A Rainy Day in Cheltenham (Plus Colesbourne)

On Friday morning, my parents and I went on a shopping trip to Cheltenham, and I took the opportunity to do a bit of sightseeing there as well. It was the first time I was able to explore a big town/city since our trip to Oxford in March and I really enjoyed the experience. It feels like things are slowly returning to normal again.

Cheltenham is a place I've been to many times, but I'd never really explored it properly before. It's a big town (practically a city really) with grand Regency architecture and a very European feel. It even has a very scenic neighbourhood named after the amazing French city of Montpellier, and another named after the town of Tivoli in Italy.

Friday wasn't exactly the ideal morning for exploring, as it was pouring with rain. But that didn't stop me from seeing some sights!

When I was walking through the town, I noticed this building I liked called Alma House. Its architectural style is very typical of Cheltenham.

Probably the most impressive building in Cheltenham is the Town Hall. I remember going to the literature festival there a couple of times when I was younger, and meeting the famous authors Jacqueline Wilson and Lauren Child.

Next I went round the corner from the Town Hall to see an attraction I don't remember having seen before: The Neptune Fountain. It is said to have been inspired either by the Trevi Fountain in Rome or by the Fountain of Neptune in Florence. Whatever its inspiration, it's like a little piece of Italy in England, and it's certainly a beautiful fountain to look at.

The Neptune Fountain is at the end of The Promenade, the most famous street in Cheltenham, where you can find the Municipal Offices.

I had wanted to explore a little more of the town, but I had to admit defeat by this point, as I was absolutely soaked to the skin! My jeans were sopping wet, and I could barely see, because the combination of the rain and the steam from my face mask had completely fogged up my glasses. 

So I headed off to H&M to buy myself a change of clothes, and I spent the rest of my time in Cheltenham mostly indoors, looking round the shops. Who said that the life of a travel blogger was easy? 😁

One of the places I'd planned to look around was the Imperial Gardens behind the Town Hall. Luckily, we were able to see them from the car on our way back, and they were a really pretty sight. I'd like to go back and have a walk around them on a sunnier day!

We stopped off on the way back in the village of Colesbourne in the heart of the Cotswolds, to have lunch at the Colesbourne Inn.                                   

(Okay, I admit I took that photo last year, when the weather was nicer!)

I was a bit disappointed that the inn didn't have any plant-based milk alternatives. I'd been craving a nice latte because of the cold weather, but had to settle for black tea instead.

However, the food was great. I had a vegan burger and a raspberry frangipane tart. 😋

I had a really nice time in both Cheltenham and Colesbourne, and I'd say it was one of my favourite trips out since the start of lockdown. I've always loved walking around cities and admiring their various attractions; it's something I've missed a lot over the last five months. It was great to finally have that kind of experience again.

Not sure exactly where we'll be going next, but I think we'll have another couple of local trips during August, before going on a proper holiday in a different part of England at the beginning of September. And of course in October and November, I'll be exploring various places in the UK and (hopefully) the rest of Europe with my boyfriend! After a rough few months, I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and the good times that lie ahead. 

I'm definitely going to have plenty of travel adventures to blog about throughout the rest of 2020!

Check out a more detailed post that I wrote about Cheltenham here!