Best Places to Visit in Gloucestershire
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best places to visit in Gloucestershire are Spoonley Wood Roman Villa, Puzzlewood, Breakheart Quarry, Purton Ship Graveyard, Devil's Chimney, Belas Knap Long Barrow, Chedworth Roman Villa and Darkhill Ironworks.
Gloucestershire runs from the Cotswold edge to the Forest of Dean and the Severn shore, rich in Roman remains, ancient stone and industrial relics. The Romans are well represented: the mosaics of Chedworth in its wooded valley, one of the largest villas in Britain, and the hidden woodland ruin of Spoonley Wood near Winchcombe, where a mosaic survives in place.
Older still is the Neolithic long barrow of Belas Knap on its Cotswold ridge, with its false doorway. The Forest of Dean holds the otherworldly rocky gullies of Puzzlewood and the pioneering ruins of Darkhill Ironworks, while on the Severn the beached hulks of the Purton ship graveyard hold back the tide.
Above Cheltenham the pinnacle of the Devil's Chimney stands from its quarried hill, and near Dursley an old quarry has softened into the woods of Breakheart. Some are grand and staffed, others quiet and unsigned.
Here are eight places to visit across Gloucestershire.
Spoonley Wood Roman Villa
Photo: Kester Harvey via Geograph.org.uk
Spoonley Wood Roman Villa Deep in woodland near Winchcombe in Gloucestershire, a short distance from Sudeley Castle, lie the remains of this Roman villa. A circular walk on foot from the town leads to the site, which is informal and unstaffed, its low stone walls standing among the trees.
Remarkably, a Roman mosaic floor still lies in its original position, sheltered under cover. Over the centuries the villa expanded into a large courtyard house before it was left to ruin, and it was excavated in 1882.
A marble statue of Bacchus found here now resides in the British Museum. The weathered stones keep a quiet, secretive air.
Seek it out for a walk with a reward at the end.
Puzzlewood
Photo: Pauline E via Geograph.org.uk
Puzzlewood is an ancient woodland attraction near Coleford in the Forest of Dean, built around scowles, a maze of deep, moss-covered rocky gullies and outcrops left where iron ore was dug out of the limestone from the Iron Age and Roman times onward. Over a mile of paths, laid out in the early nineteenth century, wind through the twisted trees and shaded ravines, crossing wooden bridges, giving it an otherworldly feel that has made it a busy film and television location, from Star Wars to Doctor Who.
There is a cafe, play areas and animals on site, and it is open to visitors through the season.
Breakheart Quarry
Photo: Charles Drown via Geograph.org.uk
Breakheart Quarry is a disused Cotswold quarry turned into a woodland nature spot, on the hills above the town of Dursley. Once dug for the pale local limestone, it is now grown over with trees, its old rock faces exposed among the woods, laced with paths for walkers and a rougher course for mountain bikers.
A short but steep climb up from the town brings you into the quarry, where you can look at the layered stone, hunt for fossils, and follow trails through the trees. From the higher edges there are views out over the Severn vale below.
It is a green, quiet retreat close to the town, where an old industrial scar has softened into woodland.
Purton Ship Graveyard
Photo: Philip Halling via Geograph.org.uk
Purton Ship Graveyard Along the tidal bank of the River Severn at Purton in Gloucestershire, on the slim spit of land dividing the river from the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal, lies a long row of old barges and boats run aground on purpose. From 1909, after the bank collapsed, vessels were beached here to form a barrier against the river, keeping it from wearing the land away and breaking into the canal, the final one grounded in 1965.
Their rotting hulls of wood and concrete, many bearing small plaques, greet walkers on the towpath. It is said to be the largest such gathering in mainland Britain.
Well worth a slow walk.
Devil's Chimney
Photo: Michael Dibb via Geograph.org.uk
Devil’s Chimney On the Cotswold edge above Cheltenham, a slender finger of limestone juts from the quarried face of Leckhampton Hill. It was left standing when the hill was cut away for stone, and now it rises by itself from the slope a little below the crest.
Climbing the hill brings you to it, and the effort is repaid with broad views out over Cheltenham and the vale beyond. The hill all around is open access land, laced with paths to wander at will.
It makes a satisfying short outing with a curious landmark at its heart, so lace up your boots and go.
Belas Knap Long Barrow
Photo: Gisela Blee via Geograph.org.uk
Belas Knap is a Neolithic burial mound on a high Cotswold ridge above Winchcombe. It is a long, grassy barrow, humped and whale-backed, edged with a neat drystone wall rebuilt to show its original shape.
At one end is a false doorway, two tall stones and a lintel set into a curved forecourt, a blind entrance that leads nowhere; the real burial chambers open instead from the sides and far end, low stone rooms where the dead were laid more than five thousand years ago. Reaching it is an uphill walk of about half a mile from the lane below, and from the ridge there are wide views over the Cotswold country.
The mound is free to visit and quiet.
Chedworth Roman Villa
Photo: Bill Nicholls via Geograph.org.uk
Chedworth Roman Villa Set in a wooded Cotswold valley near Yanworth in Gloucestershire, this ranks among the largest Roman villas ever uncovered in Britain. Walking the site, you pass between low walls and look down on mosaic floors preserved where they lie beneath modern cover buildings, together with two bath suites and the ducts of the under-floor heating.
Tucked in one corner, a spring-fed shrine still keeps its curved Roman wall standing. The National Trust has managed the villa since 1924, and a small museum of finds sits on the grounds.
Give yourself time to take in the detail underfoot.
Darkhill Ironworks
Photo: John Winder via Geograph.org.uk
Darkhill Ironworks is a set of ruined walls and footings in the Forest of Dean, the remains of a pioneering nineteenth-century ironworks. Here David Mushet and his son Robert experimented with iron and steel, work that fed into the development of modern steelmaking.
The consolidated ruins include kilns, a drying shed, a smith's shop and a blast-furnace enclosure, open to walk around. A great mass of old clinker known as the Bear still lies nearby.
FAQs
Where can you see Roman remains in Gloucestershire?
Chedworth Roman Villa near Yanworth, one of the largest in Britain, has mosaic floors under cover, bath suites and a spring-fed shrine, run by the National Trust. Spoonley Wood, a quieter unstaffed ruin near Winchcombe, has a mosaic surviving in place among the trees, reached on a woodland walk.
Which places in Gloucestershire are best for a walk with a view?
The Devil's Chimney, a limestone pinnacle on Leckhampton Hill above Cheltenham, is reached on an uphill walk with wide views over the vale, and Belas Knap long barrow sits on a high Cotswold ridge above Winchcombe with views over the countryside. Breakheart Quarry above Dursley also looks out over the Severn vale.
What is Puzzlewood?
Puzzlewood, near Coleford in the Forest of Dean, is an ancient woodland laid out around scowles, deep moss-covered rocky gullies left from early iron working. Over a mile of paths wind through the twisted trees and ravines across wooden bridges, an otherworldly place used as a film location, with a cafe, play areas and animals on site.
Conclusion
Gloucestershire spreads Roman remains, ancient stone and industrial relics from the Cotswold edge to the Severn. The Romans left the mosaics of Chedworth in its wooded valley and the hidden woodland ruin of Spoonley Wood near Winchcombe, while the Neolithic long barrow of Belas Knap broods on its Cotswold ridge with its false doorway.
The Forest of Dean holds the otherworldly scowles of Puzzlewood and the pioneering ruins of Darkhill Ironworks, and on the Severn the beached hulks of Purton hold back the tide. Above Cheltenham the Devil's Chimney rises from its quarried hill, and near Dursley the old Breakheart Quarry has softened into woodland.
From Roman mosaic to beached barge, these are the places to seek out across Gloucestershire.
