Stroud

Victorian mills line the valley where five streams converge, creating the steep-sided golden landscape that made this town the centre of England's cloth trade. Stroud sits properly in the Cotswolds, though it feels more like a working town than a tourist honeypot - which is exactly its charm.

The town centre hums with independent shops and cafes, anchored by the excellent Saturday farmers' market that's been running for decades. Art galleries dot the streets - from the contemporary Centre for Science and Art to smaller spaces like Lansdown Gallery and the quirky Uplands Community Art Box tucked into a repurposed phone booth. The Vue offers proper theatre, while SVA brings cutting-edge performances to converted industrial spaces.

Climb up to Selsley Common for cracking views across the five valleys. The steep walk rewards you with one of Gloucestershire's finest panoramas, stretching to the Severn Vale on clear days. Down in town, the Anti-Slavery Memorial Arch marks Stroud's radical history - this was always a place of progressive thinking.

Canal restoration enthusiasts should seek out the ongoing work on the Stroudwater Navigation and Thames & Severn Canal. It's a proper labour of love bringing the waterways back to life. The old Stroud Brewery Bridge and Victorian gas works remnants add industrial archaeology to your wanderings.

By train, it's just over an hour from London Paddington, with regular services calling at Stroud station. The M40 and A419 bring drivers from the capital in similar time. Staying at one of the nearby holiday parks - from glamping pods at Middle Lypiatt to traditional sites like Tobacconist Farm - gives you the perfect base for exploring both the town's cultural scene and the glorious Cotswold countryside that surrounds it.