Uley

Uley Bury

Uley Bury is the hill above the village, an Iron Age hillfort that Historic England schedules as a large multivallate fort, which means more than one line of bank and ditch. A path runs the whole way round the ramparts, and from it the view goes west over the Severn to the Forest of Dean and Wales. The interior is farmed, so you walk the edge, not the middle. The steep path up from St Giles's church is the direct way. The parish council says the hill became an important Roman encampment in the first century AD, and a carved head of Mercury dug up at West Hill in 1979 is now in the British Museum.

Hetty Pegler's Tump

Uley Long Barrow, which everyone calls Hetty Pegler's Tump after Hester Pegler, who owned the land in the seventeenth century, is a Neolithic chambered mound 37m long on the edge above the B4066, about 1.5 miles north of the village. English Heritage lists it, Gloucestershire County Council looks after it, and it is free and open at any reasonable time in daylight. What you see is largely the work of Dr John Thurnam, who dug it in 1854, and repairs of 1871, 1891 and 1906. You enter the chamber bent double, so bring a torch. A lay-by diagonally opposite the signed footpath holds one or two cars. Take care crossing the road. Dogs on leads are welcome.

The brewery, the church and Prema

Uley Brewery brews in the tower brewery Samuel Price built in 1833 over the lower village spring. Chas Wright revived it and poured the first pint on 1 March 1985, and Martin Brooks took it on at the end of 2018. The regular beers are Uley Bitter, Pigs Ear and Old Spot, with seasonal specials. There are no regular tours, but its taproom, the Forge, opens every Friday from 4pm to 8pm, and the brewery holds occasional booked Brewer's Table sessions (£25 for the one on 20 November 2026). St Giles's church on the hill above the green was rebuilt in 1857 and 1858 by S S Teulon, the architect of the Tyndale Monument, with a tower on the north side. It is listed Grade II*. Prema, on South Street, is a small arts centre run by a charity registered in 1991.

A morning here

Park at the Tump lay-by first, if you can get in, and give the barrow twenty minutes with a torch. Drive or walk down into the village, leave the car on the street, and climb from the church to the Bury. Walk round the ramparts for the views, which are the point. Come down the same way, look into St Giles's, and be at the Old Crown for lunch, remembering it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Walks from Uley

The Cotswold Way passes along the edge above the village on its tenth section, from King's Stanley to Dursley, 7.2 miles (11.6km), by Coaley Peak and the steep little summit of Cam Long Down. The parish council points to two of the Cotswolds National Landscape's circular walks: Hills and Hillforts, which loops Uley Bury and Cam Long Down from the Old Crown, 4 miles (6.5km) and two and a half to three and a half hours, with some stiles, steps and steep sections; and Bury, Barrow and Tump, which links Uley with Nympsfield and Frocester Hill by both long barrows. The parish has about 25 miles of footpaths and bridleways in all. Nympsfield Long Barrow, the open one at Coaley Peak, has parking alongside and picnic tables.

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Food and drink

The Old Crown, on the green opposite the church, is the village pub, a free house owned by the same family for more than 30 years. The pub dates itself to the seventeenth century; Historic England lists the building, a former coaching inn, as eighteenth-century. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, though open on bank holiday Mondays. From Wednesday to Saturday the bar opens from noon to 10pm with food from noon to 9pm, and on Sunday from noon to 8.30pm with food to 7pm. The restaurant is small, so book at weekends. Dogs are welcome, and there is a car park behind the pub for customers. The regular ales are Wye Valley's HPA and Butty Bach and a Stroud Brewery beer, with two guests that change weekly. It also has four en-suite rooms and a holiday cottage next door. Uley Community Stores and Post Office, owned and run by villagers, is the village shop. Our guide to Cotswold pubs and breweries has more on Uley Brewery's pubs across the county.

When to come

Any clear day for the Bury, whose views are the reason to climb. Spring and autumn are best for the paths, which are steep and muddy after rain. The Forge taproom is Friday evenings only. Owlpen Manor, half a mile east, is not open to the general public: it takes booked private groups of 15 or more from May to September, and only a limited number of public tours in 2026 were sold through Historic Houses, so do not build a day around it.