The 17th-century Lodge Park in the Cotswold country estate of Sherborne in Gloucestershire will play host to the first Cotswolds Living Landscape Festival on Sunday 18 September 2016 organised by the Cotswolds Conservation Board in partnership with National Trust.
The festival will mark the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and showcase the very best of the Cotswold landscape.
Visitors will be treated to a wide choice of stalls, from independent local food and craft producers to some of the Cotswold’s best craftsmen and women, providing array of options for the public to find the perfect take home item.
The Cotswolds Living Landscape Festival aims to be a great day out for families and those who enjoy the countryside and rural crafts. See the iconic Cotswold Lion sheep and watch a traditional horse logging demonstration. Local blacksmiths and hedgelayers will also be giving demonstrations throughout the day to inspire you to have a go yourself.
Finalists from the annual Cotswolds Dry-Stone Walling Competition will battle it out against each other showcasing the best of their skills at the traditional rural craft to claim the award of ‘Best Cotswolds Dry-Stone Wall 2016.’
In the Cotswold Marketplace, food and drink producers include: Ross & Ross Food, FWP Matthews, Cotswold Lion Brewery, Pie and Mighty Pies, The Little Pickle and The Tewkesbury Mustard Company. In the arts and crafts area: Lechlade Craft Barn, Alfie Purl, artist Alexandra Woods and ceramicist Pamela Shellard to name a few.
Local music acts and dancers will take to the stage celebrating the heritage and culture of the Cotswolds. Local new-age folk band FolkLaw will be headlining the festival with their exhilarating songs and music that guarantees to get your feet tapping, your face smiling and your festival-feet jumping! The group will be performing tracks inspired by the Cotswold landscape and from their forthcoming Smokey Joe album.
Hook Norton Brewery and the Cotswolds Distillery will be running the ‘ale and gin garden’ and for tea and cake while not drop into the pop-up Cotswold Lion Café.
The Cotswold Voluntary Wardens will be offering free guided walks through the beautiful setting of Lodge Park and into the stunning Cotswold landscape. There are also three walking routes from Lodge Park for visitors to explore.
Cotswold Electric Bike Tours will be running short tours from the festival site for visitors to experience their state of the art electric bikes that will help power you through the beautiful Cotswold countryside and villages. A really relaxing way to explore this area of outstanding natural beauty.
Entrance to the festival is £4 for adults and £1 for children. Entry fee also applies to National Trust members. There is an additional fee to enter the Lodge Park building. Proceeds from the festival will help the Cotswolds Conservation Board conserve and enhance the Cotswolds AONB. Dogs are welcome as long as they are kept on a lead.
There is free on-site parking available. Entrance to the festival site from the A40 between Northleach and Burford.
Organisers are still taking stall bookings. Exhibitors should come from the AONB or the wider Cotswolds counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Bath & North East Somerset, Worcestershire and Wiltshire, or be able to demonstrate a strong link with the Cotswolds AONB as organisers are keen to keep this festival local and relevant to the Cotswolds AONB landscape.