Gloucestershire

Stow-on-the-Wold

This "cute as a button" village in the heart of the Cotswolds boasts a lovely market square surrounded by old stone buildings.

It is home to one of the few hostels in Gloucestershire and it makes a good base for visiting Cheltenham and Gloucester.

Practical Information

Stow-on-the-Wold Tourist Information Centre

Hollis House, The Square, Stow-on-the-Wold

Tel (01451) 831 082

Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-4.30pm

Accommodation

Stow-on-the-Wold YHA

The Square, Stow-on-the-Wold

Tel (01451) 830 497

Cheltenham

Cheltenham is an elegant spa town that makes a good base for visiting the Cotswold region.

Practical Information

Cheltenham Tourist Information Centre

77 Promenade, Cheltenham

Tel (01242) 522 878

Website www.visitcheltenham.info

Open Mon-Tue 9.30am-5.15pm, Wed 10am-5.15pm, Thu-Sat 9.30am-5.15pm

Coming & Going

BUS

National Express (tel 0870 580 8080; website www.nationalexpress.co.uk) has buses to Birmingham, Bristol, Gloucester and London. The bus station is on Royal Wells Road in the town centre.

Stagecoach (website www.stagecoachbus.co.uk) buses 10, 97, 98, N10 and X94 run between Cheltenham and Gloucester.

TRAIN

Cheltenham Spa station is at the corner of Gloucester and Queens Roads to the west of the city centre. There are frequent trains to Birmingham, Bristol, Gloucester, London (Paddington) and Penzance with services operated by First Great Western (website www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk), Virgin Trains (website www.virgintrains.co.uk) and Wessex Trains (website www.wessextrains.co.uk).

Local Transport

Cheltenham's local bus services are run by Stagecoach (website www.stagecoachbus.co.uk). The most useful route is bus G, which runs between the train station and the town centre. This bus stops on High Street and St Georges Square in the town centre. Transfer tickets to any destination in Cheltenham cost £1.30 one way or £1.95 return.

Accommodation

Cheltenham YMCA

Vittoria Walk, Cheltenham

Tel (01242) 524 024

Sights

Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum

Cheltenham's major museum features a variety of exhibits that cover local history, archaeology and art (including Dutch and Flemish paintings from the 17th and 19th-centuries).

Clarence Street, Cheltenham

Bus D, E

Tel (01242) 237 431

Website www.cheltenham.artgallery.museum

Admission free

Open Mon-Sat 10am-5.20pm, Sun 2pm-4.20pm

Holst Birthplace Museum

Gustav Holst, who composed The Planets, was born here and his home has been made into a museum dedicated to his life and music.

4 Clarence Road, Cheltenham

Tel (01242) 524 846

Website www.holstmuseum.org.uk

Admission £2.50

Open Tue-Sat 10am-4pm

Gloucester

This city on the River Severn was once an important inland port. Its history goes back to Roman times when the city was a major provincial centre and its importance increased in the Norman period when William the Conqueror met here frequently; however in the Middle Ages the port began to decline as trade picked up in Bristol.

Nowadays Gloucester's waterways are popular with leisure craft travelling Britain's canal system and its historic docks have been revived with pubs, shops, cafés and the National Waterways Museum.

Practical Information

Gloucester Tourist Information Centre

28 Southgate Street, Gloucester

Tel (01452) 396572

Open Jan-Jun Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; Jul-Aug Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 11am-3pm; Sep-Dec Mon-Sat 10am-5pm

Coming & Going

BUS

National Express (tel 0870 580 8080; website www.nationalexpress.co.uk) buses go to Birmingham, Bristol and London. Stagecoach (website www.stagecoachbus.co.uk) buses 94 and X94 run between Cheltenham and Gloucester.

TRAIN

There are frequent trains to Birmingham, Bristol, Cheltenham, London (Paddington) and Penzance with services operated by First Great Western (website www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk), Virgin Trains (website www.virgintrains.co.uk) and Wessex Trains (website www.wessextrains.co.uk).

Accommodation

There are no hostels in Gloucester. The closest hostels are in Cheltenham and Stow-on-the-Wold.

Sights

Gloucester Cathedral

This beautiful cathedral features fan vaulted cloisters and the tomb of Edward II.

College Green, Gloucester

Tel (01452) 528 095

Website www.gloucestercathedral.org.uk

Admission £2.50 donation

Open summer 8am-6pm daily; winter 8am-5pm daily

Gloucester City Museum & Art Gallery

This museum has exhibits relating to Gloucestershire's history including dinosaur bones, Roman artefacts and the famous Birdlip mirror. The adjoining art gallery displays paintings by Gainsborough and Turner.

Brunswick Road, Gloucester

Tel (01452) 396 131

Website www.gloucester.gov.uk

Admission free

Open Tue-Sat 10am-5pm

Gloucester Folk Museum

Housed in a historic timber-framed Tudor building, this museum has displays on local history that include exhibits on the Port of Gloucester and the Civil War.

99-103 Westgate Street, Gloucester

Tel (01452) 396 467

Website www.gloucester.gov.uk

Admission free

Open Tue-Sat 10am-5pm

National Waterways Museum

Located on the historic Gloucester & Sharpness Canal, this museum recounts the 300-year history of Britain's canals and inland waterways. It features historic boats, hands-on exhibits and a floor dedicated to trade on the waterways.

Llanthony Warehouse, Gloucester Docks, Gloucester

Tel (01452) 318054

Website www.nwm.org.uk

Admission £5

Open 10am-5pm daily

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