a modest fee.
Lastly, The Three Choirs Vineyard, in Newent, stretches across an area of 100 acres; guided tours take in the vineyard and winery and also include a tasting of three wines produced at the site. A group meal in the restaurant can also form part of your package.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Gloucester Tourist Information Centre
28 Southgate Street
Gloucester GL1 2DP
Telephone: 01452 396572
Email: tourism@gloucester.gov.uk
Web: www.visitgloucester.info