Improving health and wellbeing is not just about being active but also getting out in the great outdoors. SoGlos has teamed up with National Waterways Museum Gloucester to help readers make the most of all that Gloucestershire has to offer.
Together, we round up some of the most positive and fun ways of embracing activity to improve your mood and inject more energy into your day.
Get inspired by Gloucester Docks Activity Hub
Funded by Sport England, you can try canoeing for free from a new accessible pontoon on the Barge Arm at Gloucester Docks. You can launch your own craft from it too. The Activity Hub offers free sessions to community groups as well as free public taster sessions, which can be booked online. Choose from Canadian canoes, SUPs or kayaks. Visit canalrivertrust.org.uk to find out more.
There are also free yoga sessions on cargo vessel Sabrina 5, available to book on the Activity Hub website. Or, you can give a variety of guided walks a go to connect you to nature including wellbeing, family and history walks. The free, fun and friendly walks are a great way to be active, meet new people and discover your local area by the water.
Soak up some precious time near water
Spending time near water is great for improving health and wellbeing. Research by the Canal & River Trust has highlighted proven benefits for happiness and life satisfaction.
Why not visit a canal or riverside and reap the (free) benefits of walking along it? Saul Junction near Frampton-on-Severn is a lovely spot with a cafe to enjoy some fuel along the way. While a canal walk through Slimbridge gives great opportunities to admire waterfowl and a great variety of hedgerow species. Use the Canal & River Trust's online guide to waterway wildlife along your walk.
Discover outdoor pools
There are plenty to choose from across Gloucestershire with Cheltenham Lido, Cirencester Open Air Pool, Stratford Park Lido in Stroud, Berkeley Community Swimming Pool, Cotswold Country Park and Beach, Chipping Norton Lido and Bathurst Pool in Lydney all ready for you to make a splash.
With the range of historic lidos, outdoor swimming spots and kid-friendly splash pads there's no excuse not to get out and about for some exercise, fresh air and fun!
Let wildlife help you walk away your worries
Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust has plenty of suggestions for wonderful walks in green spaces. Why not try Greystones Farm Nature Reserve, Crickley Hill Country Park, Robinswood Hill Country Park or Lower Woods?
There are more than 40 nature reserves across the county with a wealth of flora and fauna to explore. Visit gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk to take your pick of leafy adventures to try with friends and family, or on a solitary stroll for some reflection time.
Take pride in finding all of Cheltenham and Gloucester's Lions at Large
Supported by Gloucester BID and Cheltenham BID, Lions at Large — The Pride of Gloucestershire Trail is roaring onto the streets of Cheltenham and Gloucester from Friday 11 July until Sunday 14 September 2025.
More than 30 colourful large lion sculptures and 52 adorable little cubs will pop up in Cheltenham town centre and Gloucester city centre, as well as in parks and open spaces, at a mix of stunning landmarks and interesting everyday locations. A map of locations is expected to be published very soon, so grab your family and friends and give it a go!
Stride out with women who run
Try joining a fun and relaxed Gloucester Docks-based women’s running group. The group, Some Girls Run, runs three times a week with distances covering 3K and 5K.
Blending a cheerful mix of fitness, fun, and community, the club is all about uplifting vibes, wholesome energy and making the most of the week by staying active and socialising with one another. Whether you’re pushing for a personal best or just in it for a good time, everyone is welcome. Run, chat and enjoy every step together.
Unleash your wild side with Kenbu Dojo classes
Kenbu Dojo is run by Sinéad Byrne, from Montpellier Hall, in Gloucester. Her energetic club, offers a fun, safe and nurturing environment, with a variety of activities for adults and children including a new women’s only group.
The inclusive martial arts club teaches Kenpo karate and Bujinkan to both adults and children of all abilities. Classes combine the modern sporting system with traditional Japanese martial art to develop core skills of coordination, discipline, fitness and loyalty in students of all ages. Extra activities include embracing the great outdoors with picnics in the park and camping trips.
Make some great Goals Beyond Grass
Whizzing around is a wonderful way of working up your wellbeing. Goals Beyond Grass holds five weekly inclusive cycling sessions in Gloucestershire, supported by a team of committed and trained volunteers.
Sessions are held at a variety of venues including Blackbridge Athletics Track in Gloucester, Belmont School in Cheltenham and The Forest of Dean Cycle Centre. Book a £5 session, grab a helmet, pick a bike, get comfortable and go for a ride!
Combine fresh air with uplifting art
For an inspiring and uplifting artsy afternoon in the great outdoors, Cotswold Sculpture Park in Cirencester has an array of beautifully crafted sculptures for visitors to explore amongst 10 acres of lush forest and open grassland.
Stretch your legs and take a walk through its impressive outdoor gallery — featuring works from more than 200 artists — and check out its hand-crafted stone amphitheatre, with sculptures available to purchase and a cafe with outdoor seating on site, so you can soak up the fresh air with a warming brew.
Find some focus with birdwatching
A wonderful way to connect with nature, birdwatching involves the mindfulness of being totally in the moment to identify all kinds of birdlife by sight and song and studying how they interact with their environment.
Slimbridge Wetland Centre invites keen twitchers into its hides to lookout for avian activity and offers guided birding sessions; while elsewhere in the county the RSPB nature reserves at Highnam Woods near Gloucester and Nagshead near Lydney are brilliant for spotting birdlife all year round.
Have a go at rock climbing
If heights don't faze you, hop into a harness and try rock climbing — an adrenaline-pumping pastime which not only provides an excellent workout, but a real rush of endorphins when you reach the summit.
Practice on the climbing walls at Far Peak near Northleach, or visit the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley to scale the area's limestone cliffs — with Symonds Yat being one of the best places in the whole country for rock climbing, boasting a wide range of graded routes to suit all abilities. To spend more time in the heights, check out 270 Climbing and Go Ape Forest of Dean to get your heart racing.
Hang out with some horses
Horses can bring an incredibly calming energy, whether you're up for getting into the saddle or you just enjoy being around them. Tack up and try some lessons at Stonelea Riding Centre in Minsterworth, Barton End Equestrian Centre in Stroud and Tumpy Green Equestrian Centre in Dursley.
Or experience the picturesque countryside on horseback by enjoying a hack through the Cotswolds at Cotswold Trail Riding, Forest of Dean at Severnwye Equestrian or trot along trails in the 300-year-old Cirencester Park in association with Bathurst Estate at Greenhill Equitation Centre.
Give golf a swing
Meet like-minded individuals to bond with at your local club or take yourself round a course to focus on hitting hole-in-ones.
Brickhampton Court Golf Complex in Churchdown features a TrackMan Range where golfers can practice on virtual courses, receiving insightful reports on how to improve swing and technique. For more putting inspo, check out SoGlos's hot list of glorious golf courses in Gloucestershire.
Run around with racket sports
Racket sports like tennis, squash, padel and racketball are fun, sociable and great for your physical and mental health — and you can play all four with a single rackets membership at Cheltenham's East Glos Club.
Unsure where to start? Tennis is a brilliant aerobic exercise, while squash provides a great workout in 40 minutes for the slightly more energetic — and padel is the perfect combination of the two, played in doubles on a smaller court. Meanwhile, racketball is a bit slower than squash, making it a great starting point and top choice for older players.
