Excellence Luxury Villas · Gloucestershire
Luxury Holiday Houses in Gloucestershire
Honey-stone cottages, lakeside houses and country manors, from the high Cotswolds to the Forest of Dean
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Wool towns, deep valleys and an ancient forest
Gloucestershire holds the greater part of the Cotswolds, and with it the villages most people picture when they think of rural England: golden limestone, steep-roofed barns and churches built on medieval wool money. It's not all postcards, though. To the west, beyond the Severn, the Forest of Dean is older, wilder and much quieter, and Cheltenham brings Regency terraces and the most famous week in jump racing.
Our Gloucestershire collection runs to 220+ properties. You'll find two-bedroom cottages in Winchcombe and Bourton-on-the-Water, houses beside the lakes south of Cirencester, and manors with pools and tennis courts large enough for three generations.
Here's where to stay, what to see and when to come.
Gloucestershire at a glance
- Properties
- 220+ cottages, houses and manors, with up to 17 bedrooms
- Guide prices
- Typically £2,600 to £7,900 a week, from around £2,100
- Best areas
- The North Cotswolds, Cirencester and the Cotswold Lakes, Painswick and the Stroud valleys, the Forest of Dean
- Highlights
- Gloucester Cathedral, Sudeley Castle, Westonbirt Arboretum and the Cheltenham Festival each March
- Getting there
- Direct trains from London Paddington to Kemble, Stroud, Cheltenham Spa and Moreton-in-Marsh; Bristol and Birmingham airports
Browse all 220+ properties in Gloucestershire
Villa numbers and guide prices are updated daily from our live collection.
Manor Cotswold Winchcombe: Stunning 15-Bedroom Manor with Pool & Tennis Court – Winchcombe15 bedrooms
Cotswold Manor Estate United Kingdom11 bedrooms
House Lysias Hatherley Cheltenham: Luxury 9-Bedroom House with Swimming Pool & Tennis Court – Cheltenham9 bedrooms
Manor Thames Faringdon: Luxury 5-Bedroom Apartment with Hot Tub & Pool – Faringdon5 bedroomsWhere to stay in Gloucestershire
Bourton-on-the-Water and Stow-on-the-Wold for the classic North Cotswolds, Cirencester and Somerford Keynes for the lakes and an easy run from London, Painswick for the wooded valleys, Cheltenham for town life, and the Forest of Dean for walking and wild country.
Low bridges, market squares and a queen's tomb
Bourton-on-the-Water has the River Windrush running shallow through its centre under a row of low stone bridges. Come early or late in the day and you'll have it largely to yourself. Stow-on-the-Wold, a few miles up the hill, is a market town of antique shops and old coaching inns, and the north door of St Edward's Church is framed by two ancient yews.
Winchcombe is less visited and better for it. Sudeley Castle, on the edge of town, is where Katherine Parr is buried, and the ruins of Hailes Abbey are a short walk away. Temple Guiting and the villages around it are about as quiet as the Cotswolds get.
Browse houses in Stow-on-the-Wold
A Roman capital and a county of lakes
Cirencester was Corinium to the Romans, and the Corinium Museum has some of the finest mosaics in Britain. The parish church, paid for by the wool trade, is as grand as many cathedrals. In summer there's polo in Cirencester Park.
Just south of the town are the Cotswold Lakes, formerly the Cotswold Water Park: around 180 lakes left behind by gravel extraction, spread across the Gloucestershire and Wiltshire border. Families come for the sailing, paddleboarding and open-water swimming, birdwatchers for the winter wildfowl. Somerford Keynes and South Cerney sit right among the lakes, and Cricklade lies just across the Wiltshire border.
Browse houses in Cirencester
Steep valleys and the forest beyond the Severn
The country around Stroud is a different Cotswolds, with deep wooded valleys, old cloth mills and a well-known Saturday farmers' market. Laurie Lee grew up in the Slad valley, the setting of Cider with Rosie. Painswick, on a ridge above it, has a churchyard of clipped yews and the Rococo Garden, which is carpeted with snowdrops in late winter.
Across the Severn, the Forest of Dean feels very different again. You can see the mossy gorges of Puzzlewood, the old iron mines at Clearwell Caves, the Sculpture Trail and the view from Symonds Yat Rock over a great loop of the Wye.
Browse houses in the Forest of Dean
Double Gloucester, the Gold Cup and the autumn colour
Gloucestershire eats well. Look for Double Gloucester and Single Gloucester cheese, Old Spot pork, perry made from local pears, and good pubs in almost every village. Cheltenham hosts its Festival in March, ending with the Gold Cup, and a literature festival in October. On the late May bank holiday, competitors chase a cheese down Cooper's Hill, which is exactly as unwise as it sounds.
Spring and summer are best for long walks and the lakes. October brings the colour at Westonbirt Arboretum, and winter is the season for log fires. Our concierge can book festival tickets, restaurant tables, private chefs and transfers from the station.
Ask our conciergeFeatured properties in Gloucestershire
House Helm Greet Winchcombe: Charming 5-Bedroom Villa with Private Pool – Winchcombe5 bedrooms · sleeps 12From £17,535 a week
Manor Cotswold Painswick: Spacious 9-Bedroom Apartment with Pool – Gloucestershire9 bedrooms · sleeps 24From £16,681 a week
Wilfred Manor & The Country Stables United Kingdom17 bedrooms · sleeps 34From £16,112 a week
Orchard Manor | 8-Bedroom Manor in Chipping Campden Ebrington8 bedrooms · sleeps 16From £15,762 a week
River Severn Mansion Estate United Kingdom12 bedrooms · sleeps 24From £15,302 a week
Manor Cotswold Gloucestershire: Luxury 6-Bedroom House with Hot Tub & Tennis Court – Gloucestershire6 bedrooms · sleeps 12From £15,204 a week
Cotswold Barn United Kingdom5 bedrooms · sleeps 10From £15,050 a week
Wilfred Manor United Kingdom13 bedrooms · sleeps 26From £14,647 a weekWhy book your house in Gloucestershire with Excellence Luxury Villas
The right house, not the nearest one
Gloucestershire covers busy Cotswold villages, lakeside estates and remote forest hamlets, so we know which houses are within a stroll of a good pub and which are properly secluded. With 220+ properties in Gloucestershire, we can usually find the house that suits you rather than the one that happens to be free. Search by size, pool, location and price, or tell us what you have in mind and we will put together a shortlist.
Book direct
You book with us directly, with no booking fees. Questions about access, parking, pool heating or how far it really is to the nearest beach go to people who can find out the answer.
A concierge who knows the territory
Cheltenham Festival tickets, private chefs, restaurant and pub reservations, paddleboarding and sailing on the Cotswold Lakes, guided walks, and transfers from Kemble, Cheltenham Spa or Bristol airport. Our concierge team arranges all of it, leaving you free to decide which terrace to sit on.
A house for every kind of party
Couples, families with small children, three generations together or a crowd of friends celebrating a birthday: we match the house to the group, down to the number of bathrooms and whether the pool is fenced.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the best place to stay in Gloucestershire?
Bourton-on-the-Water and Stow-on-the-Wold suit a classic Cotswold stay. Cirencester and the Cotswold Lakes are good for families and are the easiest to reach from London. Painswick and the Stroud valleys are quieter and greener, and the Forest of Dean is best for walking and woodland.
When is the best time to visit Gloucestershire?
May to September is best for walking, gardens and the lakes. October brings autumn colour at Westonbirt Arboretum and the Cheltenham Literature Festival, and March is Cheltenham Festival month, so book early if you plan to race.
What is the Cotswold Water Park?
It's a network of around 180 former gravel pits, now known as the Cotswold Lakes, spread across the border with Wiltshire south of Cirencester. You can go sailing, paddleboarding and swimming there, or walk the lakeside paths and nature reserves.
Can you arrange a private chef at a house in Gloucestershire?
Yes. Our concierge can arrange a private chef for a single dinner or your whole stay, along with cookery lessons, guided visits, transfers and restaurant reservations.
How much does a luxury propertie in Gloucestershire cost?
Across our 220+ properties in Gloucestershire, weekly rates typically range from £2,600 to £7,900, with the most affordable from around £2,100 a week and the largest estates well above. Prices depend on the size of the property, its location and the season, with July and August the most expensive. These are guide prices based on current listings; each property page shows its own rates for your dates.
How do I get to Gloucestershire?
Direct trains run from London Paddington to Kemble (for Cirencester), Stroud, Cheltenham Spa and Moreton-in-Marsh. Bristol and Birmingham are the nearest major airports, and the M4 and M5 give easy access by road.
Are there houses in Gloucestershire for large groups?
Yes. Our Gloucestershire collection includes properties with up to 17 bedrooms. Tell us the size of your party and the occasion, and we will send a shortlist that suits it.
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Find your house in Gloucestershire
220+ Gloucestershire houses, from Cotswold cottages to manors for the whole family, with our concierge on hand