Weekdays:
12 to 3pm. 6 to 11pm
Weekend: open all day
Food served:
12-2pm (Sunday 12-2.30pm)
7 - 9pm (except Sunday)
Eastleach, Near Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 3NQ Tel (01367) 850277
IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
OUTSTANDING NATURAL BEAUTY
Even by the standards of the Cotswolds, the area around Eastleach is special. Rolling hills, cut through with crystal-clear streams. Picture-postcard villages, exquisite wool churches and medieval market towns; this is an outstandingly beautiful part of England. We’ve provided links to some of the best-known attractions in the area but there are plenty of excellent websites with more details including Cotswold Gateway, Oxfordshire Cotswolds and Explore Britain.
EASTLEACH
“This is the Cotswolds of which exiles dream, ancient stones hung with wild rose and hawthorn, set in valleys of deepest green and full of the smell of cut grass.”
SIMON JENKINS, England’s Thousand Best Churches
(The opening sentence of the entry on the churches of Eastleach)
That sentence is quoted in Nicholas Allen’s Eastleach, A History of a Cotswold Village which offers a fascinating insight into the development of the twin parishes of Eastleach Martin and Eastleach Turville.
The area has been settled for at least 4,000 years, and it’s dotted with the remains of prehistoric barrows (what looks like a pile of stones may actually be an ancient burial mound).
There’s also ample evidence of Roman occupation; some is in museums like the Corinium in Cirencester or Chedworth Roman villa, but you can also see the remains of Akeman Street by taking a walk along the Leach valley.
You’ll also see continuing evidence of the wool trade which has brought this area so much wealth since Roman times and which was responsible for the construction of the elaborate “wool” churches in towns like Fairford.
Whatever time of year you visit, this is a beautiful area to explore -- with a cosy pub waiting to welcome you.
EXPLORING
Many cyclists and walkers use us as a stopping point on one of the routes through the Leach Valley. If you’re feeling less energetic, you could explore the villages of Eastleach Turville and Eastleach Martin with their twin Norman churches on either side of the River Leach. Further afield, there are delightful routes for all abilities.
