This post isn’t solely for those of us who have been lucky enough to retire, it’s an ode to a small Cotswold village that up until recently I’ve somewhat overlooked.
A small village that quite frankly has it all, in terms of the natural environment with places to walk, fantastic local food, hobbies to pursue and just good old English charm.
Frampton on Severn or just Frampton as it’s known locally, sits south of Gloucester city, alongside two rivers (The Frome and the Severn) and the Gloucester -Sharpness canal. It is also just a fifteen minute drive from the world renowned World Wetland Trust at Slimbridge.
Our exploration of this area began with the Gloucester Walks app and Facebook group:
https://www.localwalks.co.uk/gloucestershire-walks
Despite living locally we had never known about the two walks offered on the app and then, as a result of exploring these, discovered another walk equally as pleasurable.
Walking in Frampton:
On a lovely Summer’s afternoon, with my son for company, I parked up at the designated car park and turning left we made our way onto the main thoroughfare that passes through the village. This first walk is the shorter of the two on the app but both walks, however, begin in the same manner by taking a left here. We wandered past some beautiful traditional Cotswold homes. It’s a wonderful village and the old houses just enhance this. There are over 70 listed buildings here with timber framed houses and traditional thatched cottages to admire.
The walk takes you off to the right and you wander along a central path between an avenue of trees before coming upon the local church.
The church of St Mary the Virgin dates way back to 1228 although it was consecrated in 1315 with the oldest part of the present-day church being the Romanesque font. Just standing outside, admiring it from the fields, you cannot help but let your mind wander to the days of yore. How different life would have been then. It would have been such a focal part of the community with families filling the pews for Sunday worship from the very rich to the hard working poor.
Gloucester-Sharpness Canal:
Following the footpath you soon arrive on the canal, turning left and crossing the nearby bridge in order to double back on yourself and walk along the other side of the canal. This is the Gloucester -Sharpness Canal and was once the broadest and deepest canal in the world. The canal is 16.5 miles long stretching between the city of Gloucester and the docks at Sharpness where craft can pass out into the River Severn. You can walk the whole of the canal, as hubby and I did some time ago. We split the walk over a weekend rather than completing it in just one day.
As you join the canal path it is really worth taking a minute to marvel at the beautiful canal boats moored alongside, the family of swans gracefully gliding across the water and off to your left the mighty River Severn dividing England from Wales.
As you make your way alongside the canal you have the choice of how far you wish to walk. On this particular afternoon we followed Walk 1 but hubby and I recently completed Walk 2 on a beautiful Autumn morning in September. This takes you further along the towpath to Saul Junction. Both walks then cross you back over the canal and take you back to the village.
So forgive me, at this point, if I now take you with me on this second walk, ignoring the place I had crossed with my son on the first occasion. What is so great about these walks is the flat ground so if you aren’t in the mood for a typical uphill Cotswold hike you can still enjoy nature at its best and also bring your dog.
As you meander along the bank look out for the paddle boarders and kayak lovers on the water or the fishermen nestled alongside the bank patiently awaiting a nibble. Before long you will then arrive at The Stables Cafe. Opened in September 2008 it is a lovely place to take a break if you are looking for breakfast, lunch, coffee, snacks or homemade cake, this café offers a great choice. You can sit outside on the terrace or in colder weather snuggle up indoors.
The Cafe gets its name from when the building was a stable for horses that towed vessels up and down the canal. As retirees we quite often enjoy getting up early on a sunny morning and walking here from Frampton to enjoy a good old English breakfast with quite often just the boats and birds on the canal to keep us company.
Saul Junction:
Returning to the towpath you soon reach Saul Junction which is popular with boaters and nearby is both the Visitor Centre and the Marina, where if you are inclined you can peruse the boats for sale. You are now at the point where the Gloucester to Sharpness Canal meets the River Frome also known as the Stroudwater Canal. It is the only such flat crossing between two different canal companies anywhere in the world.
The walk takes you down the left hand side of the River Frome before crossing you back over a bridge to follow a narrow country lane back to the outer edge of the marina and ultimately back onto the opposite canal tow path to where you have previously walked. As the canal path peters out you will pass a few canal boats that appear to be lived in full time, where the boating folk have mowed the grass outside of their boats, stacked up their winter log supply or even planted a few flowers. Passing by with a friendly greeting to those sat on chairs alongside their craft sipping on a hot cup of coffee or tea you turn left onto a footpath. The walk meanders across a couple of fields before taking you back onto the gravel path that runs alongside the village. You turn right here to head back to the car park.
Alternatively you can go left and do a circular walk back to the car park around the village green.
The Village Green:
Apparently the longest village green in England, it covers 22 acres and has some fishing ponds that are havens for wildlife. If you are a bird spotter you may already have caught a glimpse of not just ducks or swans on the canal but hopefully other waterside birds and these ponds can also hopefully allow you to spot more of the same or maybe even something different.
Cricket is still played on the village green during the summer months and as you walk to far left corner of the green, past the village shop, you will arrive at The Bell.
Eating Out:
There are three places to eat in Frampton and The Bell is now a regular haunt of ours. Owned by the Quality Inn group, where the ethos seems to be very much about each of the pubs in their portfolio standing alone in its own unique environment, The Bell has a warm welcome. It’s a local pub and restaurant serving great, locally sourced food from the main menu alongside an ever changing “Specials Board” which often includes fresh fish and seasonal game. Staff have always been friendly and helpful but it is worth booking if you are going in the evening. In the daytime, particularly in the Summer months it is a really great spot to sit outside as the beer garden overlooks the village green so you can view the cricket, catch up over a chat or just watch the world go by.
Dogs are welcome in the outside areas and the bar but not in the restaurant. They also offer a choice of accommodation if you are looking for somewhere to base yourself whilst exploring the Cotswolds further.
If you had turned right at the end of your walk you would walk past The Three Horseshoes. Check their website for opening hours as they aren’t open all day, every day. Friendly dogs are welcome in the bar but they also offer a large, comfortable, dog-free lounge and a beer garden to the rear Alongside typical pub fayre you can also savour one of their famous 3 Shu pies. Each pie is made up of three different sections. The first is bubbling cauliflower/broccoli cheese, the middle is made of creamy mashed potato with vegetables folded in and the final section is a choice of one of their delicious fillings all topped with a golden puff pastry lid. Their menu is on the website. We’ve not eaten here as yet but it’s definitely on our list.
Finally if you walk past The Three Horseshoes you will reach the local cafe –Ley Bistro. It’s a fairly small cafe where we have had both coffee and cake sat outside in the Autumn sunshine and a hearty breakfast after our canal walk. They also have a lunchtime menu but seating is limited and so they cannot really cope with large walking parties.
Frampton Court:
The area surrounding the village green has been designated a Conservation Area due to the historic architecture of the buildings surrounding it not least of these being the Frampton Court Estate.
As you walk around the village green and leave The Bell behind you but continue to walk in a circular fashion you will find the entrance to the estate on your left. This was the location for our third and final walk around Frampton.
The Estate has been in the Clifford family for over a thousand years. Built in the 1730’s it is a stunning Georgian mansion house which overlooks the Grade I park and 50 acres of lakes. It’s worth checking out their website if you wish to take a walk around the gardens of the house which are open in the summer months or alternatively to view their options for weddings and parties or plush accomodation.
As you enter the property you will fairly quickly come across this map which enables you to plan a walk around the lakes.
Again wildlife abound and it is a pleasant walk on mainly gravelled lanes with views back to the Manor House and out across the lakes.
Frampton-on-Severn should definitely be added to your itinerary if you wish to get a feel for real country Cotswold life. It has so much to offer.
NB: This is the twelfth post in my series about the wonderful “Cotswolds”. This is an area of England that you really shouldn’t miss out on visiting if you are coming to the UK.
It’s full of olde world charm, history going back to the Roman era and beautiful architecture.
Check out previous posts in this series. Please don’t forget to comment and/or like.
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One of the main buildings to see is Frampton Court, a lovely place with grounds that are accessible for walking. A fantastic walk is the circular walks around the lake on the property.
Frampton court is a Georgian mansion in the village that dates from the 1730s. It’s a pleasant building to see. The family’s estate is big and has been in the Clifford family for over 1000 years. Thus it has a fascinating history starting after the Norman conquest.
A nice place for a circular walk is around the lake at Frampton Court. On the walk, you pass by the beautiful Frampton Court building. The trail takes you through some lovely farmland, on the banks of the lake, and through some woodland. Access to the walk is near to the Coffee House on the village green.
A Midlife Adventure 