Chipping Sodbury Tourist Information & Travel Guide

Chipping Sodbury Tourist Information Guide including Little Sodbury, Great Badminton & Sherston

Chipping Sodbury lies at the foot of the southern Cotswold escarpment below Dodington Park in southern Gloucestershire 8 miles north-west of Bristol. As the Chipping in its name implies, it was once an important market centre in medieval times and stands at the crossroads on the main route between Bristol, Oxford and London.

Chipping Sodbury is very similar to Chipping Norton in that it has a long market square, or Chepynge, as it was called in the medieval times and hence 'Chipping'. Known as Broad Street, this is bordered with a wonderful assortment of houses from every period, but largely 17th-century Cotswold stone buildings or Georgian of mellow brick. Most of these are now occupied by bright and cheerful shops which still retain a lively country atmosphere.

The town is home to TV fame Fabulous Baker Brothers (Tom and Henry Herbert) and their old established (1920) family business encompassing bakery, butcher's, cafe restaurant and recent addition of cookery school - Hobbs House Bakery is located on the terraced High Street with Georgian facade.

Great Badminton

The village of Great Badminton (Badminton) is located 6 miles east of Chipping Sodbury and 11 miles south-west of the Cotswold town of Tetbury. The name is particularly famous for the world class Badminton 3 Day Horse Trials held in Spring. The village sits on one of the most famous estates in Britain; the large estate of the Duke of Beaufort. The name 'Badminton' also evokes the image of the shuttlecock high net court game. The game was invented at Badminton House in 1870, the court's standard measurement being dictated by the dimensions of the house's large hall.

Badminton Walking Route 4.5 miles approx 2.5 hours

Walk the Duke of Beaufort's estate, across a grassy airstrip and past castellated barns and cottages.

For comprehensive walking guide see - www.cotswolds-nl.org.uk.

Sherston Village

Sherston is a very attractive village set in the north-west of Wiltshire. The large parish includes the hamlets of Pinkney, or Sherston Parva, to the north east, and Willesley and Knockdown on the northern boundary. The parish once extended further to the north and included Silk Wood, now part of the Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire.

The village is about 5.5 miles from both Malmesbury and Tetbury. Sherston is famous for its Boules and Carnival Weekend in July.

Westonbirt Arboretum

Westonbirt Arboretum is 11 miles northwest of Chipping Sodbury and is one of the finest collection of trees and shrubs in Europe.

Severn Valley Decorative and Fine Arts Society

This is a friendly society of people who enjoy learning about all aspects of decorative and fine arts. They meet at Chipping Sodbury Town Hall on the third Monday in the month from October to June.

For more information and programme of events see - www.tassv.org.uk.

Little Sodbury Walking Route 2.5 miles approx 2 hours

A short but fascinating walk taking you back to England in the Iron Age,
the Roman era and the troubled times of Henry VIII. Plus wide views to Wales.

For comprehensive walking guide see - www.cotswolds-nl.org.uk

The Sodburys Cotswolds England UK