Dursley

Dursley is a small market town at the foot of the western Cotswold escarpment in south Gloucestershire, with a character shaped by its history as a cloth and engineering town. The town sits in a bowl formed by the surrounding hills, with Stinchcombe Hill rising dramatically to the north and the Cotswold scarp providing a spectacular backdrop to the west. The Cotswold Way long-distance footpath passes over Stinchcombe Hill just above the town, making Dursley a practical base for escarpment walking.

The market place at the centre of the town is dominated by the ornate Market House, built in 1738 in a baroque style with a statue of Queen Anne set in a niche on the front elevation. The building was paid for largely by public subscription and remains one of the most architecturally ambitious market buildings in the Cotswolds. The Church of St James stands behind the market place with a fine medieval tower.

Dursley's local pub culture deserves particular mention. The Old Spot in the market place — named after the Gloucestershire Old Spot pig breed — has won the CAMRA National Pub of the Year award and is considered one of the best real ale pubs in England. The surrounding countryside, particularly Stinchcombe Hill and the escarpment walks towards Wotton-under-Edge, offers some of the finest views in south Gloucestershire.