Travel blog by web-hotels.com

If you are living in the UK The Cotswolds offers a wonderful weekend break. The atmosphere is serene with limestone villages in a rural setting. The valentines period is always popular so you might just be in time to find a last minute hotel deal in the Spa town of Cheltenham.

Shoud you decide to stay in Cheltenham do make sure you also visit beautiful villages such as Snowshill and Painswick nestle in the Cotswold Hills, which sure to delight any visitor any time of the year. One that really struck me on my visit was Snowshill, this village known for its exceptional unspoilt beauty and for the views over the Severn Vale to the west.

Snowshill Manor by Andrew

If you are too late for Valntines don’t let that put you off a whole year, it’s never too late  – weekend breaks in the Cotswolds are memorable whatever the occasion.

There are several annual festival & events ranging from Jazz Festivals in April, Cheese rolling in May to Stroud food Festival in September. For a full list of festivals visit http://www.cotswolds.com/site/whats-on/festivals-and-events

I reccomend exploring by car as this allows you to explore neighbouring cities like Bath, oxford and Stratford.

However if you just want to relax without running around the train is a good option too. Gloucestershire & the Cotswolds are at the heart of the British Rail network with main trains to the Cotswolds from London, the Midlands and the North and the South West of England. There is a direct link from Heathrow Airport. Trains from London depart from Paddington Station and have a fastest journey time of 1hr 40 minutes to Gloucester and 2 hours to Cheltenham. There is a direct link from Birmingham Airport with a fastest journey time of 1hr 15 minutes to Cheltenham and 1 hr 30 minutes to Gloucester.

For detailed rail information and prices please look at the following sites:
www.nationalrail.co.uk or www.thetrainline.com

If you are travelling from overseas for a few days break the easiest airport for travelling to the Cotswolds is Birmingham, a 1 hour drive away. Of the two London airports, the region is best accessed from Heathrow. The 65 mile drive should not take more than 90 minutes. Gatwick airport is 2 hours drive away. Gloucestershire Airport is just 10 minutes from the centre of the beautiful Regency town of Cheltenham Spa and the Roman city of Gloucester.