Cheltenham (or Cheltenham Spa) is a large spa town located on the edge of the Cotswolds. It has been a health and holiday spa resort since the discovery of mineral springs there in 1716, and is famous for its fine Regency architecture. It’s said to be England's most complete Regency town, and town houses with intricate ironwork balconies and painted stucco facades line the historic Promenade, squares and terraces. 

Modern Cheltenham has a cosmopolitan flavour, with an impressive range of stylish shops and restaurants, award-wining gardens and well-known festivals of horse racing, music, science and literature. From here you can get public transport connections to the market towns and villages of the Cotswolds or to Stratford, Bath and Oxford. Alternatively, during the summer months, you can join a scenic Cotswold coach tour .

How to get there

All long-distance buses arrive at the station in Royal Well Road, just west off the Promenade. The train station is on Queen's Road, southwest of the centre; buses G and F run into town every fifteen minutes, otherwise it's a twenty-minute walk. The tourist office , at 77 Promenade (Mon-Sat 9.30am-5.15pm; tel 01242/522878, ), sells tickets for walking tours of the town, and for guided bus tours stopping at several destinations in the Cotswolds that are otherwise difficult to reach on public transport; they're popular, so book in advance.

Until the eighteenth century CHELTENHAM was like any other Cotswold town, but then the discovery of a spring in 1716 transformed it into Britain's most popular spa . During Cheltenham's prime, a century or so later, the royal, the rich and the famous descended in hordes to take the waters, which were said to cure anything from constipation to worms. These days, while a fair proportion of Cheltenham's hundred thousand-odd inhabitants are undoubtedly well-heeled, of Conservative persuasion (true of the Cotswolds in general) and above retirement age, the town saves itself from too smug an image by a lively and increasingly cosmopolitan atmosphere. It's by far the best spot around for nightlife and makes a convenient base for touring the area.

The focus of Cheltenham, the broad Promenade , sweeps majestically south from the High Street, lined with the town's grandest houses, smartest shops and most genteel public gardens. A short walk north of the High Street, brings you to Pittville , which, planned as a spa town to rival Cheltenham, was never completed and is now mostly parkland. Here you can stroll along a few solitary Regency avenues and visit the grandest spa building, the domed Pump Room (Mon & Wed-Sun 11am-4pm), whose chief function nowadays is as a concert hall - though you can sample England's only naturally alkaline water for free here. On your return route, the Holst Birthplace Museum is worth a glance, at 4 Clarence Rd (Tues-Sat 10am-4pm): the former home of the composer of The Planets , it holds plenty of Holst memorabilia, including his piano, and also gives a good insight into Victorian family life. Back in the centre, the well-set-out Art Gallery and Museum on Clarence Street (Mon-Sat 10am-5.20pm, Sun 2-4.20pm; free; ) marks the high point of Cheltenham. It's very good on social history, with different eras represented by table displays of personal belongings and a typical dinner of the time. There's also a room dedicated to the Arts and Crafts Movement, containing several pieces by Charles Voysey and Ernest Gimson, two of the period's most graceful designers. Also on display is an array of rare Chinese ceramics and works by Cotswold artists such as Stanley Spencer and Vanessa Bell.

The town is also a thriving arts centre, famous for its festivals of jazz (April), classical music (July) and literature (October) - and then, of course, there are the races. In addition, Coopers' Hill, six miles southwest on the A46, is the venue for the region's most bizarre, and established, competition. On the second bank holiday in May, a steep section of the Cotswold escarpment hosts the annual Cheese Rolling Festival , when a large Double Gloucester cheese is rolled down the one-in-two incline and chased by dozens of drunken folk; the first to grab the cheese is the winner.

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Cheltenham Racecourse

Cheltenham racecourse , a ten-minute walk north of Pittville Park at the foot of Cleeve Hill, is Britain's main steeplechasing venue. The principal event of the season, the three-day National Hunt Festival in March, attracts forty thousand people each day. A fair proportion of them come from Ireland, the birthplace of some of the greatest horses to have raced here, including the supreme steeplechaser, Arkle . Other meetings take place in January, April, October, November and December: a list of fixtures is posted up at the tourist office. For the cheapest but arguably the best view, pay £5 (rising to £15 during the Festival) for entry to the Courage Enclosure, as the pen in the middle is known. For schedules and other information, call 01242/513014 or access the website at . For the National Hunt Festival it's essential to buy tickets in advance.

A popular pre-meet watering hole is the King's Arms , a short walk east of the racecourse in Prestbury , an old Cotswold village with a reputation for being the most haunted village in England, and which has now been subsumed into the town. Fred Archer , considered by many to have been the finest Flat jockey of all time, was brought up here, and he features prominently among the pub's racing memorabilia. The pub has sadly lost much of its character since becoming part of a chain, and you might find the nearby Royal Oak more congenial.

The Cheltenham Festival is the most prestigious meeting in the National Hunt Racing Calendar in the UK. The race prize is second to the Grand National. The Cheltenham Festival is a chance for the best Irish and British horses to come together and race one another.

The event takes place every year in March at the Cheltenham Racecourse in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Massive amounts of money are bet on this occasion, with hundreds of millions of pounds being gambled over the period of four days. As with most horse racing events, betting comprises a significant aspect of its appeal. The event is known for its atmosphere, most notably the famous Cheltenham roar. The Cheltenham roar refers to the noise made when he horses enter the home straight and long run in. The roar also refers to the incredible amount of noise which is made at the opening race of the festival.

Traditionally the race was ran over a period of 3 days, however this changed in 2005 when a fourth day was introduced. There are 24 races altogether, with grade one events including the;

* Champion Bumper
* Triumph Hurdle
* Supreme Novices Hurdle
* Ballymore Properties Novices Hurdle
* Arkle Challenge Trophy
* Royal & SunAlliance Chase
* Champion Hurdle
* World Hurdle
* Queen Mother Champion Chase
* Cheltenham Gold Cup (The final race)

The first Cheltenham Festival took place in 1902 and since then has continued to gain more and more distinctions within the racing calendar, becoming nearly as in important as the Grand National, the prize money also seconding the Grand Nationals prize. Every year without a fail now, the build up to Cheltenham excitement begins months in advance. Most of the betting takes place when the actual event is taking place, hundred of millions of pounds is spent on races.

Jump racing being most popular attracting most of the attention; the entrants for the jump racing are in incredible form with months of training. The three most popular races being Champion Hurdle which is ran on the Tuesday. Followed by the Queen Mother Champion Chase on the Wednesday and on Friday by the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

A number one priority of the Cheltenham Racecourse has been to provide the best underfoot conditions for the horses. The aim has been to provide the best conditions for the Cheltenham Gold Cup but also for events taking place throughout the whole year. Using the available ground has enable the Racecourse to produce fresh ground on the new course for both third and in 2005 the fourth day of the festival. Cheltenham now consists of two racecourses known as the new course and the old course.

A day at the Cheltenham Festival comprises of six races, with the meeting getting underway with the Supreme Novices Hurdle on Tuesday afternoon, which is the first race of the event. The Feature race however being the Champion Hurdle, which regardless of attracting large fields is normally taken by those more favoured in the Cheltenham betting markets.

The most successful horse in Cheltenham Gold Cup history was Golden Miller, who won five times from 1932. There have also been another three horses that won the gold cup 3 times consecutively.

* Cottage Rake in 1948 - 1950
* Arkle in 1964 - 1966
* Best Mate in 2002 - 2004

The race course has many advantages including onsite accommodation and several restaurants to choose from. At Cheltenham there is a huge choice of places where food and drink is available, ranging from bars to seafood and beef burger stalls. An impressive range of hotels are in the surrounding area, offering exclusive deals whilst the Cheltenham Festival is on.

 Article Republished From: Liberated Press Releases a web site that DOESN'T use Google Adsense text links in or around articles.
Author Resource:- Daniel Johansson is an Internet Technologist who has an interest in sports betting. There are many horse racing and betting events in the UK this year, many websites promote the Cheltenham Festival and offer Cheltenham betting odds.