Another Day in Cheltenham

This Thursday my parents and I returned to a town we last visited in August: Cheltenham. Our last visit there was an incredibly rainy one, and after getting soaked to the skin, I eventually had to admit defeat and give up on sightseeing. Despite that, I still really enjoyed the trip and wanted to return as soon as possible. Luckily, this time there was only a small amount of rain, so I was able to see a lot more of the town and take some less dreary-looking pictures. 

After we arrived, my parents went off to do some shopping, and I started my walking tour of the town. The first important site I passed by was the Promenade, which is probably Cheltenham's most famous street. It's a long avenue with a pretty garden, grand Regency buildings, and plenty of shops. To me, it's a bit like a small, English version of the Champs-Élysées.

The next place I wanted to see was the Royal Crescent. I'd only found out that it existed fairly recently, and I was interested in seeing how it compared to the street of the same name in Bath. It's not anywhere near as big or impressive as its Bath equivalent, but it's still very elegant and definitely worth taking a look at.

After walking along the crescent, I came back round to the other end of the Promenade and found my favourite sight in the entire town: the Neptune Fountain. Last time I was in Cheltenham, I only took a quick look at it because of the heavy rain, but this time I took a few minutes to enjoy contemplating it. Inspired by Rome's Trevi fountain, it really does make you feel like you're on holiday in Italy.

Next I went to the Imperial Gardens around the back of the Town Hall. I only got to see them from the car last time, so it was nice to walk around them this time. In the gardens, there are many pretty flowers, a statue of the composer Gustav Holst (who was born in Cheltenham), and a signpost which shows all the places around the world that Cheltenham is twinned with, which include Annecy in France, Sochi in Russia, and another town called Cheltenham in the United States, as well as towns in Germany, the Netherlands, China and Kenya.

On my way to the next stop on my tour, I came across a hidden treasure in the corner of a building. From reading the plaque in front of it, I discovered that it is known as the Imperial Fountain and is originally from Italy! It was looted by the French in 1800 and then captured by the English. Eventually, it ended up in Cheltenham and is still there to this day. The little fountain is very elaborate, and really adds to the overall European vibe that the town has.

A short walk later I arrived at Montpellier Gardens, a well-known park in the Montpellier district. I was interested to see what it was like, partly because of the fact that it shares its name with one of my favourite cities! It's quite a big space with an art gallery, a café and one of England's oldest bandstands.

Finally, I made my way back to the centre of the town, seeing the Town Hall on my way.

I always enjoy visiting Cheltenham; it's a very elegant town and is also great for shopping. And one thing I like about it is that there's something about the shape and colour of the buildings that reminds me of Paris, so going there feels like a bit of an escape during these times in which travelling abroad is nigh-on impossible.

There are a couple more places around the town that I'm interested in seeing - especially Pitville Park - so I hope I'll be able to revisit not too far in the future!