You’d be hard pressed to find someone in London who hasn’t binged The Gentleman by now. Remember the handsome pile owned by the Horniman family and the sprawling estate, on which the Glass clan’s were running their clandestine activities, and where Geoff Secombe (Vinnie Jones) turned a blind eye in his keeper’s cottage? That’s Badminton House, owned by the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort. Their daughter, Lady Bella Somerset grew up in this beautiful part of Gloucestershire and the house’s ornate rooms and rolling parklane, which she now uses as part of her Somercecil wellness retreats (when she’s not leading groups on mindfulness treks through the Himalayas).
We caught up with Bella for her Gloucestershire gems, many of which are owned by friends and underpinned by inspiring family stories. None are quite as gripping as the Hornimans’, but anything can happen in Gloucestershire. And beyond these, we curate our own favourite spots, from soft, watercolour Cotswold villages to Carol Bamford’s organic, cosseted-cattle empire. Soak in our guide to Gloucestershire.
Lady Bella Somerset’s favourite Gloucestershire spots
Forbidden Fruit and Veg
“My Mum, Tracy Worcester, runs organic garden venture Forbidden Fruit and Veg. It offers veg boxes for locals, and they sell produce at local farmers markets and from the wall outside her house. We use this produce on our retreats and the yoga retreat venue is my Mum’s home. It would be ideal if renting somewhere in Gloucestershire for a week, with nutritionally dense, chemical free veg to feed a large group.
Days Mill treatment rooms, Nailsworth
“This is my go-to massage place, where my great friend Tiger is a therapist, who we use her on our retreats. She’s also an excellent yoga teacher and offers morning Dundalini yoga on Wednesdays at Stroud Yoga Space from 11.15-12.15am.”
daysmilltreatmentrooms.simplybook.it
Electric Picture House, Wotton-Under-Edge
Wotton-Under-Edge has a cute, locally-run cinema which feels super authentic and great for a rainy day.
The Holford Arms
“This is a local pub, hotel and camping venue that we love and is run by friends of ours. The food is unbelievably good. It’s the perfect place to go after local events or just for a long weekend or eating, walking and cosying up by the fire.”
Our guide…
Pubs
The Fox at Oddington
Lady Carole Bamford’s signature earthy polish appears to have been the design brief for this old boozer’s head-to-toe renovation (including rooms to hunker down in for a country weekend). As part of Daylesford’s Gloucestershire Empire, the pub’s food is unsurprisingly farm-to-fork and wildly delicious — from violet artichokes with burrata to wood-fired turbot with seaweed butter — it’s a far cry from your classic pub grub. The interiors also feel more elevated farmhouse than drinking hole, with much of the furniture crafted by county artisans, and the landscaped gardens are a heavenly spot for pizza and rosé in summer.
Doubles from £225, Bed and Breakfast. thefoxatoddington.com
The Bell at Sapperton
This creeper-smothered Cotswolds pub may offer up a gastro menu, but its wonky interiors, mullioned windows and gnarled beams proudly flaunt its vintage and old drinking hole spirit (it doesn’t feel too spruced). Whether curling up in a chair by the roaring fires at winter or spilling into its soft, sun-dappled gardens in summer clutching local ciders, an afternoon here perfectly captures all that is good about the countryside of Old England.
The Slaughters Country Inn, Burford
Anchored into one of the Cotswolds’ prettiest villages, Burford, The Slaughters Inn has a lot of stories to tell. The pub serves up a phenomenal Sunday roast, as well as elevated comfort food (your posh fish and chips and local farmer sausages and mash). Summers roll onto the springy lawns wrapping the pub, where children play and Pimms-flavour English afternoons play out.
Hotels
Thyme, Southrop
Occupying a misty, monumentally pretty corner of Gloucestershire, Thyme hits like a fairytale family home rather than a hotel. In fact, its cluster of renovated barns, historic farm and manor houses are owned and run by a family, and their creative presence is keenly felt throughout, from the kitchens to the botanical print illustrations lining the walls of the newly renovated farmhouse. Everything riffs on the gardens, from the oils and herbs used in the Meadow Spa to the radically seasonal menus in the Ox Barn, even the heated spring water pool has the earthy allure of a freshwater lake. Rooms differ in size and style, though the common thread seems to be pastoral views through mullioned windows, deep, claw-footed baths and a fresh spin on classicism. An aside: the home-baked cookies are divine.
Cowley Manor Experimental
Since Experimental Group got their hip hands on Italianate Cowley Manor, things have gone from jarringly contemporary to contemporary cool. Interiors riff on Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland (allegedly inspired by Cowley Manor’s 50 acre grounds), from the subtle spade patterns on the corridor carpets to the monochrome touches along the fireplaces. It’s a curiouser and curiouser sort of place, mainly with all the lacquer, DJ sets and low-slung furniture spinning London escapees right back to the city – which is precisely the flavour of ‘country weekend’ many of them had in mind.
Lucknam Park
Unapologetically traditional, to the extent where you half expect a pearl and twin-set aunt to greet you as you pull up at the crunchy gravel drive, Lucknam Park Palladian’s symmetry is irresistible. As is its chintzy, thick-curtained interiors – a refreshing break from the ubiquitous earthy-luxe/fancy farmhouse design. No here, it’s all about afternoon teas beneath ancestral paintings, a spot of pre-dinner, fireside backgammon and long, long afternoons showing toxins the door in the state-of-the-art spa. Attached to the spa is the recently opened light-filled, Walled Garden Restaurant, where more a contemporary scene unfolds and guests, glowing from facials tuck into seafood starters and hearty salads.
Rates start from £295 per night for a Classic Room, excluding breakfast. lucknampark.co.uk
Calcot & Spa
Calcot & Spa is the classical, bucolic country house, with a wisteria-browed, honey-hued facade that’s more welcoming than imposing, particularly to sprogs, who have dedicated breakfast stations and a legendary crèche and Playbarn that buys parents spa time. And it’s worth it, particularly for a pre-treatment soak in the courtyard’s hot-tub, alongside an outdoor fireplace and, typically, Champagne flutes. Families will love the Tim Tam Trails through wildflower meadows, with fireside hot chocolates to look forward to on their return, and while children snooze under a babysitter’s watchful eye, parents can tuck into the Brasserie menu, and a cocktail on the terrace.
Restaurants
Many of Gloucestershire’s best restaurants double up as great pubs.
The Wild Rabbit, Kingham
Another Daylesford Cotswold creation, The Wild Rabbit embodies all that is honest, good and gourmet, with an abundance of linens (not wildly dissimilar to fancy potato sacks), melancholic walls perked up with a smattering of cool art and food bursting with just-plucked flavour. Chef Sam Browser has worked his free-range, oak-smoked magic on the classic pub crowd pleasers, working with the very best Daylesford farm bounty on an ever-changing, comfortingly compact menu.
One week you could be devouring a cod with chowder, mussels and sea vegetables, the next, Daylesford chicken with perfectly plump white asparagus and leek. The puddings (such as market garden rhubarb and treacle tart) are worth sticking around for, as are the artisanally-spun rooms with tubs to soak in. Top tip: foodies should have a look at The Wild Rabbit’s supper club dates.
YOKU, Cheltenham
If you need a break from Gloucestershire’s gastro pub grub, Cheltenham’s No.131 boutique hotel serves up spanking fresh sushi platters and elevated Asian classics such as miso black cod and wagyu beef with truffles. There’s even a vegan tasting menu featuring Japche noodles and vegetable gyozas. Its cocktail bar feels a little cosmopolitan for these stretches (not perhaps when you consider the ever-expanding glossy Cotswolds scene), with its Tokyo inspired interiors and ‘smart chic, dress to impress’ dress code.
The Stump, near Cirencester
As the story seems to always go with many zhuzhed up Cotswold pubs, the Stump near Cirencester is the stellar work of two friends who moved their culinary cool here from London. It shows, with a more polished take on pub-shenanigans rolling out beneath this old coaching house’s wonky beams and country sports pictures, but the pizza at this unpretentious joint just 6 miles from Cirencester is seriously good. As is the elevated menu – more tapas than classic pub grub – and the affordable rooms upstairs, worth staying and leaning into the wine menu for.
What to do
Villages
A Gloucestershire weekend is simply not complete without at least an afternoon of village hopping – that is, driving in from whatever country manor hotel you’ve dropped your bags at and cooing at the postcard-pretty thatched-wisteria-strewn-honeyed villages dotting the county.
The prettiest, naturally, are found in the Cotswolds. These pocket-sized time-warps of Ye Old England beckon in cold ramblers with roaring pub fires in winter, and in summer, skip to the soundtrack of trickling streams and chirping birds. In many of these, you’ll find independent galleries, artisanal boutiques and antique shops – and while some are now polished beyond recognition by a well-heeled Notting Hill contingent, a far few still resemble something close to a traditional rural village. There’s Stow-on-the-Wold, a market town whose square is lined with antiques and interiors shops, and hosts a monthly farmers market; Tetbury – another antiques spot; Boutron-on-the-Water for its low bridges crisscrossing the River Windrush and tea rooms; The Slaughters for their honeyed historic buildings and atmospheric pubs; and Bibury for its photogenic cottages.
Cheltenham Racecourse
If you’re visiting in April prepare for hats adorned with pheasant feathers, tailored coats and insider tips to descend upon Cheltenham Racecourse for the pinnacle event of the jump racing calendar. The racecourse hosts various equestrian events as well as festivals and shows throughout the year.
Woodchester Valley Vineyard, near Stroud
Rather than slepping to Bordeaux or Champagne, why not pootle across to the Stroud valleys to weave through sun-dappled vineyards and sample the wines here. This family-owned boutique vineyard (Woodchester is one of three sites), opens for public tours from Tuesday to Saturday, with either classic or sparkling tutored tastings. A cluster of renovated barns with log burners that peer across the vineyards allow you to really lean into the tastings.
woodchestervalleyvineyard.co.uk
Daylesford
Yes, it’s not your authentic rural farmshop, nor is it really rural (in any sense), but a Saturday spent unwinding in Daylesford’s spa or learning sauce hacks at its cookery school is always one well spent. Whether it’s nose-to-tail butchery or landscape painting, the day (or a few hour) courses here are expert led and leverage the beauty and the bounty of the surrounding countryside.
