Nestling
at the foot of Cleeve Hill, the highest point of the Cotswolds,
Cheltenham enjoys a beautiful location .
Surrounding the town are the picturesque villages of the Cotswolds
and the Severn Vale, historic castles and churches, beautiful
gardens and stately houses and rural landscapes unrivalled in
their charm and tranquillity .
Echoing
around the medieval walls of the Great Hall at the Hotel De La
Bere in Cheltenham is the story of an American tourist doing "The
Heart of England". When he returned to his wife who was resting
at the hotel he exclaimed: "Honey, I have walked the length of
the Promenade at Cheltenham and darned if I spot the sea". It
was water of a different kind, however, that made Cheltenham
famous.
Over two hundred years ago, it
was King George III, residing at the spa town for a month to
take the waters and recover from a bilious attack, who made the
town fashionable. The Royal seal of approval brought the rich
and famous of the time to Cheltenham and it became known as the "merriest
sick resort on earth".
The spa waters can still be taken
at the Pittville Pump Room. Pittville, is set in rolling parkland
and must be one of the most enjoyable places to spend a Sunday.
Every Sunday from May to the end of September, the Pump Room
opens its doors to tasty Sunday brunches, afternoon cream teas,
live music in the bandstand and horse drawn carriage rides round
Regency Cheltenham .
Spa towns have long been associated
with health, leisure and well-being, none more so than Cheltenham.
With the pace of modern life becoming more hectic, the allure
of a break in a Spa town is becoming more appealing. The traditional
water treatments of old have given way to modern therapies, however,
enabling Cheltenham to maintain it's spa status in the modern
era.
Today, visitors can still escape
to Cheltenham to pamper themselves in one of the Spa's health,
beauty and fitness centres, or experience one of the extensive
range of complementary therapies on offer from the town's numerous
registered practitioners. Try a little spa therapy for yourself
and relax in the care of a qualified therapist to ease away the
stresses of the world.
Cheltenham celebrates its place
in history at the town's main Art Gallery and Museum which features
a world renown collection relating to the English Arts and Crafts
movement, inspired by the genius of William Morris.
Today the Regency town stands
as one of the most beautiful inland resorts. Visitors soon discover
why Cheltenham has claimed more awards in the annual Beautiful
Britain in Bloom competition than any other town. Wherever the
visitor goes, flowers proliferate during the Spring, Summer and
Autumn months along the elegant Promenade, within the many parks
and gardens, and cascading from hundreds of hanging baskets outside
shops, office buildings, hotels and private residences. They
provide a beautiful floral walk. Try one of the guided walks
of Regency Cheltenham organised by the tourist office. The qualified
guides bring to life the history of the town and will keep you
entertained with tales from the past .
Cheltenham welcomes its visitors
with a fine selection of gracious hotels and cosy guest houses.
The stately Queens hotel stands at the head of the Promenade.
Its imposing facade of Corinthian columns is modelled on the
Temple of Jupiter in Rome. The tourist office can provide details
of a wide range of accommodation to suit all pockets and tastes
.
When your sightseeing for the
day is done, Cheltenham has many restaurants to suite every taste,
particularly in the Montpellier and Suffolk areas of the town.
Fashionable new brasserie restaurants such as Le Petit Blanc,
on the Promenade and the Daffodil, imaginatively set in the town's
old Daffodil cinema, complement the many cafes, wine bars, and
bistros. The Cheltenham tourist office provides an excellent
guide to eating out in Cheltenham listing over a hundred restaurants
offering a choice of cuisine from around the world.
Shopping in Cheltenham is one
of life's pleasures. The town's distinct quarters, each with
its own style and speciality combine to provide choice and variety
in a relaxed atmosphere. The Promenade is one of the finest shopping
areas in the country and home to many of the best known fashion
houses. In the High Street there are fashionable shopping arcades
such as the Beechwood Shopping Centre with its fountains and
waterfalls, and the Regent Arcade Shopping Centre with its fascinating "Wishing
Fish" clock designed by Cotswold artist and craftsman Kit Williams.
A truly continental flavour can
be found in the Montpellier and Suffolk areas, where there is
an abundance of specialist boutiques, gift shops and antiques'
dealers, together with fashionable wine bars and pavement cafes.
Cheltenham is an important centre for collectors of antiques,
with monthly fairs staged at Cheltenham racecourse.
Cheltenham has a refreshingly
liberal attitude to street buskers and pavement artists. Fancy
dressed performers lend sound and colour to the town centre to
entertain shoppers and create a festive atmosphere.
Racing is the sport most associated
with the name of the town, and every year 15 days of racing are
staged at Cheltenham racecourse, the home of National Hunt Racing
and the stage for the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The premier event
of the National Hunt racing calendar brings over 130,000 visitors
flocking to the town every March for the three-day racing festival.
If the prospect of sharing your quiet break in the Cotswolds
with so many others is a little off-putting, but you still want
to enjoy the racing, then try one of the smaller meetings in
the calendar. Full details of the Cheltenham racing programme
can be obtained from the tourist office.
Cheltenham's calendar of events
brings visitors from across the world to the town. Known internationally
as a leading cultural centre, Cheltenham presides over its famous
International Festival of Music each July. The fringe festival
features dance, music, theatre and children's events. In October,
the world's oldest literature festival features leading authors
in a programme of talks, readings, lectures exhibitions and tours.
In July, cricket fans have the
opportunity to enjoy the annual cricket festival held in the
ground of Cheltenham College to honour the memory of one of England's
greatest sporting heroes, W.G. Grace. New festivals have been
added to the town's programme in recent years, with the Cheltenham
Folk Festival in February and the Cheltenham
International Jazz Festival in April.
All the excitement of international
rally driving comes to Cheltenham in November, as the town reverberates
to the sound of highly powered rally cars in the Network
Q Rally of Great Britain, the final round of the World Rally Drivers'
Championship. The world champion is crowned in Cheltenham.
Cheltenham "en fete" is a great
place to be, but if you want to escape the activity, it's also
a great base from which to explore the beauty of the Cotswolds
villages and countryside. During the summer months the tourist
office organises scenic coach tours visiting the many well known
beauty spots.
If you want to go your own way,
however, ask at the tourist information centre for a copy of "The
Romantic Road" .
Priced at £3.95,
these circular car tours take you off the beaten track to discover
the many hidden delights of the Cotswolds and trace the stories
of the many artists, writers and craftspeople who have drawn
their inspiration from this area of outstanding natural beauty.
Along country roads, many dating back to Roman times, "The
Romantic Road" leads you through peaceful river
valleys, complete with their manor houses, traditional pubs,
tea houses and famous wool churches. En route you will pass many
well known attractions including Sudeley Castle, Chedworth Roman
Villa, Barnsley House Gardens, and Prinknash Abbey together with
locations associated with the great nineteenth century poet designer
and craftsman, William Morris.
The Cotswolds were made for walking
and cycling with over 3,000 miles of public footpaths to be enjoyed.
Cheltenham is at the mid-way point of the Cotswold Way, a 100
mile national walking trail from Chipping Campden to Bath, following
the line of the Cotswolds Ridge. Cheltenham tourist information
centre offers a wide range of walking and cycling guides, maps,
and trails for you to explore. Cycle hire can be arranged locally.
Cheltenham quite rightly describes
itself as the "Centre for the Cotswolds" , and a short
break in this stylish spa town can be combined with everything
that the Cotswolds has to offer, even though, as our American
visitor discovered, you can't see the sea from the Promenade.
Echoing
around the medieval walls of the Great Hall at the Hotel De La
Bere in Cheltenham is the story of an American tourist doing "The
Heart of England". When he returned to his wife who was resting
at the hotel he exclaimed: "Honey, I have walked the length of
the Promenade at Cheltenham and darned if I spot the sea". It
was water of a different kind, however, that made Cheltenham
famous. 
Over two hundred years ago, it
was King George III, residing at the spa town for a month to
take the waters and recover from a bilious attack, who made the
town fashionable. The Royal seal of approval brought the rich
and famous of the time to Cheltenham and it became known as the "merriest
sick resort on earth". 
Spa towns have long been associated
with health, leisure and well-being, none more so than Cheltenham.
With the pace of modern life becoming more hectic, the allure
of a break in a Spa town is becoming more appealing. The traditional
water treatments of old have given way to modern therapies, however,
enabling Cheltenham to maintain it's spa status in the modern
era.