Cheltenham, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 2023

Date: 5th October 2023

Travelled: 80 kms from Oxford to Cheltenham  

Visited: Cheltenham  

Stayed: Briarfields Campsite, £30, N51.89430, W02.13390  

Budget: 134 days @ €96 per day

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It’s an easy hours drive to Cheltenham. Why Cheltenham, well Cheltenham and Gloucester are only 12 miles apart and both get a favourable review in our guide book. So we set the GPS for the cheapest campsite and head west. The last 20 minutes of our drive is through the Cotswolds, the views across the sweeping hills making the drive more interesting.

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We arrive at the campsite to find it’s booked out ? Who would have thought Cheltenham would be so popular. They’re is another campsite 200m away but £10 more expensive unfortunately, we get a spot there. That is after going through the usual English diatribe, ‘your booked under what name ?’ we didn’t book, ‘you haven’t booked ?, no we never book, ‘well you should have booked’ and so on…

The campsite is very nice and the ammenities excellent. The #94 bus runs past the door to both Cheltenham and Gloucester depending on which side of the road you stand.

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The #94 takes about 15 minutes to the city centre, lots of stops and lots of traffic. Unfortunately the markets are in full swing and Pam’s excited.

Our guide book describes Cheltenham as a regency town with lots of period buildings and beautiful gardens. The height of Cheltenham’s popularity and wealth occurred during the 18th century when it rivalled Bath as a spa resort for the sick and wealthy.

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Pictured above, the Promenade and Regency Street are lined with grand buildings from a time long past. Saint Gregory’s Church was open so we popped in for a quick look, as we do.

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Picture below, the Imperial Gardens still put on an impressive display despite autumn being in full swing, it’s only 18° today.

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We seem to spend a lot of time in Marks + Spencers, John Lewis and various other high streets shops for some reason beyond my control. Eventually Pam wilts and we make for Taylors Pub for a long late lunch, watch some cricket on a TV as big as the Hymer.

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Having enjoyed wandering Cheltenham we wander back to the bus stop somehow not passing a single dress shop and make our way back to the campsite and the Hymer.

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Michael + Pam