Rivals Tour

Step into the glamorous yet cutthroat world of Jilly Cooper’s Rivals on this full-day filming locations tour through the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, and Bristol. Travelling by coach you’ll visit a hand-picked collection of towns, villages, and landmarks where the series came to life on screen, mixing rural beauty with high society drama.

Your adventure begins in Bristol and from here  you will head to Cheltenham, where the elegant Montpellier district and the tree-lined Promenade provided the backdrop for some of the show’s most stylish exterior shots. From there, it’s on to Stroud, a vibrant market town whose central square and historic streets capture the everyday lives of the series’ characters.

Continuing through the Cotswolds, you’ll stop at Tetbury, a picture-perfect town of honey-coloured stone shopfronts, before heading to the charming village green at Minchinhampton, both of which were used to represent key community settings in the show. These smaller villages perfectly reflect the contrast between the grand world of broadcasting empires and the quieter, rural lives interwoven into the story.

After a morning exploring, we head to Cirencester, the ‘Capital of the Cotswolds’. This historic market town played host to a number of important social scenes in the series. It’s also the perfect place to pause for lunch, with plenty of cafés and traditional pubs.

In the afternoon, the drama intensifies as you visit Chavenage House, a magnificent Elizabethan manor often used in period dramas. Its grand interiors and sweeping grounds provided the ideal setting for some of the show’s most dramatic moments. A short drive away is Painswick, known as the ‘Queen of the Cotswolds’, where the famous yew trees and quaint lanes formed the backdrop for village life on screen.

The day finishes in Bristol and Gloucester, where the production doubled parts of the city for London. Explore Bristol’s historic Clifton terraces and Old Vic Theatre district, before heading to the atmospheric Gloucester Docks, where the industrial riverside setting provided a striking contrast to the rural Cotswolds.

By the end of this full-day tour, you’ll have uncovered the real-life locations that shaped the world of Rivals, combining behind-the-scenes stories with the stunning landscapes of Gloucestershire and beyond. Whether you’re a fan of the series, Jilly Cooper’s novels, or simply want a day out in the Cotswolds, this tour offers the perfect mix of TV magic and local history.

About this tour

Rivals Tour