Reviews

This blog has small reviews and links to bookings, directions, apps we used and information about the gluten free options.

Even Flossie chips in with her opinions.

Kyre Park

Meg.

Kyre Park is a privately owned parkland and garden laid out by Capability Brown. It consists of five lakes, waterfalls and follies and we spent a good hour or so exploring this gorgeous place. 

There are no staff or toilets on site, and entry is via an honesty box - suggested donation of £4.50 for adults - bargain!

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure, although dogs on leads are allowed ☹

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Skirrid Fawr

Ady & Meg.

This is a great quick walk (we completed it in 1.5h), with fantastic views on a clear day. It is undeniably 'up', so a good level of fitness is required.

The car park is easy to find as it's straight off the main road and the route itself is simple to follow. That said, due to these factors this walk does get busy, so we recommend heading out early!

 

Flossie.

I enjoyed this walk as there were plenty of sticks to play with along the way!

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Pisa Cathedral, Baptistery and Camposanto

Ady & Meg.

Believe it or not, a trip to Pisa isn't all about the Leaning Tower! Entry into the Cathedral, Baptistery and Camposanto came with our ticket to climb the tower, and they were all unexpectedly beautiful!

Keep an eye on the opening times as they are all slightly different - but we managed to fit a visit in to these, as well as climbing the tower, in a morning!

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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The Leaning Tower of Pisa

Ady & Meg.

No trip to Pisa is complete without seeing The Leaning Tower of Pisa! Admittedly most impressive from the outside, we still recommend that you take the time to climb it as you really do feel that lean as you climb the spiral staircase!

As with all tourist attractions, it does get busy, but there is a large amount of grass close to it meaning it is fairly easy to get photos without photo bombers being too distracting!

We visited early in the morning to try to avoid the crowds and were even treated to a dramatic sunrise!

Flossie. 

I wasn't invited on this adventure ☹

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ER - Pasticceria

Ady & Meg.

This completely gluten free bakery is a 25 minute walk from the Leaning Tower, but so worth it! There was so much choice, and a beautiful room to sit and eat it in.

Sadly we weren't able to buy as much as we would have liked, as we were flying home that day and the bakery only seemed to have paper bags to transport goods in. We particularly enjoyed our cream cake! 

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Grano Libero

Ady & Meg.

This 100% gluten free restaurant in Pisa was a great find! It's just a 6 minute walk from the Leaning Tower and we ended up eating there twice whilst in Pisa.

They make all of their own bread fresh daily, and we particularly loved their burger buns - if the restaurant wasn't 100% gluten free, we would have had to ask if a mistake had been made! 😂

The prices are super reasonable and the portions are huge - on both visits we were too stuffed for dessert!

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Bed & Tower

Ady & Meg.

Accomodation in Pisa is pretty cheap, and this room was no exception. It was self check-in (via many doors) and didn't have the most homely of feel... but the room was still cool and at only a 5 minute walk to the Leaning Tower we certainly couldn't complain!

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Trattoria Dal Billy

Ady & Meg.

This restaurant was actually recommended by our host - and we are so glad that we trusted him!

Due to it's rural location, it is hard to find gluten free food in Cinque Terre. At this restaurant the staff were super friendly and were able to identify two different flavours of vegetarian pasta that they could make gluten free. And were more than happy to serve it with potatoes and cheese as that is what Meg fancied! 😂 For those of you who eat fish, all of the fish dishes could also be made gluten free.

And just look at that view we had with dinner 😍

Flossie 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Nessun Dorma

Ady & Meg.

What a view to enjoy 'aperitivo' with! 😍

Their website states that this is only served from 4:45pm and you need to join the queue for a table via their app - we did so at 3pm and were seated immediately - perhaps we were just lucky?

Nessun Dorma is best known for their pesto making experience, and have plenty of good reviews for making this gluten free - we were therefore quite confused to find that the staff really struggled to identify a gluten free drink for us. 

Bar this, it was a lovely place to enjoy a drink or two 🙂

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Via dell'Amore

Ady & Meg.

Via dell'Amore (or Path of Love) is a famous paved walkway connecting the villages of Riomaggiore and Manarola. It costs to use it (tickets can be brought at either train station) and as we were staying in Manarola we got a large discount. 

The walkway is fairly flat, making it an excellent option to see amazing cliff and sea views if you aren't feeling energetic enough to complete the hiking trails. 

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Manarola

Ady & Meg.

The main viewpoint in Manarola is the one that tends to be used on the postcards, and is the one that we will remember the most from our time exploring Cinque Terre. 

We used Manarola as our base, and it was so nice to be able to see it during the early mornings / later evenings when the crowds died down. 

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Gelateria Sorbetteria 5 Terre

Ady & Meg.

This lovely gelateria is 100% gluten free, with lots of lactose free and vegan options! We really enjoyed our crepes (which were huge!) and homemade cannoli. 

Unfortunately due to their opening hours (during the middle of the day only when we were there) we did not get to use this place as much as we would have liked, but they are perfect for if you are in Manarola on a day trip.

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Corniglia

Ady & Meg.

Corniglia is known for being the quietest of the five villages in Cinque Terre - no doubt due to the sheer number of steps that you need to tackle to leave the train station! Admittedly we were not on top form on the day that we visited here, but after climbing the 382 steps out of the train station, we were definitely in need of a rest!

The views are nice, and it was good to avoid the crowds - but if you are short of time, we would recommend skipping this one and moving on to one of the other villages.

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Vernazza

Ady & Meg.

We absolutely loved Vernazza! It has great viewpoints both from the natural harbour and from higher up the cliff, and we could have easily spent longer exploring it's narrow winding streets. 

There is also a castle here, but unfortunately it was closed when we visited. 

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Monterosso al Mare

Ady & Meg.

Monterosso al Mare is the largest of the five villages and is the only one which has a sandy beach (although it was far too cold for that the day that we went! 🥶😂) 

It also has the most amenities of all of the villages - we did not base ourselves here, but it would be a sturdy choice, especially if looking for more of a beach holiday. 

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Riomaggiore

Ady & Meg.

When travelling from La Spezia, the first of the five villages that you will reach is Riomaggiore. It is the second largest of the five villages and both the main street and the viewpoint are accessed via a tunnel from the train station. We also recommend taking the short walkway around the coast from the harbour - the waves were very strong on the day that we went, so prepare to get wet! 

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Il Discovolo

Ady & Meg.

Being more rural, it was harder to find gluten free food in Cinque Terre compared to the Italian cities that we had visited previously. We were therefore thrilled to hear that this place stocked gluten free pizza. 

When we arrived, we were greeted by the shop owner who was very helpful in explaining which items were gluten free and the measures he takes to avoid cross contamination. Sadly there was no pizza, just some bread with pesto on it.

Unfortunately, although safe, the food was not very nice - so bad in fact, that we put it in the bin. 

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Ca' del Monica

Ady & Meg.

This was such a great base for exploring Cinque Terre! It was just a 5 minute walk from the train station and a 10 minute walk to the best view in Manarola, yet was still so quiet! The room was very comfortable and it had a great shower.

Our host was also super lovely - he met us on the main square when we arrived and showed us to our room (note, you have to walk up a lot of steep steps, something you'll need to get used to if visiting Cinque Terre 🤪) and even arranged dinner for us at a great restaurant for the following night. 

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Piazza della Repubblica

Ady & Meg.

This was such a cute find! This piazza marks the centre of Florence and it was so lovely to see the carousel lit up and listen to the live music. 

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Ciro and Sons

Ady & Meg.

Oh we so wanted to love this place!

We'll start with the positives - the restaurant was vibrant, clearly very popular and the staff were attentive and appeared to be confident in providing gluten free food...

But unfortunately, Meg got extremely sick just 2 hours after eating here. Now as every coeliac knows, we don't intentionally eat gluten, and of course we can't prove it unless someone owns up to the mistake. But that said, we both ate the same meals (and remember, Ady is not Coeliac) and Ady did not get ill - effectively ruling out food poisoning / a bug. 

Again we can't be sure which item it was, but we couldn't help but notice that the same items we ordered went to a table who ordered after us (but got their food before us) and our pizza (which we had asked to come after our pasta) arrived before - clearly there was a lapse in communication there.

Then there was the pudding - a chocolate souffle labelled gluten free on the menu we were given at the restaurant, yet not labelled gluten free on the menu online when we checked afterwards - which is it?

Obviously as always, please use your own judgement - this is a restaurant which contains gluten and we completely appreciate that it's often the staff member that you deal with who makes the experience. Unfortunately on this occasion, we simply cannot recommend this restaurant. 

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Giardino Delle Rose

Ady & Meg.

We stumbled across this Rose Garden whilst walking down from Piazzale Michelangelo, and we thought it was great for a freebie! We were a little too early to see the Roses in bloom, but we think this garden will be simply beautiful when they are!

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Basilica Di San Miniato

Ady & Meg.

We walked up to this Basilica to see the view from the cemetery rather than the Basilica itself. As you can see from the photos, the journey was not a wasted one! It was A LOT quieter here than at Piazzale Michelangelo, so we can't help but feel that this would be a nicer setting to see sunset from...

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Bottega Artigiana del Gusto

Ady & Meg.

Following being spoilt with gluten free bakeries in other european cities, we were disappointed to learn that Florence only had the one gluten free bakery, and that it was quite far out of town. This one was definitely worth the travel though!

We travelled there using "AppTaxi" - we found that this app worked better than Uber and Free Now and it used the two main taxi firms in Florence. It was only about a 15 minute drive / 50 minute walk each way, but we had a packed schedule whilst in Florence. 

When we arrived, we couldn't believe the size of the place - it was part bakery, part shop, and seemed to have pretty much every gluten free product your heart could desire, from pizzas/pastries/cakes to dried pasta and on-the-go bars! The staff were more than happy to explain what everything was and were incredibly patient whilst Meg (who was completely overwhelmed!) picked her items. We particularly enjoyed the doughnuts and profiteroles!

The bakery also has a couple of tables so that you can sit in and enjoy your treats, and package anything you take away sensibly (it's amazing how many bakeries will put a cream cake in a paper bag rather than a box!). 

We 100% recommend you visit this place!

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

Ady & Meg.

You cannot visit Florence without getting at least a glimpse of Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. The ticket we brought covered climbing the Dome and the tower and visiting the inside of the cathedral, crypt, baptistery and museum. The ticket allowed us to visit these over 3 days, but we did it all (bar the museum) in one day. 

The only activity which had a set time slot was climbing the Dome, which was booked for 8:15am. We arrived early to have photos taken outside of the cathedral without the crowds (this area gets extremely busy during the day) and arrived at our meet point to find a sign which stated that it wasn't opening until 9:45am. As we had booked a time slot and had not received any communication to the contrary, we stayed put. Eventually a member of staff came over to reiterate the message on the sign (to us and many other people with the same time slot), and when we said we had not received an alternative booking time we were told that we could enter at any time - definitely not the message on the confirmation email. As everything else was still closed, we decided to wait and, following an incredibly steep and often narrow climb, ended up being the first to reach the top of the Dome (closely followed by the huge queue of people behind us about 60 seconds later). The views up there were stunning, and well worth the climb.

Next we climbed the tower, which seemed a little easier compared to the Dome (it is somewhat shorter). Again the views from here were nice, but covered by a safety cage, so we definitely preferred the Dome. We couldn't help but feel that the tower should be done before the Dome, for this reason?

Next we entered the Cathedral and Crypts, which we were fairly disappointed with as they were nowhere near as beautiful as the outside of the Cathedral (note, you can enter the Cathedral for free without a ticket, but the queue is significantly longer).

Finally we entered the Baptistery, which was small and unfortunately had scaffolding on the inside, so there wasn't a lot to see. 

Overall, if you are short of time we would recommend getting to the Cathedral early to see it's exterior without the crowds, and then getting a ticket to climb the Dome, as these are the areas which have the wow factor. 

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Sgrano

Ady & Meg.

We visited this restaurant having actually planned to go to it's sister restaurant 'Osteria dello Sgrano gluten free', which was unfortunately closed. 

This restaurant had a very relaxed menu, mostly of focaccia, and we saw many other customers get takeaway rather than eating in. We opted to share 'Coccoli' (fried dough balls) and a focaccia, and this was plenty for us, making it excellent value. 

Being 100% gluten free made it very safe, and the waiter was more than happy to help us with the menu. We weren't the biggest fans of the coccoli (they were a bit greasy for us), but still great to be able to try something a bit different. 

We would definitely recommend this restaurant for a lunch stop / grab and go food!

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Piazzale Michelangelo

Ady & Meg.

This is a stunning free view out over Florence. That said, because it is free and requires next to no walking to get there (although we did walk), it is also very popular. 

We visited this viewpoint twice whilst in Florence. Both times there was a busker, a few stalls and some scammers doing the classic "cup and ball" scam 🙄 up there, but we found sunset (as opposed to early afternoon) to be A LOT busier - so if you want a good spot, we would recommend arriving early!

 

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Villa Bardini

Ady & Meg.

We got free entry to these gardens with our entry to Boboli Gardens. Although the views over the city were nice, we are glad that we didn't pay for entry as there wasn't a lot there. 

As an attempt to extend our visit, we went to their outside cafe hoping to have 'aperitivo' (a popular Italian Tradition of having a late afternoon alcoholic drink prior to dinner) but unfortunately found the staff to be fairly unhelpful when it came to identifying a gluten free beverage.

Perhaps these gardens would be nicer slightly later in the year, when the flowers have bloomed?

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Boboli Gardens

Ady & Meg.

Boboli Gardens is a huge hillside garden with amazing views out over Florence on a good weather day. The paths are clear, but often steep/slippery, so decent footwear is advised. 

We spent a couple of hours wandering around here looking at the views and sculptures, but you could easily spend longer if taking it at a more relaxed pace.

With our entry here, we also got free entry into Villa Bardini Gardens, which is just a few minutes walk away. 

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Cortese Cafe

Ady & Meg.

We stumbled across this awesome patisserie whilst walking from Ponte Vecchio bridge to Boboli Gardens. It is 100% RAW, Vegan, Gluten free and Organic and the staff were very sweet. 

Having already just had a pudding, Meg opted for a pistachio ice-cream, complete with gluten free cone - delicious!

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Mister Pizza

Ady & Meg.

Mister pizza has two branches and we visited the one right opposite the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, making it a very easy lunch stop.

Even though this is a gluten containing restaurant (with an seemingly small kitchen as far as we could see), the website makes the bold statement of 'zero contamination' due to their separate preparation area, oven and coloured plates - we felt very safe.

When our pizzas arrived, they were huge! And honestly did not look that different from the gluten containing ones (bar ours arrived with a gluten free flag). It was definitely the best pizza that we had in Florence!

We visited this lovely pizzaria on a Thursday lunchtime and we couldn't believe how busy it was - we definitely recommend booking a table!

Obviously as always, please use your own judgement - this is a restaurant which contains gluten and we completely appreciate that it's often the staff member that you deal with who makes the experience. On this occasion, we were very satisfied customers. 

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Torre di Arnolfo

Ady & Meg.

Torre di Arnolfo is the tower of Palazzo Vecchio and you can buy tickets to this without going in to the museum itself. We brought our tickets on the door (which worked well as our trip to The Accademia was a lot shorter than anticipated) and had free use of the onsite lockers (again, a nice treat after how the Accademia had treated us 😂)

We really enjoyed climbing the tower and the views from the top were amazing. We definitely recommend that you do this whilst in Florence. 

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Piazza Della Signoria

Ady & Meg.

This historic Plaza is known as the 'political heart of the city' and we enjoyed looking at the monuments and impressive fountain. We didn't spend long here, but did visit several times due to its location and proximity to other attractions. 

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze

Ady & Meg.

We certainly feel that this was an experience that we will never forget - for all the wrong reasons! 😂

We booked online for entry at 8:15, and arrived a little earlier than this. When we arrived the gallery was closed and there were not any queues forming yet. When a member of staff arrived to start arranging the places for people to queue, we (and the other 8:15 arrivals who has since arrived) were told to stand on the other side of the pavement, away from where they were setting up the queuing areas. As time went on, more people arrived, with 8:15s continuing to be told to stand to the side, whilst later arrivals got into the actual queuing area. However, when it came time to enter, the staff let the people in the queuing area in first, before the people who had been told to stand to the side?

Letting that one go, our next battle was to get through Security. As we went through the door, we saw a small sign saying we could  not take big bottles of water in. Being used to other galleries having cloakrooms, we were shocked to be told that we had to throw all of our water bottles (we had packed to be out for the whole day) in the bin! 

Once that saga was over, we scanned our tickets and were just heading through into the gallery itself when we were called back and accused of not throwing away all of our water (we had). We were yet again searched, and the staff then told us that they would store our can of Red Bull under the desk - why couldn't they have done that with the water / our bags if it were such a big deal?!

Finally we were allowed entry into the gallery and to be honest, we found it completely underwhelming, especially considering the price. The highlight of the gallery was of course Michelangelo's David, but even that failed to impress us. We wondered if these feelings were due to our issues at entry, but having spoken to other tourists they too reported dissatisfaction. 

You may feel that seeing Michelangelo's David is a must whilst in Florence, but we wouldn't recommend spending much time here - even with the drama at Security, a toilet break and walking around there twice, we were in and out in 45 minutes!

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Ponte Vecchio

Ady & Meg.

Ponte Vecchio is the oldest and most photographed bridge in Florence, and you can see why! The bridge itself is covered in shops, so is actually nicest to see from afar.

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Ristorante Quinoa

Ady & Meg.

This restaurant is only a few minutes walk from Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore and was a great find! It's 100% gluten free, and such a pretty restaurant. The menu didn't contain pizza and had limited pasta options, yet still had a lot of vegan options which made for a new change. Although it was the most expensive meal that we had in Florence, it was definitely worth it!

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Martelli 6 Suite & Apartments

Ady & Meg.

This hotel is located perfectly for exploring Florence, as it is literally around the corner from the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. As a result, we were able to walk to all the landmarks we wanted to visit. 

The hotel itself was clean and comfortable, with staff on the front desk during the day. They were also able to hold your luggage outside of check in / check out times, but we did not need this on this occasion.

It could be a bit noisy in the very early hours of the morning, as our room overlooked a street which is pedestrianised during the day, meaning that lorries did their deliveries overnight. 

But overall, the location of this hotel alone made up for it and we absolutely recommend staying here. 

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Leon at Stansted Airport

Ady & Meg.

Leon have branches all over the UK, with a focus on healthy fast food. Safe gluten free food tends to be limited at airports, so we were thrilled to find that London Stansted had a Leon!

It was breakfast time when we were airside and looking for food before our flight, so this was a new menu to Meg (usually opting for the gluten free chicken nuggets and waffle fries!). The staff member here was incredibly helpful, identifying the breakfast items which were naturally gluten free and talking us through the procedures that all branches of Leon put in place to avoid cross contamination. Like all other branches of Leon visited previously, he reassured us that although there was gluten in the kitchen, they were very careful and we were safe. We thoroughly enjoyed our veggie breakfast boxes and hash browns!

When in Arrivals following our return flight however, the experience was not quite as welcoming. It was around 6pm and Meg was hoping for a snack for the drive home. As before she spoke to a member of staff who just kept repeating "we cannot avoid cross contamination" and when Meg asked why they don't follow the same procedures as all other branches of Leon he said that they did, but it was his job to inform me that they can't avoid cross contamination. 

We suspect that this was a misunderstanding, but it is interesting to find that customer service is so different in two branches located so close together! Obviously as always, please use your own judgement - this is a restaurant which contains gluten and as you can see from the above it's often the staff member that you deal with who makes the experience.

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Radisson Blu

Ady & Meg.

If you live a little way from the airport, booking a hotel the night before (and/or after) your flight is a great way to ease the stress of getting to the airport on time. 

We needed car parking for the duration of our holiday, and found this package to be super easy. We first drove to the Long Stay car park (which is where our car stayed, taking the keys with us), got the free shuttle bus to the terminal (the bus takes about 15 minutes and run every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day), and then from the terminal it was a 3 minute walk to the hotel. 

We checked-in to the hotel, grabbed a drink at the bar, and went to bed knowing that all we had to do in the morning was get up and walk the 3 minutes back to the terminal to catch our flight - easy! 

The hotel itself was clean, comfortable and relatively quiet - all we needed to get our holiday off to a great start!

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Brown Clee Hill

Meg.

This is a lovely walk with stunning 360 degree views during most of the route. The parking is easy, although there isn't much of it, so I'd recommend you get there early. The route is fairly steep, but once at the top the views are well worth the climb. 

The walk first took us through some fields which were fairly muddy, but once at the top it was tarmac the whole way, visiting the old quarry and the toposcope. There were some free roaming sheep on the route, so I'd recommend keeping dogs on leads. 

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Leckhampton Hill

Meg.

This is a great walk with fantastic views on a nice day. The climb up from the carpark (doing the route anti-clockwise) is not for the faint hearted, and I can imagine it would be very slippery after some rain - definitely better to climb up it rather than slip down it!

The route visits 'Devil's Chimney', a man-made pillar cut out from the quarry, named due to it looking like a crooked and twisted chimney rising from the ground. Once at the top, your efforts are rewarded with lovely views, and it's a fairly easy walk back to the carpark.

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Paddy & Bear Coffee Shop

Meg.

This was such a great find! Hidden at the back of Brockworth Garden Centre, this coffee shop has a great selection of gluten free goodies!

As per usual process, I contacted them beforehand to check that they could handle my dietary requirement, and was relieved when they quickly explained their procedures around storing gluten free items separately and using separate tongs, knives and boards. They can even do coeliac-safe toasties by cooking them in the paper to avoid cross contamination! I thoroughly enjoyed my gluten free rainbow cake - what a treat! 

Obviously as always, please use your own judgement - this is a restaurant which contains gluten and I completely appreciate that it's often the staff member that you deal with who makes the experience. On this occasion, I was a very satisfied customer.

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure, but dogs are welcome!

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Tortworth Lake

Meg.

This is a great walk, with gorgeous views on a nice day. I believe the car park belongs to a cafe - it was closed on the day that we went (a Sunday), but please do consider pairing your walk with a visit to the cafe, if you can.

We went here with the main aim of visiting Tortworth Lake. It is predominantly closed to the public, but opens on the first Sunday of the month between February and October. When we arrived at the lake, we were shocked at how busy it was - not our scene at all! If you are looking for an easier walk, you can absolutely park at the lake and circle it within an hour. 

The best part of the walk (in our opinion) was actually the far reaching views towards the end of the walk - well worth the short climb to the top of the field! 😍

If you choose to do this walk on a day that the lake is closed, you can easily cut the lake off and continue on the route as normal.

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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The Patisserie Box - Gloucester Services Northbound

Meg.

Following reading about this place on a Coeliac page on Facebook, I decided to go and check it out for myself. 

The Patisserie Box are a Cheltenham based company, with many of their products available for delivery locally and with a stall at Gloucester Services. 

As you can see from the link to The Patisserie Box website above, the company have an offering of both gluten containing and non-gluten containing treats, and of the non-gluten containing ones there are no 'may contain gluten' warnings (but there is a may contain for things like nuts). 

I was therefore disappointed when I arrived at Gloucester Services and saw a 'made in a kitchen that handles most major allergens' warning. I asked to speak to a member of staff, and I was told that it was company policy for the team leader to deal with anyone with an allergy. 

The team leader told me that due to their handling (and as you can see from the photos - front of house storage), they were unable to confirm that any item was free from any allergen. We went on to have a really good discussion about how easy it would be for Gloucester Services to make changes to reduce the chance of cross contamination (such as storing gluten-free items separately, and offering coeliac customers a fresh item from out the back (which I had, and had no adverse reactions).

I really hope that they will consider taking my advice. 

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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Westridge Wood and Brackenbury Camp Hillfort

Ady & Meg.

This is a great moderate walk with a good mix of views and woodland. The highlights are visits to Tyndale Monument, which you can pay £1 to climb if you are feeling energetic enough (the spiral staircase is also incredibly tight! ) and Wotton Hill. From both of these, you can see for miles on a clear day!

The Forest paths were incredibly muddy when we went, but hopefully these will dry up as the summer progresses. We also found parts of this walk to be pretty busy with dog walkers, so we would recommend going early if you would prefer a more peaceful walk! 

Flossie.

I enjoyed this walk as there were plenty of sticks to play with.

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The Hunters Inn

Ady & Meg.

This is an incredibly mixed review - so much so, that we really struggled to give it a rating above.

Let's start with the positives - easy to find, great 'pub feel', good service and everyone enjoyed their meals (a coeliac, a vegetarian and some 'muggles').

Now onto the not-so-positive. Firstly, there was no meal that was both gluten-free and vegetarian (Luckily Ady only eats gluten-free in order to keep Meg safe, so opted for the vegetarian sausage, chips and gravy. Meg can eat meat, so opted for the GF fish and chips).

Secondly, we learnt after ordering a couple of gluten free desserts that they were actually not gluten free. Obviously thank goodness the waitress/kitchen staff double checked and let us know (Meg had of course made the staff aware that she was Coeliac), but this was of course very disappointing, and a worry for people who would trust the menu and not make the waitstaff aware of their dietary requirement. It has also caused us to question what else on the menu was labelled incorrectly...

We have of course recommended that the pub amend their menus, but it is also a reminder to us all to double check. 

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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The Globe Inn

Ady & Meg.

We love this friendly village pub! The chef is so accommodating to our needs, always ensuring cross contamination is avoided by having a separate fryer for chips and wiping down the surfaces before preparing our food. And how many places to do you know where the chef makes gluten free lasagne from scratch?! 😍

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure, but dogs are allowed here ☹

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Honest Burger

Ady & Meg.

We absolutely LOVE Honest Burger! This chain has multiple branches across the UK, each providing the standard menu and then a couple of 'Specials' specific to the location. 

The entire menu can be gluten free by just exchanging the bun (which they don't charge extra for), which means that yes, their onion rings, fried chicken and three different varieties of veggie burger are also naturally gluten free!

The kitchen also takes full precautions to ensure that our options aren't cross contaminated - This place is a must visit!

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

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