Cheltenham

Cheltenham nestled between the enchanting Cleeve Hill and the vale of the River Severn is considered as the western doorway to the Cotswolds. It is a sprawling spa town and borough in the county of Gloucestershire in . True to its motto of "Health and Education" Cheltenham has been an acclaimed holiday spa resort since time immemorial - to be precise, right from 1716 when its famous mineral springs were discovered!

Cheltenham flaunts the best Regency architecture in and is touted as "the most complete regency town in " in the glossy pages of various tourist guides and brochures. The River Chelt that flows through Cheltenham makes it peculiarly charming.Cheltenham could well fit in the slot of the city of the learned as there are many celebrated colleges such as Cheltenham Ladies' College and a campus of the University of Gloucestershire among others.

The wealthy town holds the added distinction of being the home of the British steeplechase horseracing, where many coveted tournaments like, Cheltenham Town F.C., Cheltenham through and Cheltenham Gold Cup are conducted. The Cheltenham Gold cup which interestingly falls on the Saint Patrick’s Day is a colorful event that draws scores of Irish horse racing fans to this enchanting town. In addition, this sporting city has many rugby clubs and three splendid golf courses. Do not forget to take a close look at the Sandford Parks Lido, one of the largest outdoor pools in the whole of . Set amidst enchanting naturescapes and well kept gardens, this pool offers a rich visual feast.

The culture vultures would find this town truly pleasing as it sets stage to many arts and cultural festivals such as the headline grabber of Cheltenham Festival of Literature, held every year with zest and zeal. Cheltenham also boasts of a crammed festive calendar dotted with colorful festivals and events such as folk music, jazz, literary festivals and more, which transcends the city scape into sea of humanity, which floods the Town Hall, The Playhouse Theatre and the Pittville Pump Room among others...

There are many interesting things to do and see in Cheltenham. It is a pulsating shopping hub that houses some of the celebrity stores such as the Cavendish House belonging to the world famous Fraser chain and the Beechwood Shopping Centre among others. It has some charming restaurants like Le Champignon Sauvage'- a Michelin two star restaurant, famous for its unique leisure quarter, which is a refurbished brewery site. In addition, Cheltenham also boats of a high voltage night life and pub culture, which draws immense crowd during the weekends. As per a recent survey, Cheltenham has the greatest number late licensed venues per capita, than anywhere else in the country!

The 8th century St. Mary’s church with a towering spire is yet another impressive landmark of this town; your next stopover could be Gustav Holst's museum located at his birth place, where you can take a peep into his life and works of this world famous artist. The statue of Edward Adrian Wilson, the famous Antarctic explorer is yet another must-see at Cheltenham. Whatever be the season or reason of your visit to Cheltenham, you are sure to fall head over heels at its veritable charm that not many cities on earth can boast!