Muddy Stilettos Gloucestershire

The urban guide to the countryside -

Well, hello!

I'm Sophie, editor of Muddy Gloucestershire & Worcestershire, here to bring you the quirky, cool and downright unmissable in the area.

Our curated A-Z of the grooviest local businesses

World's Most Instagrammable VillagesThis lust list of the world's most selfied villages will have you reaching for your suitcase, but can you guess which Gloucestershire village has made the grade!? Read on to find out.
Dog-friendly staysHave pooch, will travel? Here are 43 stays across the Muddy counties that are all Fido-friendly.
Holy CrepeWho knew Pancake Day could be so darn cool? We have 10 amazing things to do this Shrove Tuesday right here. It's flippin brilliant.
Vegan Spa StarFancy a glowing body and a clean conscience? Fluffy robes at the ready and oversized slides on - read our review of Cowley Manor's Vegan Spa Day.
The Half-Term Handbook - 50 Amazing ActivitiesGot the school hol sweats? You need our half-term survival guide. From Scoo-Tubers and spy days to cookery schools and 3G swings we have you covered.

Fri 28 Feb - Sun 01 March

Mon 24 Feb - Sun 01 March

February 2020

The latest handpicked businesses we think you’ll love

Holy Crepe

Cook up a storm with our fabulous guide to Pancake Day – find the best crepe-filled events, eateries and ideas near you.
- Top 50 gastropubs 2020
  
  There's only one question on our lips this week and it's whose roasted loins and perky pavlovas have got them into the gastropub hall of fame.
- 8 Best Booze-Free Bars
  
  Check out our edit of the best dry and booze-free bars in Gloucestershire
- 8 places for guilt-free grazing
  
  It's time to rock the guac! Banish the orange Twirls, evac all the Eggnog, anyone else feeling a bit stuffed? We've sourced the best places in Gloucs to eat yourself slimmer - and healthier - this January.
- Six of the best walks and pubs
  
  Great walks and great pubs for winter – and they're equally good for spring, summer and autumn. That's your Sundays sorted!

Our honest reviews of the UK’s best schools

Making plans? Find your perfect Pub, Inn, Hotel, Café, Restaurant or Bar across the Muddy counties.

World’s Most Instagrammable Villages

Which Gloucestershire village has made the grade? This lust list of the world’s most selfied villages will have you reaching for your suitcase pronto.
- A boutique masterpiece
  
  The Artist Residence in the hamlet of South Leigh, Oxfordshire with its slick styling and cleverly chosen art, is a welcome antidote to traditional Cotswolds inns. Muddy loves.
- Holiday planning? 10 European-style staycations
  
  Love a continental jaunt but staying in Blighty this year? These 10 UK holiday spots have a distinctly European feel.

Taking the leap? Propose in style

Planning on going down on one knee on 29th Feb? You GO girl! Make sure you do it in style with our brilliant edit of stylish gifts to propose with.
- 4 new season trends to try (and one to avoid)
  
  The high street is awash with new spring/summer goodies. Overwhelmed? Here's our pick of the new trends worth exploring - and how to wear them.
- 3 new online bridal collections
  
  Here comes the bride... and she's got next-day delivery! First time collections from the likes of Matches, Kitri and even the recently revitalised Warehouse.

The funniest show on TV is back

The Cotswolds is all creamy stone cottages, exquisite gastropubs and picture perfect villages, right? Erm…
- Jeeves with added (Wooster) sauce
  
  Up for some jolly japes, an avalanche of comic effects and a gentle skewering of the upper class? Then you might just love this anarchic reimagining of the P.G Wodehouse classic.
- Superflashy Newsflash
  
  09 Feb 2020
- The Alternative Valentine’s Day Guide
  
  Rip up the romance rule book and get loved up right now with our rebel guide to V-day
- Swipe left, swipe right … Earnest, is that you?
  
  03 Feb 2020

Win £2000 to kickstart your business dreams

Have a brilliant business that needs a helping hand? We’ve teamed up with business banking alternative, Tide, to offer a whopping two grand (yes, you read it right) to give you the boost you need. Competition now closed.
Kids
- The Half-Term Handbook – 50 Amazing Activities
  
  Your Half Term Survival Guide is right here - we have 50 of the most brilliant things to do with the kids across Glos and Worcs. Did someone request 3G swings, cookery classes, Scoot-tubers and cinema arvos? Your wish is our command.
- J’adore/ J’abhor
  
  Parlez-vous teen slang? The language barrier has always been a problem when it comes to parent/child communications. Do you find the way your little darlings speak totally basic or, like, lit?

The 4 funniest people on social media

Fancy a giggle? These Instagram and Twitter accounts are happy to oblige.
- Exclusive interview! Muddy meets…. Laurence Fox
  
  The actor-turned-singer has been front page news since an incendiary appearance on Question Time last week. In this exclusive interview, he talks midlife crises, death threats and groupies with Muddy's Kerry Potter.
- Q&A with writer and performer Francesca Millican-Slater
  
  Birmingham writer-performer Francesca Millican-Slater has been collecting the stories of visitors, past and present, to Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, the childhood home of William Shakespeare’s wife. You too can be part of the story.
- How to flex your life
  
  Is life an exhausting loop of sleep, work, chores, repeat? Yep. Need to make a change but not sure what or how? Er, yes. Read our interview with hot new self-help author Annie Auerbach. She has the answers!
- Muddy meets Terry
  
  Eighties skankers The Specials are back with a fab new album and a headline slot at Cornbury festival. We nabbed Terry Hall to talk shopping, selfies and his career as a barber.