Winchcombe

Sudeley Castle

Haile's Abbey

Winchcombe is a town in the Cotswolds.

Understand

Get in

By car

From Cheltenham, Winchcombe is a 7 mi (11 km) drive along the B4632.

By bus

Marchant's buses run the W1 and W2 from the Royal Well bus station in Cheltenham to Winchcombe and are reasonably frequent.

W1 and W2 (Marchant's) – Cheltenham → Prestbury → Southam → Bishop's Cleeve → Winchcombe → Prestbury → Cheltenham

By train

The nearest train station is Cheltenham Spa in Cheltenham, which has connections to London Paddington, Birmingham New Street, Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway.

Evesham station in Evesham is also nearby, which has connections to London Paddington, Oxford and Worcester.

Get around

By car

Parking is available around the town and isn't expensive.

• Back Lane car park, Back Ln, GL54 5PZ (next to Winchcombe Library). Charges apply between M-Sa: 8AM-5:30PM and Su: 12:30PM-5:30PM. Only a few minutes' walk from the High Street. All day: £1. (updated Dec 2017)
• Bull Lane car park, Bull Ln, GL54 5HX. Charges apply between 8AM-5:30PM. Also close to the High Street. Up to 1 hour: £1, Up to 3 hours: £2, Over 3 hours: £4.00, motorbikes are free. (updated Dec 2017)

See

• 🌍 Belas Knap, GL54 5AL. A Neolithic barrow dating back to around 3,000 BC, making it one of the oldest structures in the UK. (updated Dec 2017)
• 🌍 Hailes Abbey, Hailes, GL54 5PB, ☎ [phone]. adults £4.40, children £2.60, concessions £4.00.  
• 🌍 St. Peter's Church, Gloucester St, GL54 5LU, ☎ [phone]. (updated Dec 2017)
• 🌍 Stanway House and Gardens, Stanway, GL54 5PQ, ☎ [phone]. Jacobean manor house with gardens and a fantastic fountain, which is the tallest in Britain. (updated Dec 2017)
• 🌍 Sudeley Castle, GL54 5JD, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Historic fortified house/castle with a long and turbulent history. Visitors can visit parts of the castle itself which hosts many exhibits (including a display of all of Henry VIII's wives) or work their way around the extensive grounds surrounding it. Afterwards they can visit the cafe/restaurant or purchase a souvenir from the gift shop. (Admission as of 2019, online booking save 10%) Adult: £16.75, Child (3-15 years): £7.75, Infants (under 3 years old): free, Family: £45.00 (2 Adults & 2 Children aged 3 - 15 years). (updated Oct 2016)
  • A structure was built on what would later be called Sudeley Castle as far back as the Anglo-Saxon Princess Goda (1004-1027).
  • The castle itself and many surrounding buildings such as the chapel was constructed in 1442 by Ralph Boteler, when he acquired the title Baron Sudeley from King Stephen. Unfortunately Boteler had allegiance to the Lancastrians, which meant Sudeley Castle was requisitioned by King Edward IV and given to his brother Richard Plantagenet, Duke of Gloucester and later King Richard III to plan for the Battle of Tewkesbury (which they'd later win). Henry VII, Richard III's successor inherited the property and gave it to his uncle Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford. Then Henry VIII and his then wife Anne Boleyn visited Sudeley Castle in 1535. His 6th and final wife, Catherine Parr died in the castle and was buried in the chapel, which is unusual for any monarch.
  • In more recent times Sudeley Castle was owned by the Dent family, a glove magnate from nearby Worcester whose clientele include the royal family and the actors Daniel Craig and Jack Nicholson. Since 1972 the current owners are Lady Ashcombe (the widow of the late Mark Dent-Brocklehurst) and her family. A 2007 BBC documentary Crisis at the Castle suggested there was a family feud over whether Lady Ashcombe should have moved out to the dowry house on the estate.
• 🌍 Winchecombe Museum (Folk & Police Museum), The Old Town Hall, High St, GL54 5LJ. M - Sa: 10AM-4PM (April-October). (updated Dec 2017)

Do

• 🌍 Hayles Fruit Farm, GL54 5PB, ☎ [phone]. Pick your own fruit in the summer (usually June or July), follow the Nature Trail (from Easter-October), do a spot of fishing or some clay pigeon shooting. (updated Dec 2017)
• 🌍 Gloucestershire Warwickshire Heritage Railway (GSWR), 10 The Chesils, Greet, GL54 5NW, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Heritage Railway (or GSWR) operates out of Winchcombe station in nearby Greet. The line runs through Toddington, Hayles Abbey Halt, Gotherington and the Cheltenham Race Course. (updated Dec 2017)

Walks

Winchcombe is surrounded by beautiful Gloucestershire countryside, with many walking trails passing through it.

• The Cotswold Way. A 102 mi (164 km) trail from Bath to Chipping Campden. (updated Dec 2017)
• The Gloucestershire Way. A 100 mi (160 km) trail passing from Chepstow in Wales to Tewkesbury. (updated Dec 2017)
• The Wychavon Way. (updated Dec 2017)
• St Kenelm's Trail. (updated Dec 2017)
• St Kenelm's Way. (updated Dec 2017)
• The Warden's Way. (updated Dec 2017)
• The Windrush Way. (updated Dec 2017)

Buy

Being a small Cotswold town, Winchcombe's shops are mostly convenience stores such as The Co-operative or independently owned businesses. The nearest large supermarket is the Tesco's in Bishop's Cleeve.

• Farm Shop, Hayles Fruit Farm, GL54 5PB. 9AM-5PM (closed on Mondays from January-March). Sells locally sourced produce including apple juice and cider that is made on-site. (updated Dec 2017)
• 🌍 Winchcombe Pottery, Broadway Rd, Greet, GL54 5NU, ☎ [phone]. M-F: 8AM-5PM, Sa: 10AM-4PM, Su (May-Sept): noon-4PM. One of the oldest craft potteries in the country. (updated Dec 2017)

Eat

Budget

• Orchard Tea Room, Hayles Fruit Farm, GL54 5PB, ☎ [phone]. 9AM-5PM. A small cafe. Booking isn't essential unless you are travelling as a group of 6 or more. (updated Dec 2017)

Splurge

• 🌍 5 North Street, 5 North St, GL54 5LH, ☎ [phone]. Dinner: Tu-Sa: 7PM-9PM, Lunch: W-Su: 12:30PM-1:30PM. 1 Michelin starred restaurant. (updated Dec 2017)
• Wesley House, High St, GL54 5LJ, ☎ [phone]. (updated Dec 2017)

Drink

Winchcombe has a few pubs and inns.

The town has its own brewery, Goffs Brewery; serving brews named after medieval military units such as Goffs Jouster (though this brand seems to have had a lukewarm reception ) due to the town's proximity to Sudeley Castle.

• The Lion Inn, 37 North St, GL54 5PS, ☎ [phone]. Inn with eight bedrooms. (updated Dec 2017)
• 🌍 The Plaisterers Arms, Abbey Terrace, GL54 5LL, ☎ [phone]. noon-11PM. (updated Dec 2017)

Sleep

Winchcombe primarily offers B&Bs and rooms within pubs. However there are also self-catering cottages dotted around the town.

Budget

• Hayles Fruit Farm, GL54 5PB. Hayles Fruit Farm offer a campsite for tents, caravans and motorhomes. There is a showerblock and chemical waste disposal facilities. (updated Dec 2017)

Mid-range

• 🌍 The Lion Inn, 37 North St, GL54 5PS, ☎ [phone]. Inn with eight bedrooms. From £79. (updated Dec 2017)
• 🌍 Wesley House, High St, GL54 5LJ, ☎ [phone]. Su-F: From £75, Sa: From £145. (updated Dec 2017)

Splurge

• Sudeley Castle Cottages. Sudeley Castle rents out 15 cottages in the area. All offer free Wi-Fi and complimentary entry tickets to Sudeley Castle in the price. (updated Dec 2017)
  • 🌍 Sudeley Castle Country Cottage, Castle St, GL54 5JA, ☎ [phone]. A large cottage with accommodation for 6 guests. 2 nights minimum for £550 (flat price, regardless of guest number). (updated Dec 2017)

Connect

Winchcombe has its own community-funded FM radio station. Radio Winchcombe broadcasts at 107.1 MHz and can also be streamed online via services such as TuneIn.

Despite being part of the Tewkesbury district, Winchcombe uses Cheltenham's telephone area code of 01242 (or +44 1242). After the area code, most phone numbers have a prefix of 602.

• Winchcombe Library, Back Lane, GL54 5PZ, ☎ [phone]. M: 10AM-2PM, Tu-W: 10AM-1PM and 2PM-5:30PM, F: 10AM-1PM and 2PM-7PM, Sa: 10AM-1PM, Th and Su: Closed. Public library with free Wi-Fi and access to computers. (updated Dec 2017)

Go next

North

• Broadway – 9 mi (14 km) – another Cotswold town, known for it's tall tower and the nearby Snowshill Manor
• Evesham – 11 mi (18 km) – town

East

• Burford – 20 mi (32 km) – another Cotswold town, known for its garden centre and antique shops
• Stow-on-the-Wold – 20 mi (32 km) – another Cotswold town, known for its antique shops and market
• Oxford – 40 mi (64 km) – city, known for its university and museums

West

• Tewkesbury – 11 mi (18 km) – town, known for its abbey and its eponymous battle in 1471

South

• Cheltenham – 8 mi (13 km) – spa town, known for its racecourse (particularly the gold cup) and its festivals
• Cirencester – 21 mi (34 km) – town, known for its Roman heritage