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Things to do in Cirencester and the Coln Valley

12 places · every place verified by us

Roman Cirencester, the trout farm at Bibury, William Morris's house by the Thames and the Cotswold Lakes make this the region for history in the morning and water in the afternoon. Several of the best places are seasonal, so check the days before you set out.

A Roman mosaic floor and painted wall plaster displayed in a museum gallery
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12 places

12 places

  1. Stone farm buildings and trees reflected in a still trout pond at Bibury

    Bibury Trout Farm

    Family days out · Bibury

    A working trout farm on the River Coln at Bibury, founded in 1902, with a café, a shop, catch-your-own fishing and its own pay car park.

    Family-friendly · Dog-friendly

    Verified Oct 2026

  2. A grand pale stone country house at the end of a drive between lawns

    Buscot Park

    Historic houses and heritage · Lechlade-on-Thames

    A late eighteenth-century house near Lechlade, run by Lord Faringdon for the National Trust, with Burne-Jones's Briar Rose paintings, the Faringdon Collection and Harold Peto's water garden, open on spring and summer afternoons.

    Verified Oct 2026

  3. A grass path between deep flower borders and roses leading to a statue

    Cerney House Gardens

    Parks and gardens · Cirencester

    A family garden at North Cerney, near Cirencester: a Victorian walled garden with borders and an organic kitchen garden, 40 acres of woodland walks and a self-service tea room, open almost every day of the year.

    Dog-friendly

    Verified Nov 2026

  4. Grassed earth banks of the Roman amphitheatre with a path and trees

    Cirencester Roman Amphitheatre

    Historic houses and heritage · Cirencester

    The grassy banks of a Roman amphitheatre built early in the second century to hold about 8,000 people, free to visit in daylight on the edge of Cirencester.

    Dog-friendly · Car-free

    Verified Oct 2026

  5. A rowing eight on the still water of Cleveland Lakes, with reeds and trees along the far bank

    Cleveland Lakes, Cotswold Lakes Trust

    Sport and activity · Cirencester

    The Cotswold Lakes Trust's reserve near Ashton Keynes: 330 acres with bird hides on Wickwater Lake and open-water swimming and paddleboarding on Waterhay Lake.

    Verified Oct 2026

  6. Carpets of snowdrops and crocuses under bare trees in a woodland garden

    Colesbourne Park

    Parks and gardens · Withington

    The Elwes family's snowdrop garden on the A435 between Cheltenham and Cirencester, with over 300 varieties round the house and lake, open on eight weekend days in late January and February by advance ticket only.

    Dog-friendly

    Verified Oct 2026

  7. A Roman mosaic floor and painted wall plaster displayed in a museum gallery

    Corinium Museum

    Museums and galleries · Cirencester

    Cirencester's museum of Roman Corinium, with the Hare, Four Seasons and Orpheus mosaics, Anglo-Saxon grave goods and medieval sculpture.

    Family-friendly · Rainy days · Car-free

    Verified Oct 2026

  8. A Thames Path fingerpost by the river with moored boats and a stone house beyond

    Cotswold Boat Hire, Buscot Lock

    Parks and gardens · Lechlade-on-Thames

    Self-drive boat hire on the upper Thames from Buscot Lock near Lechlade: small electric boats by the hour and cruisers by the half day or day, April to October.

    Dog-friendly · Family-friendly

    Verified Nov 2026

  9. The gabled stone front of Kelmscott Manor beyond its garden path and lawn

    Kelmscott Manor

    Historic houses and heritage · Lechlade-on-Thames

    William Morris's country home by the upper Thames near Lechlade, which he rented from 1871 until 1896, with its rooms, gardens and his grave nearby.

    Walker-friendly · Family-friendly

    Verified Oct 2026

  10. A bright white gallery room with a screen and visitors looking at work

    New Brewery Arts

    Museums and galleries · Cirencester

    A craft centre in Cirencester's old brewery buildings, with free exhibitions of contemporary craft, a shop of British makers' work, makers' studios, the Blend café and over 100 weekly courses and workshops.

    Rainy days · Dog-friendly · Car-free

    Verified Oct 2026

  11. A marquee and tables beside rows of vines in evening sun

    Poulton Hill Estate

    Tours and experiences · Ampney Crucis

    A small family vineyard at Poulton, between Cirencester and Fairford, planted in 2010, with summer vineyard tours, winter tastings and a cellar door shop.

    Verified Nov 2026

  12. Kayakers paddling on a lake towards a low evening sun

    ROX, South Cerney Outdoor

    Sport and activity · Cirencester

    The Real Outdoor Xperience, formerly South Cerney Outdoor: a 47-acre lake in the Cotswold Lakes with paddleboarding, kayaking, sailing, open-water swimming and high ropes.

    Family-friendly

    Verified Nov 2026

Roman Cirencester

Start in Cirencester, the Roman town of Corinium, at the heart of the Coln Valley region. The Corinium Museum shows Roman mosaics from a town and district where more than 90 are known, with Anglo-Saxon grave goods and medieval sculpture. Allow at least an hour. Then walk out to the Roman amphitheatre, grassy banks that held about 8,000 people, free in daylight, with a free car park at the end of Cotswold Avenue. New Brewery Arts, in the old Cirencester Brewery buildings on Brewery Court, has free exhibitions of contemporary craft and makers' studios, Monday to Saturday, and suits a wet day.

Bibury, the river and the Thames

Bibury Trout Farm, working on the River Coln since 1902, has a café and shop that need no ticket and catch-your-own fishing at weekends and in school holidays. Its pay car park is one of the few places to leave a car in the village.

Down the valley by Lechlade, Kelmscott Manor was William Morris's country home, rented from 1871 until 1896. It opens Thursday to Saturday from April to October, and it lies about 3 miles from Lechlade, a distance some visitors walk along the Thames Path. Buscot Park, nearby, has Burne-Jones's Briar Rose paintings and a water garden, on spring and summer afternoons. Both are closed for the winter.

For lunch in Bibury, Eleven Bibury faces Arlington Row and opens every day from 9am to 5pm.

Gardens and the lakes

North of Cirencester, Cerney House Gardens has a Victorian walled garden and woodland walks, open nearly every day of the year, with children in for £1 (2026). Colesbourne Park opens for its snowdrops on just eight weekend days in January and February.

South of the town lie the Cotswold Lakes. At ROX at South Cerney, an hour's pay and play on the water with an instructor costs from £18 (2026), for children from 8. Cleveland Lakes, run by the Cotswold Lakes Trust, has booked open-water swims and paddleboarding, and a long circular path round the lakes that takes in its bird hides.

Between Cirencester and Fairford, Poulton Hill Estate, a small family-run vineyard, runs vineyard tours in summer and tastings in winter, with a cellar door shop.

Prices, parking and dogs

The amphitheatre is free and the Corinium Museum costs £8.70 for an adult. Kelmscott is £15.50 and the trout farm £9.50 (2026). In Cirencester, the council's pay car parks, such as Old Station, charge every day, Sundays included. Kelmscott's free car park is by the church, 10 to 12 minutes' walk from the manor. Dogs on leads are welcome at the amphitheatre, the trout farm and Cerney House, but not at Buscot beyond its paddock car park. Kemble station, on the line from London Paddington, is the way in without a car. For the town alone, see things to do in Cirencester, and for lunch, places to eat in the Coln Valley.

A short walk from Kemble station, the Tavern Inn opens from Wednesday to Sunday, serving food from noon to 3pm and 5pm to 8.30pm Wednesday to Saturday and Sunday roasts from noon to 4pm. Through the year, Cirencester Farmers' Market fills the Market Place on the second and fourth Saturdays, the Cotswold Show comes to Cirencester Park on the first weekend of July, and the Royal International Air Tattoo fills RAF Fairford in July.

Stone farm buildings and trees reflected in a still trout pond at Bibury
Bibury Trout Farm

Our picks in the Coln Valley

The Corinium Museum and the amphitheatre for Roman Cirencester, New Brewery Arts for a wet day, the trout farm for children, Kelmscott and Buscot for Morris and Burne-Jones, Cerney House for a quiet garden and ROX for a first go on the water.

All places
  • A Roman mosaic floor and painted wall plaster displayed in a museum gallery

    Corinium Museum

    Museums and galleries · Cirencester

    Cirencester's museum of Roman Corinium, with the Hare, Four Seasons and Orpheus mosaics, Anglo-Saxon grave goods and medieval sculpture.

    Family-friendly · Rainy days · Car-free

    Verified Oct 2026

  • Grassed earth banks of the Roman amphitheatre with a path and trees

    Cirencester Roman Amphitheatre

    Historic houses and heritage · Cirencester

    The grassy banks of a Roman amphitheatre built early in the second century to hold about 8,000 people, free to visit in daylight on the edge of Cirencester.

    Dog-friendly · Car-free

    Verified Oct 2026

  • A bright white gallery room with a screen and visitors looking at work

    New Brewery Arts

    Museums and galleries · Cirencester

    A craft centre in Cirencester's old brewery buildings, with free exhibitions of contemporary craft, a shop of British makers' work, makers' studios, the Blend café and over 100 weekly courses and workshops.

    Rainy days · Dog-friendly · Car-free

    Verified Oct 2026

  • Stone farm buildings and trees reflected in a still trout pond at Bibury

    Bibury Trout Farm

    Family days out · Bibury

    A working trout farm on the River Coln at Bibury, founded in 1902, with a café, a shop, catch-your-own fishing and its own pay car park.

    Family-friendly · Dog-friendly

    Verified Oct 2026

  • The gabled stone front of Kelmscott Manor beyond its garden path and lawn

    Kelmscott Manor

    Historic houses and heritage · Lechlade-on-Thames

    William Morris's country home by the upper Thames near Lechlade, which he rented from 1871 until 1896, with its rooms, gardens and his grave nearby.

    Walker-friendly · Family-friendly

    Verified Oct 2026

  • A grand pale stone country house at the end of a drive between lawns

    Buscot Park

    Historic houses and heritage · Lechlade-on-Thames

    A late eighteenth-century house near Lechlade, run by Lord Faringdon for the National Trust, with Burne-Jones's Briar Rose paintings, the Faringdon Collection and Harold Peto's water garden, open on spring and summer afternoons.

    Verified Oct 2026

  • A grass path between deep flower borders and roses leading to a statue

    Cerney House Gardens

    Parks and gardens · Cirencester

    A family garden at North Cerney, near Cirencester: a Victorian walled garden with borders and an organic kitchen garden, 40 acres of woodland walks and a self-service tea room, open almost every day of the year.

    Dog-friendly

    Verified Nov 2026

  • Kayakers paddling on a lake towards a low evening sun

    ROX, South Cerney Outdoor

    Sport and activity · Cirencester

    The Real Outdoor Xperience, formerly South Cerney Outdoor: a 47-acre lake in the Cotswold Lakes with paddleboarding, kayaking, sailing, open-water swimming and high ropes.

    Family-friendly

    Verified Nov 2026

Before you go

Parking
Council pay car parks in Cirencester, such as Old Station, charge every day. The amphitheatre has a free car park at the end of Cotswold Avenue, and Bibury Trout Farm charges £10 (2026).
Booking ahead
Book ROX sessions, Cleveland Lakes swims and Colesbourne's snowdrop days ahead. Colesbourne sells online only.
Prices
Free at the amphitheatre and New Brewery Arts' exhibitions, and £8.70 at the Corinium Museum and £15.50 at Kelmscott Manor for an adult (2026).
Dogs
On leads at the amphitheatre, the trout farm and Cerney House, but not at Buscot beyond the paddock car park, or on Cleveland Lakes' swimming side.
Seasons
Kelmscott opens April to October, Buscot from late March to September, and Colesbourne on eight snowdrop days in January and February.

Walk to the sights

Cirencester Park from the town, the Coln at Bibury, Lechlade to St John's Lock, and the river from Coln St Aldwyns to Bibury.

All walks starting here
  • The Broad Ride through Cirencester Park between avenues of trees in autumn colour

    Cirencester Park, Pope's Seat and Stratton

    Walk · Starts in Cirencester · 2 hrs · Circular

    A 5-mile (8km) circular walk from Cirencester's parish church, easy and taking one and a half to two hours: up Cecily Hill and a mile along the Broad Ride to Pope's Seat, past the polo grounds to Stratton, and back by the streams past the open-air pool.

  • A low stone bridge over a wide clear river, cottages and willows on the far bank

    Bibury and the River Coln

    Walk · Starts in Bibury · 2 hrs · Circular

    A 4-mile (6.5km) circular walk from the bridge by the Swan in Bibury, about two hours with one climb and a muddy stretch. It crosses the Coln below Bibury Court, climbs through Oxhill Wood to the line of Akeman Street, passes a dewpond and returns by Arlington Row.

  • The Halfpenny Bridge over the Thames at Lechlade, with willows on the bank

    Lechlade and St John's Lock

    Walk · Starts in Lechlade-on-Thames · 45 mins · Circular · Dog-friendly

    A flat 3-mile (4.8km) circular walk from Lechlade's Market Place, easy and about an hour: out to the Round House where the Coln and the old canal meet the Thames, back along the meadows past Ha'penny Bridge to St John's Lock and the Trout Inn, home by Shelley's Walk.

  • The gabled stone village shop and post office at Coln St Aldwyns in spring sunshine

    Coln St Aldwyns and Bibury

    Walk · Starts in Coln St Aldwyns · 2 hrs, 45 mins · Circular · Dog-friendly

    A 6.5-mile (10.6km) circular walk from Coln St Aldwyns, moderate and two and a half to three hours: up the River Coln and through Oxhill Wood to Bibury and Arlington Row, then back over the open wold by the Roman Akeman Street to the village pub and shop.

Questions

Where can you see Roman remains in the Coln Valley?

In Cirencester, the Roman town of Corinium. The Corinium Museum shows Roman mosaics from a town and district where more than 90 are known, open every day from 10am to 4pm, and the amphitheatre on the edge of town, built to hold about 8,000 people, is free in daylight. Chedworth Roman Villa, near Northleach, is a short drive north.

What is there to do in the Coln Valley with children?

Bibury Trout Farm lets children catch their own trout at weekends and in school holidays, and ROX at South Cerney takes children from 8 on the water for pay and play sessions. Cerney House charges £1 a child (2026) for its woodland walks. In Cirencester, under-fives go free at the Corinium Museum, and the amphitheatre's banks are free to run on.

Which Coln Valley attractions are open in winter?

The Corinium Museum opens every day from 10am to 4pm, and the amphitheatre is free in daylight all year. Cerney House Gardens opens every day except Christmas Day, in daylight hours in winter, and New Brewery Arts from Monday to Saturday. Colesbourne's snowdrop days fall in January and February. Kelmscott Manor closes for the winter on 31 October, and Buscot Park until late March.

Where can you see snowdrops near Cirencester?

At Colesbourne Park on the A435, the Elwes family's garden of more than 300 snowdrop varieties round the house and lake. It opens on just eight weekend days from late January to late February, by advance online ticket only: £15.50 a person, with school-age children free. Paths can turn to mud, so wear boots, and dogs may come on a short lead.

A still river under a weeping willow with stone cottages on the far bank

About Cirencester and the Coln Valley

Cirencester, the Roman town of Corinium, and the River Coln running past Bibury, Coln St Aldwyns and Fairford to meet the Thames by Lechlade.

Read our guide to Cirencester and the Coln Valley

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