Explore Gloucestershire

Have a flutter at the Cheltenham Gold Cup

One of Gloucestershire's biggest tourist draws is the Cheltenham Gold Cup horse race, which takes place every year in March as part of the Cheltenham Festival. The race is the most prestigious of all the National Hunt events, and is the most valuable non-handicap chase in Britain; in 2010, the Gold Cup offered a total prize fund of £475,000.

But if horse racing isn’t your thing, this pretty town has plenty of other options to keep you amused. You could visit the Pump Rooms, and sample some of the natural spring waters whose reputed health benefits led to Cheltenham’s emergence as a popular spa resort in the 18th century. The town also has a well established culture scene, with popular music and literature festivals. And for the shopaholics amongst you, Cheltenham’s tree-lined Promenade is home to a wide range of fashionable boutiques.

Enjoy a cream tea in a Cotswolds village

The rolling Cotswold hills have been designated an area of outstanding natural beauty. They pull in tourists from around the UK and abroad in search of the authentic ‘quaint’ English countryside. With their honey-coloured limestone, thatched roofs and historic churches, there are lots of beautiful Cotswold towns and villages to explore. Why not feed the ducks at Bourton-on-the-Water. Visit Chipping Camden’s ancient market hall, or have a traditional cream tea at Stow-on-the-Wold, to name but a few possibilities?

Explore the mysterious Forest of Dean

To the west of Gloucestershire lies the Forest of Dean, England’s first National Forest Park and the country’s largest oak forest. There’s loads to explore here, including a sculpture trail, the Clearwell Caves. Or, the mysterious Puzzlewood, with its maze and pre-Roman open cast iron ore mine. But if you like your activities a little more energetic, you could try pony riding, canoeing, or even abseiling, with stunning views out over the majestic Wye Valley.

Visit Gloucester’s historic docks

Gloucester’s location at the mouth of the river Severn made it an obvious natural port, and settlement here dates back as far as Roman times. The city’s docks saw their boom years between the mid-19th and early 20th centuries when they serviced the massive corn trade with Ireland, Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Black Sea. Visit the Waterways Museum to learn about this history of Gloucester’s dockyards, or why not visit Gloucester’s Tall Ships Festival?

Take a ride on a steam train

For the steam train enthusiasts out there, Gloucestershire offers you the chance to take a trip back in time to the glorious days of steam. With its principal station in Toddington in the North Cotswolds, the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Steam Railway is a great way to sit back, relax, and enjoy the county’s rolling landscape. And to the west, passengers on the Dean Forest Railway can soak up the sights and sounds of the magical Forest of Dean.