The Romantic Road – Driving Tour (3 nights, 4 days)

With Cheltenham to the North, this route takes you meandering along majority B roads. This route allows you to take in some of the best and most beautiful towns and villages in the north Cotswolds. The route begins by traversing up Cleeve Hill – the highest point in The Cotswolds. Stop at the viewpoint and admire the spectacular views, or a walk up to the beacon to enjoy sights over Cheltenham and as far as The Malvern Hills.

Continue through the idyllic Winchcombe where you can visit Sudeley Castle before continuing on to the  market towns of Stanway, Stanton, Broadway (containing Broadway Tower) Chipping Campden, Blockley and Moreton-in-Marsh. Turn south on the circuit and return via The Fosse Way, Stow-on-the-Wold and Lower Slaughter on your descent back down to Cheltenham.

This route takes you east out of Cheltenham, towards the Oxfordshire border of The Cotswolds. Our first destination is the village of Northleach, continuing to Burford, Lechlade, Fairford, Bibury and Arlington Row. Along this tour, you will be following the valley and villages of the Windrush River, which meanders through the beautiful English countryside.

Fairford is home to an RAF base where the internationally acclaimed Air Tattoo is held every year, meanwhile Bibury and The Arlington Row are internationally renowned sites for their history and beauty. The return to Cheltenham will take you through the stunning market town of Cirencester which has plenty of boutique eateries for a pitstop, before continuing to Painswick to approach Cheltenham from the south. Coming own the hill back into Cheltenham, watch out for Cooper’s Hill – the very steep slope where competitors chase a wheel of cheese down the hill every May!

Departing Cheltenham to the west and leaving The Cotswolds behind, this route takes travellers to another Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – The Malvern Hills. On a clear day, these beautiful hills can be seen on the viewpoints of Cheltenham.

To start your journey, explore the medieval town of Tewkesbury, famous for its Abbey. Situated at the confluence of the River Severn and River Avon, this stunning chocolate box town has gorgeous architecture and lovely cafes to stop off for a hot drink.

From there, continue northwest through Upton-upon-Severn and beyond to the town of Malvern. As the gateway to the Malvern Hills – this designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is an absolute must-see Cotswolds stop. Ascend and descend at your own pace, pausing to enjoy the many viewpoints and pitstops along the way, before reaching the town of Eastnor with its world-famous castle.

The route continues to the historic City of Gloucester, whose Cathedral was used in the filming of the Harry Potter movie series and is definitely worth a few hours' exploration. Finally, a return to Cheltenham marks the end of the day.

To the west of Cheltenham is the gorgeous Forest of Dean in England and The Wye Valley across the border in Wales. First stop is Ross-on-Wye, which acts as the gateway into the forest proper. At this point, you need to turn south and head to Symonds Yat with its spectacular viewpoint of the River Wye and its valley gorge.

Descending into Coleford, we recommend a visit to the very unique Puzzlewood – which you might recognise as it has been the filming site of Star Wars, Doctor Who, Snow White (live action remake) and Merlin (among others)! Continuing on to Clearwell with its stunning cave system, you can enjoy the lovely tree-lined road through the remainder of the Forest. Emerge at Chepstow with its historic castle which is the oldest surviving post-roman stone fortification in Britain.

Here, you have a choice – return to Cheltenham via roads to the northwest of the River Severn, or cross the river via the Severn Bridge, taking a detour to colourful Bristol or Regency town Bath before returning to Cheltenham via the motorway.