Group Cottage Locations in Gloucestershire

Three Landscapes for Group Cottages in Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire is more than the Cotswolds. The county splits into three quite different areas, and each suits a different kind of group. Characterful House for 11 in Tetbury hills in the east have the honey-stone villages. The Severn Vale in the middle is flat, green and full of history, with Gloucester at its heart. West of the river, the Forest of Dean is ancient woodland, mining heritage and outdoor adventure.

Few counties pack in so much variety.

The location pages above list our group cottages in Gloucestershire by town and village, with the large houses in each place first and others within about 15 miles below. Use this guide to work out which part of the county suits your party, then compare houses.

Prefer to search by size? Browse all our large holiday houses, or go straight to cottages sleeping 8 or more, 10 or more or 12 or more. Every card shows how many each house sleeps.

The Forest of Dean

The Forest of Dean is one of the last surviving ancient forests in England, covering over 40 square miles between the Severn and the Wye. For active groups it's the best-kept secret in the county.

Coleford and the Forest villages

Coleford is the main town of the Forest and a good central base. Puzzlewood, just outside, is a maze of mossy rocks, roots and narrow paths that has been used to film Star Wars and Doctor Who. Clearwell Caves are old iron mines you can walk through, with deeper caving trips for groups. The Dean Forest Railway runs steam trains on summer weekends.

Outdoor activities for groups

The Forest has family cycle trails, mountain bike routes and Go Ape high ropes. On the River Wye at Symonds Yat, on the county border, you can hire canoes and kayaks for a group paddle downstream. Symonds Yat Rock gives one of the best views in the area, and peregrine falcons nest on the cliffs in spring.

Gloucester, Stroud and the Severn Vale

Gloucester

Gloucester has one of the finest cathedrals in England, with fan-vaulted cloisters that appeared as the corridors of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films. King Edward II is buried there. The Victorian docks, once Britain's most inland port, now hold the National Waterways Museum, shops and places to eat.

Stroud and the Five Valleys

Stroud sits where five steep valleys meet on the western edge of the Cotswolds. Its Saturday farmers' market is one of the best in the country. Above the town, Rodborough and Minchinhampton commons are wide open grassland where cattle roam freely and you can walk for miles. Laurie Lee grew up in the Slad Valley nearby and wrote about it in Cider with Rosie.

The Severn Vale

Slimbridge Wetland Centre, founded by Sir Peter Scott, has hides, canoe safaris and thousands of wild swans and geese in winter. Berkeley Castle, where Edward II was murdered in 1327, is still lived in by the family who built it. Tewkesbury, in the north of the vale, has a great Norman abbey and a medieval festival every July. On the biggest spring tides, the Severn Bore, a wave that runs upriver, draws surfers and crowds of spectators.

Characterful House for 11 in Tetbury Side of the County

The eastern half of Gloucestershire is classic Cotswold country of stone villages, drystone walls and wool churches.

• Cheltenham: a Regency spa town with the best restaurants and shops in the area. It's busiest during the Cheltenham Festival in March, when big houses nearby are booked a year ahead.
• Cirencester: a Roman town with the Corinium Museum. Characterful House for 11 in Tetbury Water Park, with well over 100 lakes for watersports and lakeside walks, is just south.
• Bibury: Arlington Row's 14th-century weavers' cottages are among the most photographed buildings in England.
• Chipping Campden: a wool town at the north end of the Cotswold Way, a National Trail that runs 102 miles to Bath.
• Stow-on-the-Wold: the highest town in the Cotswolds, with antique shops around a big market square.
• Little Rissington: a quiet village on the hill above Bourton-on-the-Water. The airfield nearby was home to the Red Arrows in the 1960s.

Sudeley Castle near Winchcombe, where Henry VIII's last wife Katherine Parr is buried, and Westonbirt Arboretum, best in October, are both easy days out from this side of the county.

Which Part of Gloucestershire Suits Your Group?

What Makes a Good Group House?

Large houses here range from Cotswold manor houses to Forest of Dean lodges and converted barns. A few things matter more than the photos:

• Bedrooms and bathrooms. "Sleeps 20" can include bunk rooms and sofa beds, so check the real count.
• A table for everyone. One long table is what makes a reunion or birthday feel like a gathering.
• Parking. Lanes are narrow in both the Cotswolds and the Forest. Check how many cars fit.
• Dogs. The Forest is great for dogs, but livestock graze on the commons. Use the pet-friendly filter.
• Hot tubs and games rooms. Use the filters on the cottage pages if your group wants them.

When to Visit

Spring brings bluebells to the Forest of Dean and lambs to the Cotswolds. Summer is busiest in the Cotswold villages. Autumn is the best time for the Forest and Westonbirt, when the trees turn. In winter, Slimbridge fills with migrating swans, and a big house with a log fire is ideal for Christmas or New Year with family and friends.

Getting There

The M5 runs north to south through the middle of the county, and the M4 and M50 are close by. Trains reach Gloucester, Cheltenham Spa, Stroud and Kemble, with direct services from London Paddington and Birmingham. The Forest of Dean and most villages need a car, so plan for several if your group is large.