#14: STROUD Roll up for a new kind of Costwolds stay

ISN’T THE COTSWOLDS RATHER TWEE?

Maybe. But while much of the Cotswolds is cream stone and quaint streets, Stroud is radical and red-brick. And what’s more, the circus is coming to town. Later this month the big top and hand-painted wagons of Giffords Circus (giffordscircus.com) will roll up and pitch up in the village of Lypiatt, three miles from Stroud, for the last few performances of 2018 – a year that celebrates the 250th anniversary of the world’s first circus. Expect velvet, ostrich plumes, music and laughter. It promises a medley of Victoriana and the Thirties with a six-piece orchestra, international troupes of acrobats, Tweedy the clown, ponies and dachshunds – not forgetting the turkey. And there’s no need to worry about welfare. With a vet, dentist, farrier, nutritionist and chiropractor all on board, the animals have better healthcare packages than most city bankers – offering the chance to see a traditional circus guilt -free.

DO I NEED TO ARRIVE WITH 12 CLOWNS

IN A MINI?

Doubtful. Stroud train station – with direct trains from London – is in the centre of town. E-cycle UK (ecycleuk. com) has electric bikes to hire, complete with panniers, perfect for the hills of Stroud’s Five Valleys.

CIRCUS? ELECTRIC BIKES? I PREFER A LONG WALK AND A G&T

Stroud has a reputation for being alternative, but there are plenty of mainstream activities. Walking, cycling, and food and drink are year-round attractions. Along the eight-mile Stroudwater navigation (cotswold canals.com) you can wander past a handful of former woollen mills (one still making baize for billiard tables). Refuel with tea and cake at Upper Lock Café (upperlock cafe.co.uk) before following the towpath to the Ocean – not the briny but a water lily-covered pond in Stonehouse, three miles away. Alternatively, turn off at Ebley wharf and go down to the village of Selsley where The Bell Inn (thebellinnselsley.com) has a choice of 97 gins. All Saints Church, One of Stroud’s main exports was red woollen cloth, known as Stroudwater

Scarlet