Day 1: Totnes to Cheltenham
We took the train from Totnes to Bristol, where we changed to a replacement bus to Cheltenham. (Trains weren’t running there due to planned maintenance.) The replacement buses were pretty well organized. once outside the station there were lots of people to help guide passengers.
It was a longish but pleasant walk from the train station in Cheltenham to our place. Most of it was along a paved pedestrian and bike route through a park. We got lost at the very end when we couldn’t find the street number. Because we were on Crescent Terrace, not Crescent Place. Stupid mistake. Kind woman on Crescent Terrace straightened us out. We had a good Sunday roast at The Old Courthouse.
Day 2: Cheltenham
We didn’t see much of Cheltenham yesterday so today we went walking. We started at the Promenade, a pleasant tree-lined pedestrian shopping area, heading toward the Imperial Gardens.
The gardens were unimpressive but we did find it interesting that there was a statue of a composer in the fountain. Make a nice change from the usual rules and war figures.
I’d heard there was a whole street lined in caryatids to that was our next stop, since I love a caryatid.
Back on the Promenade we saw a cute coffee cart, some repurposed phone boxes, and the hare and minotaur statue. The minotaur is um, anatomically complete and the whole statue is a little creepy.
Then we were ready for something a little less urban so we walked over to Pittville Park, where we enjoyed watching waterbirds. And a small rodent that was trying to stay away from a seagull. We saw it go down near the water and then didn’t see it again.
We walked back via a Lidl store where we bought sandwich makings and breakfast. Then we visited our first JD Wetherspoons where we sat outside for cheap Jaipur beer and people watching.
Day 3: Day Trip to Winchcombe
Cheltenham isn’t officially in the Cotswolds but has good bus connections around the area. Today we took the bus to Winchcombe for a nice country ramble to St Kenelm’s Well.
Back in town we went to JD Wetherspoons again since it’s sunny out. We’re already starting to recognize some locals, like the guy with small blue Mr Bean car.
Day 4: Day Trip to Stow-on-the-Wold
Today’s day trip was to Stow-on-the-Wold. We picked Stow because it sounded a little less touristy than Bourton-on-the-Water (and from what we saw from the bus, it was less touristy). And for the church doors that inspired Tolkien’s Doors of Durin in The Lord of the Rings. We spent about an hour and a half there.
Burgers sounded good so we went to The Bottle of Sauce for dinner. We appreciated their glasses with the reminder on them. And this is just one of many “please bin your gum” signs we saw in Cheltenham.
Day 5: Day Trip to Painswick
Our last day trip from Cheltenham was to Painswick and the Painswick Rococo Garden. Painswick is less touristy than the other towns we saw and the gardens are fund to wander. They’re both on the same bus line, and you can easily walk from one to the other. More easily if you visit the garden first, since it’s uphill from the town.
We decided to do our own afternoon tea today, with scones and clotted cream from Marks & Spencer. This medieval church was near where we stayed, and the churchyard is a nice shortcut to the High Street. We walked through there on our way to Meat the Greeks for dinner.
Essentials
Lodging
We had a nice comfortable room at Crescent Place by Mansley. We complicated things by arriving early. It’s one of those places where they send you a code for entry. We expected to just not be able to get in until check-in time, but there was someone onsite and our room was ready so they let us go ahead and move in. That was very nice of them, especially since that triggered hassle for them with manually resetting the codes. The location was great, very close to bus connections, dining, and shopping.
Dining
There are plenty of options for places to eat. We had Sunday roast at The Old Courthouse. Best potatoes so far, and nice ambiance. They worked with us on adjusting our reservation to avoid having to possibly bring our baggage with us. We had interesting burgers at The Bottle of Sauce. It’s a Dodo Pub, how could we not go? We sat outside for a beer then went inside to eat because it was a little chilly. We had a Moo & Blue and a Seoul Bird. Meat the Greeks at No 3 was just like eating in Greece. Lots of delicious food. The server somehow managed to splash beer on me — he said he couldn’t do that again if he tried — and was mortified. He gave us a free beer.
Transportation
We chose Cheltenham because it has good bus connections around the Cotswolds. It has a train station too. We took the train there and left on a local bus for Cirencester. We walked everywhere around Cheltenham. Downtown is pretty compact.
