Stroud Valleys Pub Tour

Ampney St. Peter

Traditional pubs in Ampney St. Peter

The Red Lion is a superb 400-year-old country pub caught in a time warp where friendly conversation prevails. Two tiny rooms, only one with a bar in the corner and no bar counter; beer is served over one of the benches. The indentations in the bar shelving shows where a china gin barrel used to sit. The very reasonably priced beer is kept in peak condition. The pub is a real labour of love for the excellent landlord. Two pub signs grace the outside, one in the distinctive oval shape of the now defunct Stroud Brewery. The pub is featured in the CAMRA National Inventory of pub interiors of outstanding heritage interest.

Bibury

Information on Bibury

Bibury is a typical and picturesque Cotswold village.

Bibury is a typical and picturesque Cotswold village. The artist and craftsman William Morris called Bibury "the most beautiful village in the Cotswolds" at the sight of the village's charm. Its honey-coloured 17th-century stone cottages with steep pitched roofs once provided housing for weavers who supplied cloth for fulling at nearby Arlington Mill. The mill now houses a folk and agricultural museum, containing a room dedicated to Morris. The River Coln flows through the village, alongside the main street. Bibury attractions include a trout farm (1902) where some 10 million rainbow trout are spawned yearly.

Traditional pubs in Bibury

The Swan Hotel is a beautiful ivy clad hotel in the centre of the village.

Bisley

Information on Bisley

Bisley is a small village, approximately 4 miles east of Stroud.

One inhabitant of Bisley is Jilly Cooper, one of England’s favourite novelists.

Chedworth

Information on Chedworth

The village of Chedworth lines a street over a mile long, and has many attractive Cotswold stone houses. Chedworth is best known as the location of Chedworth Roman Villa, administered since 1924 by the National Trust. It is a 1700-year-old stately home and was discovered by accident in 1864. It is the remains of one of the largest Roman-British villas in England, featuring several mosaics, two bathhouses, hypocausts (underfloor heating), a water-shrine and a latrine.

Traditional pubs in Chedworth

The Seven Tuns is an attractive 17th century stone built village pub. It is within walking distance of the Roman Villa, and is thus on the path of many walkers and ramblers. There is an old, restored water wheel in the garden, where a stream flows noisily. There is a varying range of Young's beer and other guest beers.

Cirencester

Information on Cirencester

Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in Cotswold District. The town's Corinium Museum is well known for its extensive Roman collection. The Roman name for this place was Corinium, which is thought to have been associated with the ancient British Cornovii tribe. Even in Roman times, there was a thriving wool trade and industry, which contributed to the growth of Corinium. There are many Roman remains in the surrounding area, including several Roman villas near the villages of Chedworth and Withington. Sheep rearing, wool sales, weaving and cloth-making were the main strengths of England's trade in the Middle Ages, and not only the abbey but many of Cirencester's merchants and clothiers gained wealth and prosperity from the national and international trade.

Traditional pubs in Cirencester

The Corinium Hotel is a thriving two-star hotel, which has recently been refurbished, but was originally an Elizabethan wool merchant's house, modernised in Georgian times.

The understated frontage of the hotel leads, via an attractive courtyard, to a small flagstoned bar and smart lounge with a large open fire. The restaurant, converted from the old stables, is bright and strewn with hops, as are the bar and lounge. The three guest beers are mainly from microbreweries which are unusual for this area.

Cranham

Traditional pubs in Cranham

The Black Horse is a 17th-century, stone-built free house almost hidden up a side road in the lower half of Cranham village. Fine ales and hearty country style dishes amid the ambience of lively conversation will remind the visitor of an earlier age. A log fire dominates the main bar; there is a small lounge and two more rooms upstairs for meals. Extensive woods nearby make this area a magnet for walkers.

Duntisbourne Abbots

Traditional pubs in Duntisbourne Abbots

The Five Mile House is a beautifully restored old pub, a roadside inn that has its roots in the 18th century and has changed little over the last 60 years. The tiny bar is virtually unchanged. A small tap room is created by two venerable curving settles around a wood-burning stove, and steps down lead to a snug and then to an old cellar. The garden has a well and the remains of a smithy. The main road has moved a few yards, leaving the old Ermin Street empty if not exactly quiet. The Five Mile House is a CAMRA National Inventory of Heritage pub.

Dursley

Information on Dursley

The town of Dursley sits on the edge of the Cotswold escarpment where it drops off towards the Severn Vale and the River Severn. Dursley's main watercourse is the River Cam, and the town is surrounded by beautiful woodland and countryside. The Cotswold Way long distance trail passes through the town.

Traditional pubs in Dursley

Awarded the title of 2007-8 National Pub of the Year by CAMRA, the Old Spot is an excellent, independent, free house named after the Gloucester Old Spot pig. Four guest ales are available. It was built in 1776 as a farm cottage that became a school and then became a pub late last century, and has now been lovingly refurbished by the owner. The pub has an intimate atmosphere with low ceilings, a bar billiard table, a log fire, and has masses of brewery memorabilia. The Old Spot is a superb watering hole for Cotswold Way walkers. It also has a secluded garden with a boules pitch.

France Lynch

Information on France Lynch

The village name denotes former Huguenot connections. French and Flemish weavers came to this wool-rich area in search of employment when their own native industry foundered.

Traditional pubs in France Lynch

The King’s Head is a friendly single-bar pub in the middle of a compact village of narrow winding streets. The pub has quiz, crib and cricket teams.

Hawkesbury and Hawkesbury Upton

Information on Hawkesbury and Hawkesbury Upton

Hawkesbury is a hamlet and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, near Badminton, famous for its Horse Trials. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 1,235 - most of whom reside in the nearby village of Hawkesbury Upton. The Cotswold Way passes by the two settlements. There is a monument (the 'Somerset Monument') on the Cotswold Edge. The monument was erected in 1846 to commemorate General Lord Edward Somerset. He was a soldier son of the 5th Duke of Beaufort, (whose ancestral home is at Badminton), who had served with distinction at Waterloo.

Traditional pubs in Hawkesbury Upton

The Beaufort Arms is an early 17th Century Grade II listed traditional Cotswold stone free house in a historic village. Popular with locals and passing trade, it has two comfortable bars with low-beamed ceilings, with an interesting collection of pub, brewery and local memorabilia, and period dentist chairs. As well as a real ale from the nearby Wickwar brewery, the Beaufort also serves three guest ales, while Westons traditional cider is also available. Added attractions include a pleasant garden with a six-foot statue of a silver Yale mythical beast, a skittle alley/function room with a well and popular pub games such as cribbage and darts. This friendly welcoming pub has been a local CAMRA award winner on many occasions.

Painswick

Information on Painswick

Painswick is situated on a hill overlooking the Stroud valleys. Its narrow streets and traditional architecture make it the epitome of an English village. Originally, the town grew on the wool trade, but it is now best known for its church's yew trees and the local Rococo Garden. Folklore holds that the churchyard will never have more than 99 yew trees and that, should a 100th grow, the Devil would pull it out. According to the V&A, a count of the trees showed there to be 103. The town is mainly constructed of locally quarried Cotswold stone. There is evidence of settlement in the area as long ago as the Iron Age. The local monastery, Prinknash Abbey, was established as long ago as the 11th century.

Traditional pubs in Painswick

The Falcon Hotel is a pleasant and comfortable inn located at the heart of Painswick. Built in 1554, it served as a courthouse, as well as a licensed house from the 17th century, and the court of the Baron was held here for 200 years.

The Royal Oak is a compact and friendly 16th century town pub that used to have a brewery at the rear. The pub has two comfortable bars, one with a display of vintage vehicles made from matchsticks. There is a pleasant enclosed courtyard with old pub and brewery signs.

Sapperton

Information on Sapperton

Sapperton is most famous for its Sapperton Tunnel, and its connection with the Cotswold Arts and Crafts Movement in the early 20th century. There are many interesting buildings associated with the leading designers of the Arts and Crafts movement in the area. It is listed in the Domesday Book as 'Sapleton'.

Traditional pubs in Sapperton

The Daneway Inn is a superb old inn set in idyllic position near the western end of the now disused Sapperton canal tunnel. It was originally built in 1784 as three cottages for the canal workers near the western end of the now disused Sapperton Tunnel, and later used as lodging for bargees and tunnel leggers until licensed premises gradually took over all the cottages. A magnificent Dutch carved fireplace dominates the comfortable lounge. There is a separate public bar and a family room. There is a large garden and car park on the route of the old canal. The pub is friendly and popular with walkers.

Sheepscombe

Information on Sheepscombe

The first record of the village dates from around 1260, with the original name of Sebbescumbe - the name possibly comes from the names of early local settlers named Ebba or Sebba. 'Combe' means valley. From the early 1600s, Sheepscombe was involved in cloth making like many of the Cotswold towns in the area and its near neighbour Painswick. It enjoyed its industrial heyday during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and the last mill closed in 1839. Many of the houses in the village, at the northern end, date from the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

Traditional pubs in Sheepscombe

The Butcher’s Arms is a cosy, 17th century village pub with a restaurant area, furnished in traditional, country style. Note the interesting carved pub sign, it is said to be one of the most photographed in the country; it is thought butchering went on here when Henry VIII hunted deer in the valley. There are staggering views from the tables on the steep grass behind the pub. It is worth a walk to the bizarre sloping village cricket ground. The batsman cannot see the bowler running in until he is almost at the wicket.

Slad

Information on Slad

Slad is famous for being the home of Laurie Lee, who based his book Cider with Rosie on his own life in the village. The village lies in the rolling hills of the Cotswolds, and is built principally on the B4070 road from Stroud to Birdlip, which is halfway up one side of Slad Valley. The Slad Brook runs along the bottom of the valley.

Traditional pubs in Slad

The Woolpack is a popular, 16th century pub clinging to the side of the Slad valley with superb views. Laurie Lee was a regular. The pub has been thoughtfully restored, including the addition of wooden settles in the end bar. The three bars serve the award-winning Uley beers, with cider and perry also available. Outside, there is a small grassed slope and a raised decked patio area.