Things to do in Tetbury

What there is to do around Tetbury

Most of Tetbury's things to do are gardens and houses just outside the town. The biggest is Westonbirt, the National Arboretum, about 3 miles away on the A433, with around 15,000 trees, a 300m treetop walkway and Silk Wood, where dogs run off the lead. Highgrove Gardens, the garden of the King and Queen's private home near the town, can only be seen on a booked guided tour, and each season's tours go on sale in March.

Rodmarton Manor, between Tetbury and Cirencester, is the great house of the Cotswold Arts and Crafts movement, built and furnished by hand from 1909 to 1929. Chavenage House, 2 miles north-west, is an Elizabethan manor that played Trenwith in Poldark. It has no open days, and visits are by reservation. In the town, the Market House of 1655 stands over the Wednesday and Saturday markets.

Polo and the summer

From late April to mid-September, Beaufort Polo Club at Westonbirt runs tournaments back to back (in 2026 from 27 April to 13 September), and spectators get in free to every tournament but the Beaufort International in June. Bring a picnic and the dog on a lead, but no umbrella or gazebo, which the club bans for the ponies' safety. Through the winter it plays arena polo, its tournaments as free to watch as the summer's, with challenge matches on weekends without a tournament. An afternoon of polo pairs with a morning at the arboretum, just down the road. The town is busiest on the late May bank holiday Monday, for the Woolsack Races up Gumstool Hill.

When to go and what to book

Autumn is Westonbirt's great season, from late September to mid-November, when the maples turn, prices rise and booking ahead is strongly advised. Highgrove's tours for each season go on sale in March and are sold first come, first served, so book as soon as they open. Rodmarton opens on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons and bank holiday Mondays from May to September (from 11am to 4pm in June and July in 2026), with tickets ahead or on the day. Chavenage is booked through its office, and its notice of August 2026 warns of few tours because of filming.

From October to April, Westonbirt is the one with daily opening, every day but Christmas Day. On selected evenings from late November, Christmas at Westonbirt lights a trail through the trees.

Prices, parking, dogs and access

In 2026 a Westonbirt adult ticket was £19 on autumn weekdays and £22 at weekends, falling to £14 and £19 from 16 November. Anyone arriving by bus, train or bike pays less. Rodmarton's house and garden cost £15 (£10 for the garden only), Highgrove publishes each season's tour prices when booking opens in March, and the polo is free. Highgrove's car park is free with a booked ticket, Rodmarton has ample parking, and in the town the Old Railyard car park is free. Stagecoach's 620 bus from Tetbury stops at Westonbirt Arboretum a few times a day.

Dogs are welcome at Westonbirt, except in the Old Arboretum, and at the polo, but not at Rodmarton, and only assistance dogs at Highgrove, which is closed to children under nine. Westonbirt's treetop walkway takes wheelchairs, prams and mobility scooters. Highgrove's paths are partly unmade, gravelled or cobbled, and Chavenage has no wheelchair access. For a bed, see where to stay in Tetbury.

For coffee to take round the town, Hobbs House Bakery on Church Street opens from 8am, Monday to Saturday. For a meal, see places to eat in the South Cotswolds, and for further afield, things to do in the South Cotswolds.

For a meal in the town itself, see places to eat in Tetbury.