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Stow-on-the-Wold
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Straddling eight roads, including the Roman Fosse Way (now the A429),
STOW-ON-THE-WOLD
sucks in a disproportionate number of visitors for its size and attractions, which essentially comprise an old marketplace surrounded by brassy pubs, antiques shops and souvenir boutiques. The narrow walled alleyways, or "tunes", running into the square were designed for funnelling sheep into the market, which is dominated by an imposing Victorian hall and, just to the south, a medieval cross allegedly raised to instil honesty among the traders.
Stow is the logical springboard for trips deeper into the region with its good bus connections from Moreton-in-Marsh and Cheltenham, and its abundant accommodation options. The
tourist office
is on the Market Square (April-Oct Mon-Sat 9.30am-5.30pm, Sun 10.30am-4pm; Nov-March Mon-Sat 9.30am-4.30pm; tel 01451/831082,
). Among local
B&Bs
, try the central and relaxed
Pear Tree Cottage
, on the High Street (tel 01451/831210; A?40-50), or the secluded and pretty
Honeysuckle Cottage
(tel 01451/830973; closed Nov & Jan; A?40-50), tucked away on Union Street (take the short cut passage through the
King's Arms
pub from the square), while the popular
youth hostel
stands close to the tourist office (tel 01451/830497). For
food
, you've a choice of several old coaching inns on the square, including the
Queen's Head
, where main courses are around the A?7 mark. The nearby
Royalist
, on the corner of Park and Digbeth streets, is yet another inn billing itself the oldest in Britain, a claim in part substantiated by wooden beams carbon-dated at around one thousand years old; you can eat pub food here or sit down to dinner (A?30) in the
947AD
restaurant. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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United Kingdom,
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