Bonus Feature: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

I'll never forget my time in 'Nam... I've always wanted to say that. Yesterday, whilst on my way back to Cornwall, I decided to spend a few hours pottering about this rather gentrified town: as Tewkesbury is the place I'm visiting for Gloucestershire, my exploits here didn't take me any closer to the 50 mark, but I felt Cheltenham merited a visit anyway. The great thing about Cheltenham is that it doesn't feel like it should be part of Gloucestershire at all: partly because people from Cheltenham don't always get on with people from Gloucester, but mainly because the majority of Gloucestershire did not benefit from the Regency era, something that cannot be said of Cheltenham. You get the feeling that someone decided to spend a lot of money on this place in a short amount of time, which certainly sounds like something George III would do, but the result gives you the impression that, this time at least, he knew what he was doing.

The caryatids (armless statues) of Montpellier

So, what is there to do in Cheltenham? Well, because of the fact that it really was rather small until the 1700s, there isn't a huge amount of history here: but if you're a fan of visual sights and shopping, you may not find anywhere better. The best way to arrive here is by bus, as most take you to the heart of Cheltenham, the Promenade: full of leafy trees, the usual shops and a sculpture of a hare and a minotaur, this is perfect for just ambling along on your way to either the High Street to the north, or the Town Hall gardens to the South.

They're here all week...

The Regent Arcade is also good for shopping (and is set to improve over the next few months, judging from the scaffolding), but even better for eating: the Viennese-style Druckers will have your mouth watering for some Apple Strudel, whilst at the north end, Butler's do a very reasonable cooked breakfast special for a mere £1.50. Millie's, an Ice Cream parlour, is also worth a look, with such amusing names for its milkshakes as RaRaRaspberry and Minted: I went for a Starvery Cool, which was well worth £2.49: compliments to the creator, Fi!

The Everyman Theatre

Like Bath, Cheltenham doesn't appear to be very diverse, but its capacity for letting people enjoying themselves is impressive. Want to go see a play? The Everyman Theatre on Regent Street is well worth a look, with regular big names in attendance. Is reading your thing? There's the Literature Festival in October with such names as Simon Armitage and Anthony Horowitz attending this year. Fancy a picnic? Montpellier Gardens, just south of Cheltenham town centre, is an ideal location, and there are plenty of other parks to choose from. And if you're a sports nut, there's Cheltenham Racecourse to the north, though football fans may wish to steer clear of Whaddon Road: poor old Cheltenham Town do not get very high attendances, and have just been relegated to League Two. Still, what Cheltenham lacks in footballing prowess, it more than makes up for in music: Gustav Holst, who composed The Planets Suite, was born here in 1874.

So all in all, Cheltenham makes for a nice break from the stress-filled routine: unless of course, you try walking with all your luggage from Cheltenham Spa railway station to the town centre, which is at least 20 minutes' walk. Definitely worth taking the number D bus instead!

Oh, and rather fittingly, I saw two people playing tennis in Montpellier Gardens, just as Wimbledon was kicking off. On the evidence I saw, British tennis is in trouble...

Chris