Four scenic drives have been prepared for you by the National Rally Team. These can be undertaken at your leisure, individually or with friends. There are no fixed starting times or lead drivers. All start from the Cheltenham Park Hotel, GL53 8EA.
North - Worcestershire and Warwickshire
South - Gloucestershire and Wiltshire
East - Cotswolds Tour
West - Forest of Dean
All are available for download from the forum, click here.
North - Worcestershire and Warwickshire
Explore the Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire countryside
using mainly B roads or less!
Drive through tiny villages to the Cotswold town of Winchcombe. Climb the
escarpment and visit Broadway Tower Country Park for amazing views. Drop back
down the escarpment to pretty Broadway then choose to return via Cleeve Hill (about
45 miles in total) or continue on to Stratford-upon-Avon and return through Pershore
(about 85 miles in total).
There are plenty of places for refreshment stops en route and there are a number of
possible diversions for those with special interests: Belas Knap long barrow, Sudeley
Castle, GWR preserved railway, Snowshill Lavender, the new Royal Shakespeare
Theatre, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and Pershore Abbey.
South - Gloucestershire and Wiltshire
Drive through the Stroud valleys and up the escarpment to the market town of
Tetbury. Then choose to return via Cotswold Airport and Cirencester (about 50 miles
in total) or continue on to the World Heritage Site at Avebury to see the famous
Stone Circle and the House which starred in BBC's The Manor Reborn. The direct
return route skirts Swindon and goes through the Cotswold Water Park (about 90
miles in total).
There are plenty of places for refreshment stops en route and there are a number of
possible diversions for those with special interests: WWT Slimbridge for bird
watching, Westonbirt Arboretum, Lacock Abbey, Village and the Fox Talbot Museum
(NT), Caen Hill Locks on the Kennet and Avon canal, the Great Western Railway
museum Steam and Retail Outlet Centre in the old engine sheds in Swindon and the
Water Park near Cirencester for walking, bird watching or just relaxing!
passing places. On route there are numerous refreshment stops and possible
diversions to see items of interest. Listed below are the links to the various sites
indicated.
The route takes you to the beautiful village of Broadway where you can enjoy the
shops and tea rooms or simply take in the historic buildings as you cruise past. After
leaving Broadway a short drive will take you past Snowshill Manor (NT) to visit if so
required, then onto the ancient town of Stow-on-the-Wold.
From Stow you can either follow this route or take an alternate direction to visit the
Cotswold Falconry centre at Batsford Park, Moreton in Marsh.
To continue the drive its then on to Bourton-on-the-Water, regularly voted as
England's prettiest village with its Motor and Toy museum, Birdland, Model Village
and much more.
From Bourton we continue via Northleach where you can visit the World of
Mechanical Music museum.
We then travel to the ancient village of Bibury where there are the medieval
Arlington cottages that are said to be the most photographed scenic view in the
Cotswolds, and the Rack Isle used for drying cloth from the old Arlington Mill.
From Bibury we return back to the Cheltenham Park Hotel via a winding country
road.
The route is approximately 70 miles in total.
This drive through the Forest of Dean passes a large number of different attractions.
Choose the ones which interest you: the Sculpture Trail at Beechenhurst, railways,
ancient woods, caves, the Dean Heritage Centre, Littledean Jail crime museum, a
National Trust garden, Gloucester Cathedral, Gloucester Docks with its National
Waterways Museum or Gloucester Quays shopping outlet. Unfortunately you will not
have time to do them all on this 75 mile circular tour!
There are plenty of places for refreshment stops en route as many of the attractions
have cafes.