Now that the coach park in Bourton-on-the-Water has finally closed, Alan Payling suggests a visit to nearby Cirencester instead will keep tour passengers more than happy. Here he explores the traditional and historic country town where if you want to get ‘ahead,’ you can always get a cap…
Having been a bit thin on top for a few years now, in winter I have to keep my head warm and in summer I have to protect my scalp from the sun. Consequently, my choice of headgear has been a cap. It was while I was wearing a natty tweed number in Torquay that I was asked by a coach tour driver: ‘Where did you get your cap, Alan?’
“In Cirencester,” I replied.
“Oh, what were you doing in Cirencester?” the driver asked.
My reply was almost unavoidably facetious, but was the truth. “I was in Cirencester because I was buying a cap, actually.”
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I explained that having family living nearby, I have often visited the town. As a result, I became familiar with what the shopkeepers of ‘Ciren’ had to offer. And it was one of those retailers that supplied my cap and which also sums up what sort of town Cirencester is. The shop I visited is R. Scott & Co in Castle Street, just off Market Place. On their website, they say: ‘For over a century, R. Scott & Co. has been renowned for offering value, exceptional service, and a selection of the finest quality traditional clothing. Located in the centre of Cirencester, the ‘Capital of the Cotswolds,’ we have been run by the same family for four generations and are proud to be one of the oldest independent retailers in the town. Today, R. Scott & Co. continues to provide a wealth of knowledge and experience for all who appreciate courtesy and old-fashioned service.’ And that is why I went into Cirencester for a cap. Because I knew it was the sort of town that still had what used to be called gentleman’s outfitters.
Older readers will recall such shops: Dunn & Co was a leading example, So while the High Street in so many places has changed from the time when I could have bought a cap at Dunn & Co throughout the UK, that does not apply to Cirencester. It’s worth noting that Scott’s also caters for ladies, offering a range of Barbour clothing – de rigeur hereabouts, don’t you know – such as ladies’ Wilton Wellington boots in bright pink. For the record, I didn’t buy any of those.
Establishments like R. Scott & Co only seem to survive if they are located in prosperous areas, and in Cirencester and the Cotswolds you can smell the money on the breeze. This is where places like Highgrove House and Gatcombe Park and bolt holes for people like the Beckhams, the Camerons and the Clarksons are located. While retailers elsewhere have suffered, Cirencester continues to prosper as it has done since Roman times. In addition to money, there is also some history here.
The Eternal Town
If all roads in the Roman empire once led to Rome, in Roman Britain, they all led to Cirencester, or Corinium. That was partly why the town was the second largest Roman settlement in the country with some 10,000 residents. If you look at a paper map, you can still see the footprint of the Roman road network on the landscape. That’s why Cirencester was the ‘Spaghetti Junction’ of its day. Whenever you approach the town, you’ll be travelling on an old, dead straight, Roman road. Coming from Gloucester on the A417 or the A419 from Swindon, that’s the Ermin Way. Coming from Tetbury along the A433 or from Bourton-on-the Water on the A429, that’s the Fosse Way. The B4425 coming from the east, that’s Akeman Way. In fact, it’s pretty hard to get into Cirencester without travelling on a Roman road.
Visitors to the town can explore the Roman legacy by visiting the amphitheatre that is only a very short chariot ride from the town centre. It actually looks like a skate park these days but was once an 8,000 seat auditorium. Your passengers may be a bit disappointed to hear that nobody is thrown to the lions any more. Also, the fine museum in the town, the Corinium, has an impressive collection of Roman artefacts.
A beautiful market town
If Bath was a market town, it would look like Cirencester built as it is out of similar and beautiful honey coloured stone. One of the big attractions of the town is the street market held in Market Place on Mondays and Fridays. It is one of the oldest markets in the country having been mentioned in the Domesday Book. Shopping is probably top of the list as to why you would go to Ciren given the nooks and crannies that make exploring so much fun. It’s a bit like shopping in a Dickensian town, particularly if you meander along alleys like Black Jack Street. This was named not after a modern day Fagin or one of his pick-pocketing gang, but John the Baptist. Even the backstreets are blessed in Cirencester.
If your passengers want to buy traditional clothing in a very traditional town, this is the place to visit. Though I noted that while you can can buy a natty cap, you can’t buy a toga, so it’s not that traditional, which is just as well. The Cotswolds sits on high ground and while my country cap keeps my head warm in ‘Ciren,’ a toga would have let the breeze swirl into and around places that modern clothing keeps much warmer. It’s a traditional place, but not that traditional.
Coach parking
So, given that Bourton-on-the-Water has shunned coaches, what about the practicalities here in Cirencester?
Drop off in South Way. It is then a short walk to Market Place. You then park up in Old Tetbury Road where there is plenty of space. The coach park is well signposted from the ring road. And even better, it’s free. Also, just opposite the coach parking bays, you will find Cirencester Leisure Centre. If you get there for the middle of the day, there’s a good chance you will be able to have a swim. So pack your swimming togs and a towel. And if you do go for a swim, make sure you take your cap off! The water’s quite warm.
