Winchcombe hotels

Hotels in Winchcombe

Perfect for walks in the Cotswolds, day trips to historical castles and lazy afternoons in traditional English pubs, Winchcombe hotels are a fantastic place to stay in Gloucester.

History

Winchcombe boasts an exceptional long history. On a hilltop above the town is Belas Knap, a Neolithic chambered long barrow dating from around 4,500BC. During the 19th century, excavations into the barrow uncovered the skeletons of five children, the skull of a young male, and bones from pigs and horses. During the Anglo-Saxon period Winchcombe was a chief city of Mercia.

Close to the town is Sudeley Castle, a 15th-century fortification built on the site of an earlier 12th-century castle. The castle boasts a magnificent set of gardens and a chapel that holds the tomb of Queen Catherine Parr, the sixth wife of King Henry VIII. Several sections of the castle are open to the public and feature exhibitions on Catherine Parr and Richard III. Also within easy reach of Winchcombe are the ruins of Hailes Abbey. Richard, Earl of Cornwall, originally founded the abbey in the 13th century and it was disestablished as part of Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536. Close to the abbey is the medieval Hailes Church, older than the abbey and still standing.

The Cotswolds

Winchcombe is a fantastic base for exploring the surrounding countryside of the Cotswolds. The town lies on six different long distance footpaths: St Kenelm's Way, the Warden's Way, the Windrush Way, the Cotswold Way, the Gloucestershire Way, the Wychavon Way. The Cotswold Way runs for 102 miles along the Cotswold Edge escarpment of the Cotswold Hills, while The Gloucestershire Way is 100 miles in total and the part close to Winchcombe extends from the town to either Stow-on-the-Wold or Tewkesbury. Also worth exploring is the 42-mile Winchcombe Way. In addition to walking paths, the Cotswolds encompass a network of cycling and horse riding paths.

Cheltenham

A short journey southwest from Winchcombe will take you to the historical spa town of Cheltenham, home to an enormous variety of shops, restaurants, public gardens and bars. There are plenty of points of interest to enjoy in Cheltenham if you'd like a break from the countryside: The Everyman Theatre has a regular line-up of drama, comedy and dance performances, the Wilson Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum has an impressive collection of artworks and Cheltenham Racecourse is one of the country's most famous places to pamper yourself with a day at the races.