Cheltenham   Centre for the Cotswolds

Cheltenham makes an ideal base for anyone wishing to explore the Cotswolds, one of England's most beautiful areas with its rolling hills, green valleys and charming villages. Designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Cotswolds is distinctive for its honey-coloured limestone rock which has been used in the construction of the many cottages and other buildings which make the villages of the Cotswolds so enchanting. The Cotswolds has something to please everybody. One of the best ways to see the Cotswolds is to walk the Cotswold Way which wends its 100 mile way through scenic countryside and idyllic villages offering superb views of the surrounding area. One of the places of special interest on this route is the Devil's Chimney just outside Cheltenham which offers spectacular views of the town and the Severn valley over to the Malvern Hills. Ramblers on the Cotswold Way The following list of villages is just the tip of the iceberg, the adventurous traveller who wanders off the main roads will find countless hamlets and small villages every bit as charming as these here. Chipping Camden, with many buildings dating from the reign of James I is a fine example of a Cotswold market town. Nearby you will find Hidcote Manor Gardens, Batsford Arboretum and Broadway Tower Country Park. Chipping Camden Stow-on-the-Wold at 800 feet is the highest town in the Cotswolds and its market square was once home to annual sheep fairs. Nowadays Stow is more famous for antique shops, but a horse fair is still held here twice a year. Bibury is, some would say, the archetypal Cotswold village with its clear, trout filled river, traditional stone buildings and the famous Arlington Row cottages. Arlington Row, Bibury

Bourton-on-the-Water is probably the best known of all Cotswold villages. Attractions here include a Model Village, a Motor Museum and a Model Railway. Many of the houses in Winchcombe date back to the 17th and 18th centuries when it was a centre of the wool and tobacco trades. Nearby Sudeley Castle was the home of Katherine Parr (one of Henry VIII's wives). Cirencester (Corinium in Roman times) has in its museum a fine collection of Roman antiquities and Cirencester Park is well worth a visit. Snowshill near Broadway is home to Snowshill Manor, now owned and operated by the National Trust. This delightful house contains a vast collection of hand-made articles collected from all over the world by the late owner.