The Ultimate 5 Day Guide To Minchinhampton
If you have found yourself wanting to visit a new part of the Cotswolds, I highly recommend visiting Minchinhampton! Minchinhampton is a lovely market town and a civil parish in the Stroud District of Gloucestershire. The town is located on a hilltop, 4 miles south-east of Stroud. There is lots to do in and around Stroud if you fancy getting out and doing some shopping or going for a lovely long walk.
DID YOU KNOW: Minchinhampton has been linked with Nkokoto in Tanzania since 1978!
THE ULTIMATE 5 DAY GUIDE TO MINCHINHAMPTON // INCLUDING A COSY COTTAGE AND PLACES TO EAT
DAY ONE – 14TH JUNE
It was my first birthday celebrated without my brother where we’ve been to the Cotswolds which was very strange. My parents surprised me with a trip to Minchinhampton in a lovely cosy cottage. We set off mid-morning and arrived at our cottage The Rock Cottage in Minchinhampton around 6pm. We unpacked our bags and explored the cottage before heading out and getting to know the village.
We were quite hungry and went for dinner at The Crown Inn which was about a 5 minute walk from our cottage and across the road. I ordered their veggie burger and a chocolate cheesecake for desert. It’s a lovely cosy pub that gets busy quite quickly, so definitely book if you want to guarantee a table. It’s very popular with the locals and you always see the same people in there. They absolutely loved Max and they gave him lots of biscuits which obviously he loved. Their food was always delicious and they had a great range of cocktails and drinks on the menu.
DAY TWO – 15TH JUNE
It was my birthday! I came down into the kitchen to my parents making a pre-breakfast breakfast of fruit and juices. I spent the morning opening presents and cards and discussing what we would do for the day.
We then went for breakfast at Cucina Di Amalfi, which was recommended in the cottage visitors book and was only a short walk from the cottage in the village and is just down the road from The Crown Inn.
It’s owned by a lovely Italian lady and her son works there as well, her husband owns a separate restaurant in Nailsworth called Amalfi. That restaurant is more of a sit down restaurant whereas this one is like a quaint little tea room that does cooked breakfasts, Italian style tapas dishes and cakes. I ordered their smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on toast with an apple juice.
We then drove into Stroud and revisited the Shambles Market, that is one of our favourites. I wanted to find our favourite jewellery lady but sadly she was attending another market. I did come across another jewellery seller in the market hall that did lovely jewellery and I bought one of his rings. It is Sterling Silver with a solid and twisted band wrapped around each other.
Dad was on the hunt for records and visited several record stands and then found a record shop in Stroud called Klang Tone Records that was really cool. It unfortunately started to rain a little after it was so lovely and sunny so we decided to take shelter in a Tap house called Town Owl Tap House, I ordered a sour that was actually made in London. We wanted to go to their rooftop to check out but with it raining we had to resort to staying inside.
We then drove to Painswick Golf Course and went for a very LONG, wet and muddy walk. It wasn’t meant to be so long but with the terrible weather we lost our way and had to take such a long and awkward way back to the car. We got absolutely soaked and covered in mud.
After the walk, we drove back to the cottage to shower and dry off before heading out to dinner. We didn’t fancy going out too far so ended up back at The Crown Inn. It was a lovely warm evening so we started off sitting outside in the garden before sitting down at our table for dinner.
I had a few cocktails to start with ordering their Passionfruit Kiss and Pineapple Daiquiri cocktails with my meal. I ordered their flat bread with hummus to start with and then their Aubergine Parmigiana that was delicious. I then had a very interesting take on a Cosmo cocktail afterwards.
READ MORE: 5 Places To Eat In Cambridge, Cotswolds
DAY THREE – 16TH JUNE
We had breakfast quite early in the cottage before driving to Cheltenham as Dad had signed up for a half marathon at the race courses, which he wanted to do on Fathers Day. The day before we stopped at Lidl to buy picky bits for dinner, we also bought some breakfast items like bacon, pre-done pancakes and cereal. I had a couple of pancakes with berries and yogurt on the top and some toast. It was a beautiful sunny day and we spent most of the morning at the race course watching Dad run and the different things that were going on.
After the race, we drove back to the cottage and on route, we stopped and had lunch at Royal George Hotel in Birdlip. It’s quite a basic pub but the food is really good. We originally sat outside in the huge garden but then it got quite cold, so we decided to move inside. I had their scampi and chips which was really yummy and definitely filled a hole.
We have had a few rainy days and today we finally got to eat my birthday cake in the cottage courtyard that we had planned. The cottage has lovely wicker chairs and table in the garden, so it was nice to sit down and relax with some chocolate cake.
For dinner, we wanted to go out for Fathers Day but everywhere was fully booked and nowhere was open for a takeaway so we decided to have the picky bits in the cottage and watched England vs Serbia as the first group game of the Euros. We had drinks at The Crown Inn before heading back to the cottage for dinner. Max was absolutely exhausted!
DAY FOUR – 17TH JUNE
We had a nice little lay in before we had breakfast, which we had in the cottage to use up the food before we leave. Dad had read about a nice walk around the Common so we got our walking gear on and headed up out of the town and towards the Common which is filled with massive cows and is were the golf course and roads intersect.
It was quite funny, Dad was trying to get pictures of these awesome cows and one huge horned one kept following him and I just had visions of him being chased down. It is quite surreal that there are people playing golf on the Common when there are cars driving around them and cows munching on the grass and quite often end up in the road and causing a traffic jam.
At the very end of the Common is a pub called The Old Lodge, so we stopped there for drinks to get away from the cows and cool down as it was still quite warm. We sat in the garden that had loads of benches and then loads of the golf players came into the garden for drinks. It’s a Grade II listed building and was built in 1680, the inside is filled with so much history and old furniture.
We then walked back to the cottage to change and then drove to Stroud Brewery. Dad had read about the brewery and wanted to visit and we hadn’t realised how awesome it was. It took us a little while to find where it was as Google Maps was having a meltdown. You can literally spend all day there. They have so much going on and do lots of amazing food. Sadly, we visited when it wasn’t pizza day (which is on a Tuesday) but we did order and eat lots of delicious food.
We sat outside in their lovely seating area and had their yummy beetroot and feta hummus which is served with grilled sourdough focaccia bread and then baba ganoush that was also served with grilled sourdough focaccia and salad leaves and then portions of cheesy chips and plain chips on the side. It was so good! We had nice cold drinks whilst sitting in one of the outside nooks and Max was sprawled out in the sun.
We then walked along the river that is next to the brewery and took in the quirky graffiti murals and got an ice cream from them on the way back to the car. I got a strawberry ice cream from their chest freezer for the drive home because it was so warm. We popped back to the cottage and got changed for dinner, we decided to try out The Old Lodge after having drinks there earlier in the day. I had their king prawn curry with spicy clear noodles and then went for drinks at The Crown Inn. There was the most beautiful sunset over the golf course.
DAY FIVE – 18TH JUNE
We spent the morning packing up everything from the cottage and into the car. After we finished clearing out the cottage, we went for breakfast at Amalfi Di Cucina. I ordered their Veggie Full English and had an apple juice.
After breakfast, we then drove to Westonbirt Arboretum for a long walk. Mum and Dad had been there years ago and wanted to revisit and it was a lovely sunny day to spend the morning walking around the wide range of trees and plants from around the world. We wanted to go into the Old Arboretum but sadly dogs aren’t allowed there so we walked around the Silk Wood instead. We spent a few hours exploring and learning about the different trees and nature that were there and met quite a few people with cute dogs and a man with two collies who got on really well with Max.
Once we left Westonbirt, we drove to a pub called the Hare & Hounds in Tetbury and had a nice cold drink sitting outside in their garden before driving back home.
A COSY COTTAGE IN THE HEART OF MINCHINHAMPTON // THE ROCK COTTAGE REVIEW
The Rock Cottage in Minchinhampton is a lovely little cottage located on Butt Street in the middle of the town. It’s about a 5 minute walk from the local pub The Crown Inn that does amazing food and is always filled with lovely locals. There is also a local grocery store and fruit & veg market, plenty of restaurants and cafes to eat at, a charity shop and pharmacy amongst other shops you might need.
It is also a short drive from Stroud which is the next biggest town that has lots of shopping, cinema and lots of other things to do with the family and kids if you are looking for something to do. Stroud also has a lovely street market called The Shambles Market, full of stalls that sell local produce and handcrafted items. The market is every Friday and Saturday from 8am to 3pm.
All of the little details in the cottage are so well thought of to give you a comfy and cosy stay. There was lots of homely touches that made it feel like a home away from home and everything was clean and in good shape. The kitchen and dinning room were a good size without feeling too big. In the living room, there is a large sofa and two smaller arm chairs which are closer to the TV and a lovely fire in the middle with logs on the side. There is also a huge coat rack for your wet walking coats and boots. In the corner of the living room there is a small cupboard that holds a child/dog gate, an ironing board and iron and some other additional items you might need.
The bathroom is upstairs and has a decent sized shower and bath with a view over the small courtyard garden. There are plenty of small toiletries in the bathroom if you ever forget anything. On the same floor is the master and secondary bedroom that are both nice sizes and are beautifully decorated. The beds are very comfy and there is plenty of storage space in the chest of drawers and wardrobes. On the top floor is a reading nook that could easily be turned into another bedroom or area to sleep if you need more space.
Parking can be a little tricky outside of the cottage and it is normally a first come first serve basis if you can get parked before anyone else. We didn’t really have any trouble and was no more than a short walk from the cottage at worst, other times we were right outside.
Book The Rock Cottage in Minchinhampton
5 PLACES TO EAT AT IN MINCHINHAMPTON
01. The Crown Inn
The Crown Inn was the first place we visited to eat as it was only a 5 minute walk from the cottage. It had a lovely cosy feel and feels like you are in someone’s front room. They do a huge range of food and drinks to choose from including their own take on popular cocktails.
On our first visit, I ordered their Veggie Burger with melted cheese and it came with a side salad and a portion of skinny fries. I then ordered their chocolate cheesecake that was decorated with fresh berries and clotted cream. On the second visit, which was on my birthday I ordered their flat bread with hummus to start with and then their grilled Aubergine Parmigiana which was absolutely delicious. I had quite a few cocktails trying their Passionfruit Kiss, Pineapple Daiquiri and their Cosmo as well.
02. Cucina di Amalfi
We found this lovely little tea room in our village to have breakfast that was also recommended by the owners of the cottage and the visitors book. We went there first on my birthday, I ordered their smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on toast with an apple juice.
It is owned by a lovely Italian lady and her son works there as well, her husband owns a separate restaurant in Nailsworth called Amalfi which it more for dinner. This is a lovely quaint tea room that does Italian style tapas, cakes and cooked breakfasts.
On our second visit, I ordered their Veggie Breakfast that came with two vegetarian sausages, toast, baked beans, an egg cooked to your liking and two hash browns. It was really yummy and definitely hit the spot.
03. Royal George Hotel
We randomly came across The Royal George in Birdlip on our way back from Cheltenham. It is a very basic pub that also has accommodation but it’s very cosy, does good food and the staff are lovely. We originally sat outside in the garden but as the sun went it, it got a little chilly so we moved inside. It’s huge inside with lots of tables and places to sit. There are certain sections inside that allow dogs, other parts they aren’t allowed in.
To start with we ordered their salt and pepper squid with sweet chilli sauce to share. I then ordered their scampi and fries that came with tartare sauce and garden peas.
04. Stroud Brewery
My Dad found out that Stroud Brewery wasn’t that far from our cottage and wanted to visit it. It’s a very cool brewery where you can hang out, order food and try their beers and other drinks and they also have lots of community events and gatherings as well. We unfortunately missed Pizza Day but we were able to order other dishes from their in house kitchen.
We sat outside in one of their outdoor booths as it was lovely and hot. I ordered one of their ciders and we ordered a couple of dishes. We got their Beetroot and Feta hummus which comes with a grilled sourdough focaccia and also their Baba Ganoush with sourdough focaccia on the side and then a portion of cheesy chips and plain chips to share. It was absolutely delicious and definitely filled us up.
05. The Old Lodge
We visited The Old Lodge on our final full day after we had drinks in their garden the same morning. We decided to give it a try before we head home and it didn’t disappoint. It is very traditional inside with plenty of history. We sat at a table near the bar in a cosy little nook and ordered a few drinks before deciding what to have. I ordered their King Prawn curry with spicy clear noodles and it was absolutely delicious. A little on the spicy side but I was able to cope with it.
I would definitely love to go back there again!
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