Cheltenham

Horse racing defines this Regency spa town more than anything else. When the Festival rolls around in March, Cheltenham transforms into Britain's racing capital, with proper punters mixing with day-trippers clutching copies of the Racing Post. But strip away the crowds and you've got a rather elegant Georgian town that takes itself seriously - and rightly so.

The town centre radiates out from the Promenade, where honey-coloured limestone buildings house everything from independent boutiques to chain stores. It's proper Cotswold architecture, though some might argue Cheltenham tries a bit too hard to be Bath's sophisticated cousin. The Tivoli theatre keeps the cultural side ticking over nicely.

Art galleries pepper the town centre. Gustav Holst gets his due - he was born here after all - while smaller spaces like Themes and Variations and the Minotaur and Hare showcase contemporary work. Not groundbreaking stuff, but decent enough for an afternoon browse.

Outside town, things get more interesting. Wingmoor Farm Meadow offers proper countryside walks just minutes from the centre, while Bishops Cleeve sits close enough for exploring the wider Cotswolds without the tourist hordes you'll find in Bourton-on-the-Water.

Getting here is straightforward - direct trains from London Paddington in just over two hours, or the M40 if you're driving. Staying at one of the nearby holiday parks makes perfect sense. You're close enough to walk into town for dinner or catch a show, but far enough out to wake up to countryside views instead of traffic noise. The Cotswolds spread out in all directions, and Tewkesbury's abbey is a short drive north for those after proper medieval atmosphere.