We’re a touch giddy (up) at the wealth of things to do when camping in Cheltenham, the Regency town which owns splendid Cheltenham Racecourse and the glittering Gold Cup comp just four miles way. Where to start? At least a day in Cheltenham town first, perhaps – more if you’re coming to jazz it up at one of the many festivals running throughout the year.
Get to town early from a Cheltenham campsite to catch as much as poss: a morning coveting the art, furniture, crafts and jewellery at Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum, many created by Cotswold craftspeople inspired by William Morris, should build up an appetite for lunch and an afternoon of shopping around The Brewery, Bath Road and in the well-lined High Street?
Also very smartly, Cheltenham is right on the edge of the Cotswolds, a quick ten-mile canter by car to Gloucester and whinnyingly close to Stratford-upon-Avon (and another racecourse), Banbury, Oxford and the Malvern Hills AONB, all about an hour away.
