My wife and I are starting September (11-22) Holiday in England before heading to Spain. Our Itinerary starts us in Cheltenham for 5 days, then up to Keswick in the Lake District for 3 days, before finishing up in Chester for 3 days. We fly out of Liverpool to Barcelona. Any suggestions or must see's along that routing? We will be driving.
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7664 posts
Cheltenham is not far from the Cotswolds and you could spend a day or two there. We stayed in Chipping Campden at the Volunteer Inn and used it as a base for travel to Oxford, Blenheim Palace and Stratford Upon Avon.
Bath is interesting, but perhaps a bit out of the way. It is south of Cheltenham.
We spent three days in Keswick and enjoyed our time there, however, it was in late October and getting chilly. The Lake District is great for hiking, boating, outdoor stuff. Rick Steves guide to Great Britain has a great recommended day drive around the lake that is near Keswick. We did that and enjoyed the scenic views.
While in Chester, consider taking a short drive to Conwy Castle and town in NE Wales.
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Washington DC
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If you enjoy gardens and plan to cross over into Wales while you're staying in Chester, I can recommend Bodnant Gardens in Tal-y-Cafn, Wales. Great Britain is known for its lovely gardens, and this is a fine (and large) one.
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Mid-Atlantic area
6535 posts
Cheltenham is an interesting stop for 5 days, unless you’re there for work at the round building on the edge of town. Other than a few buildings with interesting architecture there’s little else of interest. Tewkesbury just up the road is nice to walk around and have dinner. When I was there on a business trip a few years ago I took my coworkers to Bourton on the Water, Stow on Wold, and Stratford Upon Avon in the afternoon, but it would have been better as a full day trip. As already stated, there are a number of Cotswold villages one could stop at.
Cheltenham is very near to Wales and nearby interesting stops could include Monmouth, Tintern, Chepstow, and a number of castles (White, Raglan, Skenfrith, Pembridge). Back in England, if you like Neolithic sites, The Rollright Stones are nearby. If you watch the UK tv series Father Brown, the Church of St Peter and St Paul used in the series is in nearby Blockley. Depending on how you plan on getting to Chester, Ironbridge is a nice stop. If you had the time, then visit nearby Blists Hill Victorian Town. Further north is Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.
Off the most direct path heading north, but easy to access, if you’ve seen the tv series Last of the Summer Wine, there are filming locations in Homfirth. As you head north there are additional Neolithic sites such as The Twelve Apostles Stone Circle. If you watch the new All Creatures Great and Small, then stop in Grassington while heading north. The veterinary clinic is there. The train station used in that series is (K&WVR) Oakworth Station. The market town of Skipton is worth a short visit. A couple nature sites heading north worth visiting are Janet's Foss and Ingleton Waterfalls Trail.
In the Lake District for food, there’s the cheese shop in Cartmel and the village shop known for sticky toffee pudding. Up the road is The Grasmere Gingerbread Shop.
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Mid-Atlantic area
6535 posts
A few more places.
Another nature place is Hardraw Force Waterfall. It near the other two I mentioned in the previous post. A 15th center pub is Ye Olde Salutation Inn in Nottingham. It’s supposedly the most haunted pub in the country. A few miles east of Keswick is Castlerigg Stone Circle, another Neolithic site. The final Neolithic site 24 miles from Keswick is Long Meg and Her Daughters.
Places south of Cheltenham, Castle Comb, Malmesbury Abbey, The Ancient Ram Inn in Wotton Under Edge (claims to be England’s most haunted house). Further south are Bath and Bradford-on-Avon. Both are just over an hour from Cheltenham.