Rank : 8.0 (average on 1 votes)Coordinates : 51.898420, -2.076982 (
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Subjects : Cheltenham is an attractive Spa town, set in the Costwolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Elegant and interesting Regency Georgian architecture is its main photographic attraction. Some of it is very grand indeed, while specialist areas such as the Montpellier District could be easily set in bohemian France or Italy.
Recommended equipment : Standard walkabout gear, lenses for specialist architecture if that is your speciality.
Best months : Like any town, most times of the year.
How to get there : Cheltenham is about halfway between Bristol and Birmingham and all trains stop there but it is a small station, about 2kms to the west of the town. By road, from London, easiest is M4 west, to Bristol then north up the M5.
Visits : Fairly compact in size and a limited amount of major places to visit as a tourist, a weekend would easily suffice, though touring the surrounding Cotswolds would definitely be a good idea. There is a museum and exhibition centre and the Pittville Pump Room, about a km north east is a Classical Roman style building in warm coloured stone, set in a park and is well worth a look around. There are many cultural and literary events in the town throughout the year. The classical music composer Gustav Holst's birthplace is now a museum. Cheltenham Racecourse and the 'Cheltenham Gold Cup' are major attractions who like horseracing.
Notes : Cheltenham's architecture is a little like Bath Spa's, not as hilly but nowhere near the amount of tourists either. It has expensive tourist areas as far as accommodation and eating and drinking are concerned but walk a bit further and go where the locals go.