Belas Knap Long Barrow
Historic houses and heritage · Winchcombe
A Neolithic long barrow on the hill above Winchcombe, with a false entrance and side chambers, free to visit and on the Cotswold Way.
Walker-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
Things to do on the Cotswold Edge
18 places · every place verified by us
The Cotswold Edge has a royal tomb at Sudeley, a steam railway, a fountain about 92m high at Stanway and some of the oldest monuments in the hills, Neolithic long barrows you can walk to free. Most of it suits walkers and families, and much of it is seasonal.
18 places
18 places
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Berkeley Castle
Historic houses and heritage · Dursley
The castle in the Severn vale where Edward II is said to have been murdered in 1327, home of the Berkeley family since the late twelfth century, open Sunday to Wednesday in season with guided tours, gardens and a restaurant in the walled garden.
Family-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
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Cattle Country Farm Park
Family days out · Dursley
A family farm park at Berkeley Heath Farm in the Severn Vale below Dursley, with two indoor play barns, outdoor play, a summer boating lake and farm animals, opened by the Cullimore family in 1992.
Family-friendly · Rainy days
Verified Nov 2026
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Dursley Heritage Centre
Museums and galleries · Dursley
A volunteer-run museum opposite Dursley's Market House, telling the town's story from cloth to Lister engines, with an early Pedersen bicycle, open four mornings a week.
Rainy days · Walker-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
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Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway
Family days out · Winchcombe
A heritage railway running steam and diesel trains for 14 miles between Cheltenham Race Course and Broadway, by Winchcombe and Toddington.
Family-friendly · Dog-friendly · Rainy days
Verified Oct 2026
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Hailes Abbey
Historic houses and heritage · Winchcombe
The ruins of a Cistercian abbey near Winchcombe, founded in 1246, once a place of pilgrimage, now open for booked tours on the first weekend of each month.
Walker-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
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Hetty Pegler's Tump (Uley Long Barrow)
Historic houses and heritage · Uley
A Neolithic chambered long barrow at least 5,000 years old on the Cotswold edge above Uley, 37m long, with chambers you can go into by torchlight; free in daylight and in English Heritage's care.
Dog-friendly · Walker-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
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Newark Park
Historic houses and heritage · Wotton-under-Edge
A Tudor hunting lodge of about 1550 on the edge of a valley above Ozleworth, near Wotton-under-Edge, restored by the American architect Bob Parsons and now the National Trust's, with a three-level garden, 700 acres and wide views.
Dog-friendly · Family-friendly · Walker-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
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Nympsfield Long Barrow
Historic houses and heritage · Uley
An open Neolithic chambered tomb at Coaley Peak on the Cotswold edge, its roofless chambers laid bare, free to visit, with parking alongside, picnic tables and views over the Severn vale.
Dog-friendly · Walker-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
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Prescott Speed Hill Climb
Sport and activity · Winchcombe
The Bugatti Owners' Club's hill climb course near Gotherington, between Cheltenham and Winchcombe, holding competitions since 1938, with spectator events from spring to November.
Verified Nov 2026
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Stanway House and Fountain
Historic houses and heritage · Stanway
A Jacobean manor below the Cotswold edge near Winchcombe, home of the Earls of Wemyss, with a 1720s water garden and a single-jet fountain about 92m high, open on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons in summer.
Dog-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
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Sudeley Castle and Gardens
Historic houses and heritage · Winchcombe
A castle on the edge of Winchcombe where Katherine Parr, Henry VIII's last queen, is buried, with gardens, a Tudor history and the Dent family's home.
Family-friendly · Walker-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
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The Electric Picture House, Wotton-under-Edge
Historic houses and heritage · Wotton-under-Edge
A 100-seat cinema on Market Street, Wotton-under-Edge, opened in 1913 in the old Crown Inn and showing new films and live theatre, ballet and opera screenings.
Rainy days · Family-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
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Uley Brewery
Breweries and distilleries · Uley
A tower brewery of 1833 built over a spring in the village of Uley, brewing Pigs Ear and Old Spot, with the Forge taproom open on Friday evenings.
Verified Oct 2026
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Uley Bury
Historic houses and heritage · Uley
One of the largest Iron Age hillforts in the Cotswolds, a plateau of about 23 hectares above Uley ringed by terraced ramparts, free to walk round on the rampart path with views to Cam Long Down and the Severn.
Walker-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
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Winchcombe Museum
Museums and galleries · Winchcombe
A free, volunteer-led museum in Winchcombe's former Town Hall, with fragments of the Winchcombe meteorite, a rare pair of fifteenth-century town maces and the town's story from its trades and tanneries to the Arts and Crafts makers.
Rainy days · Car-free
Verified Oct 2026
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Winchcombe Pottery
Independent shops · Winchcombe
A working pottery at Greet, a mile north of Winchcombe, where Michael Cardew restarted pottery-making in 1926; its shop sells the wood-fired and soda-glazed tableware made on site.
Verified Oct 2026
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Wotton Heritage Centre
Museums and galleries · Wotton-under-Edge
The Wotton-under-Edge Historical Society's museum, archive and information point in the old fire station on The Chipping, open four days a week.
Rainy days · Walker-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
Winchcombe and the north of the edge
The Cotswold Edge is the western escarpment, and its sights gather at two ends: round Winchcombe in the north, and round Uley, Dursley and Wotton-under-Edge in the south. Winchcombe has the most. Sudeley Castle, on the edge of the town, has Katherine Parr's tomb in St Mary's chapel and ten gardens, and the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway runs steam and diesel trains for 14 miles between Cheltenham Race Course and Broadway, with a day rover that lets you get off where you like.
On the hill above the town, Belas Knap is a Neolithic long barrow with a false entrance, free and on the Cotswold Way. Hailes Abbey's ruins open on the first weekend of each month by booked tour, and Stanway House and its fountain open on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons in June, July and August. Winchcombe Museum, free, shows fragments of the Winchcombe meteorite.
Uley, Dursley and Wotton
The southern end is quieter. Hetty Pegler's Tump above Uley is a long barrow you can go inside: bring a torch. Nympsfield Long Barrow, a mile north at Coaley Peak, is roofless, with picnic tables beside it, and Uley Bury, one of the largest Iron Age hillforts in the Cotswolds, makes a short circuit on its ramparts. All three are free in daylight.
Newark Park, a Tudor hunting lodge near Wotton-under-Edge, has a garden on three levels, play areas in the woods and room for dogs. Below the edge in the Severn vale, Berkeley Castle is still lived in by the Berkeley family and runs guided tours at 12pm and 2pm, and Cattle Country Farm Park fills a day for children of all ages, with soft play for babies, toddlers and the under-fives, at weekends and in the school holidays.
Prices, seasons and dogs
The barrows, Uley Bury and Winchcombe Museum cost nothing. Elsewhere, an adult pays £15 at Newark Park, £17 at Berkeley and £24 at Sudeley (2026), and Stanway lists £12 for its house and fountain. The railway's day rover is £28 (2026). Sudeley closes from early November until spring, Berkeley opens Sunday to Wednesday in season, and the railway stops after its festive trains in early January until spring.
Dogs on leads are welcome at the barrows, Newark Park, Stanway and Hailes, and on the railway, where they ride for £5 (2026). Sudeley takes no pet dogs in the castle or gardens, though its café does, and Berkeley keeps them to the Kitchen Garden. English Heritage lists Hailes among its dog-friendly places.
Parking and getting there
Sudeley, Hailes and Berkeley have free car parks, Toddington station a large free one and Winchcombe station a few free spaces. The lay-by for Belas Knap is small and the one for Hetty Pegler's Tump holds one or two cars, so walk in if you can. Without a car, take the train to Cheltenham Spa and Pulhams' 606 or Stagecoach's W bus to Winchcombe, Monday to Saturday, then walk up to Sudeley and Belas Knap. For the town itself, see things to do in Winchcombe, and for lunch, places to eat on the Cotswold Edge.
Near Winchcombe, Prescott Speed Hill Climb has held competitions since 1938, with spectator events from spring to November, and Winchcombe Pottery at Greet sells the wood-fired tableware made on site. The year on the Edge brings the cheese rolling on Cooper's Hill on the spring bank holiday Monday, Cheltenham Science Festival in June, Cheltenham Music Festival and the Tewkesbury Medieval Festival in July, and the Spectacle of Light at Sudeley Castle from late November. Our dog-friendly weekend is based in Winchcombe, and the pub walks weekend climbs to Belas Knap above it.
Our picks on the Cotswold Edge
Sudeley for Katherine Parr's tomb and the gardens, the steam railway for a day rover, Belas Knap and Hetty Pegler's Tump for the long barrows, Hailes and Stanway for their rare open days, Newark Park for dogs and children, and Berkeley for a castle still lived in.
All places-
Sudeley Castle and Gardens
Historic houses and heritage · Winchcombe
A castle on the edge of Winchcombe where Katherine Parr, Henry VIII's last queen, is buried, with gardens, a Tudor history and the Dent family's home.
Family-friendly · Walker-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
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Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway
Family days out · Winchcombe
A heritage railway running steam and diesel trains for 14 miles between Cheltenham Race Course and Broadway, by Winchcombe and Toddington.
Family-friendly · Dog-friendly · Rainy days
Verified Oct 2026
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Belas Knap Long Barrow
Historic houses and heritage · Winchcombe
A Neolithic long barrow on the hill above Winchcombe, with a false entrance and side chambers, free to visit and on the Cotswold Way.
Walker-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
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Hetty Pegler's Tump (Uley Long Barrow)
Historic houses and heritage · Uley
A Neolithic chambered long barrow at least 5,000 years old on the Cotswold edge above Uley, 37m long, with chambers you can go into by torchlight; free in daylight and in English Heritage's care.
Dog-friendly · Walker-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
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Hailes Abbey
Historic houses and heritage · Winchcombe
The ruins of a Cistercian abbey near Winchcombe, founded in 1246, once a place of pilgrimage, now open for booked tours on the first weekend of each month.
Walker-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
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Stanway House and Fountain
Historic houses and heritage · Stanway
A Jacobean manor below the Cotswold edge near Winchcombe, home of the Earls of Wemyss, with a 1720s water garden and a single-jet fountain about 92m high, open on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons in summer.
Dog-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
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Newark Park
Historic houses and heritage · Wotton-under-Edge
A Tudor hunting lodge of about 1550 on the edge of a valley above Ozleworth, near Wotton-under-Edge, restored by the American architect Bob Parsons and now the National Trust's, with a three-level garden, 700 acres and wide views.
Dog-friendly · Family-friendly · Walker-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
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Berkeley Castle
Historic houses and heritage · Dursley
The castle in the Severn vale where Edward II is said to have been murdered in 1327, home of the Berkeley family since the late twelfth century, open Sunday to Wednesday in season with guided tours, gardens and a restaurant in the walled garden.
Family-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
Before you go
- Parking
- Free car parks at Sudeley, Hailes and Berkeley and at Toddington station, and a few free spaces at Winchcombe station. The lay-bys for Belas Knap and Hetty Pegler's Tump hold only a few cars.
- Booking ahead
- Hailes Abbey opens by booked tour only, and Cattle Country is cheaper online. Prescott opens on event days; for Rallye Prescott in 2026, advance tickets closed at 5pm the day before.
- Prices
- Free at the barrows, Uley Bury and Winchcombe Museum, and £15 at Newark Park, £17 at Berkeley and £24 at Sudeley for an adult (2026), with £12 listed at Stanway.
- Dogs
- On leads at the barrows, Newark Park, Stanway and on the railway, where they ride for £5 (2026), but not in Sudeley's castle or gardens. Hailes is on English Heritage's dog-friendly list.
- Seasons
- Sudeley closes from early November until spring and the railway from early January until spring. Stanway opens only on summer Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.
Walk to the sights
Winchcombe to Belas Knap, Hailes and Beckbury Camp, the Cotswold Way past Uley Bury, and Wotton's hill to the Tyndale Monument.
All walks starting here-
Winchcombe and Belas Knap
Walk · Starts in Winchcombe · 2 hrs, 45 mins · Circular
A 5.5-mile (8.8km) moderate loop of two to two and three quarter hours from Winchcombe, up the Cotswold Way and through the woods to Belas Knap, the Neolithic long barrow, then home on the Winchcombe Way by Wadfield Farm and Sudeley, with two stiles and a narrow road.
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Hailes and Beckbury Camp
Walk · Starts in Winchcombe · 2 hrs, 15 mins · Circular
A 3.5-mile (5.6km) circular walk from Hayles Fruit Farm, moderate and about two and a quarter hours: up the monks' track to Beckbury Camp, down the edge of a wood over three stiles towards Wood Stanway, and back past Hailes church and the abbey ruins.
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Cotswold Way: King's Stanley to Dursley
Walk · Starts in Stroud · 4 hrs, 15 mins · Dog-friendly
A 6.7-mile (10.8km) one-way walk on the tenth section of the Cotswold Way, moderate and about four and a quarter hours: from Middleyard up through Stanley Wood to Coaley Peak, along the edge past two long barrows, over Cam Long Down and down into Dursley.
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Wotton Hill and the Tyndale Monument
Walk · Starts in Wotton-under-Edge · 1 hr, 15 mins · Circular · Dog-friendly
A 3.5-mile (5.8km) easy ridge walk of an hour to an hour and a half from Old London Road above Wotton-under-Edge: out to the walled Jubilee Clump on Wotton Hill, through Westridge Wood past Brackenbury Ditches to the Tyndale Monument on Nibley Knoll, and back through the woods.
What is open, once a month
Open days, new places and what is on along the edge and across the Cotswolds, in your inbox about once a month.
Questions
What is there to do on the Cotswold Edge with children?
Ride the steam railway and get off at Toddington, where the engine shed is the best stop for children. Under-5s travel free. Sudeley has an adventure playground, and Newark Park has play areas in the woods. Cattle Country, below Dursley, has indoor play barns for wet days, open at weekends and in school holidays. Older children like Hetty Pegler's Tump: bring a torch.
Which Cotswold Edge attractions take dogs?
Newark Park welcomes dogs on a short lead, Stanway House on leads, and the long barrows and Uley Bury on leads among the sheep. Dogs ride the steam railway for £5 (2026). Sudeley allows no pet dogs in the castle, gardens or playground, though its café does, Berkeley Castle keeps them to the Kitchen Garden, Cattle Country takes assistance dogs only, and English Heritage lists Hailes Abbey among its dog-friendly places, so dogs can come on a lead.
Where can you see long barrows on the Cotswold Edge?
At three places, all free in daylight. Belas Knap, above Winchcombe on the Cotswold Way, has a false entrance and side chambers. Hetty Pegler's Tump above Uley is one you can go inside, with a torch, and Nympsfield Long Barrow at Coaley Peak, a mile north along the Way, is roofless, with parking and picnic tables beside it.
Which Cotswold Edge attractions are open in winter?
The long barrows and Uley Bury are open in daylight all year. Newark Park opens daily until mid-November and then mostly at weekends until just before Christmas, and Winchcombe Museum at weekends. The steam railway runs Santa and festive trains to early January, then stops until spring, and Sudeley closes from early November until spring, so plan the castle for spring to autumn.
About the Cotswold Edge
The western escarpment, where the wolds end in a wooded edge above the Severn vale: Winchcombe and Sudeley, Belas Knap, Cleeve Hill and the Cotswold Way along the top.