kovsie

Thanks for this Janis. I am from South Africa and still struggle to get my head around the time frames of Europe. What exactly does the short day mean? You can go for walks for only +- 3 or 4 hours per day? More difficult to drive in the dark?

janisj

Short days (ex. Dec 25) = sunrise 8:05AM Sunset 3:55PM

Long Days (ex. June 25) = sunrise 4:45AM Sunset 9:25PM

julia_t

Re Cheltenham - it's a town, not a city. It is also a Spa town, and you can drink the waters at the Pittville Pump Room.

Cheltenham is a large town by local standards, and as such is a focal point for Christmas shopping, followed by the sales which start on Boxing Day. The streets will crammed with shoppers in either a last-minute buying panic or those hoping to grab a bargain in the sales! However in the weeks before Christmas there is a really nice German-style street market on The Promenade, the lights in the trees and the streets are pretty, there will be music, and it is fun.

Nearby Gloucester is a city because of the magnificent Cathedral, and is easily accessible by bus or train (only 10 mins from Cheltenham). Likewise Worcester, but bear in mind that all major shopping centres will be busy. Smaller towns less so because they don't have the great choice of shops.

KathyWood

I've spent quite a bit of time in the Cotswolds, mostly in the northern part. We've only been there in warmer months (May-August). We've done a couple of walking trips (the Cotswolds Way this past summer), but otherwise always with a car.

I've imagined renting a cottage in Chipping Campden over the Christmas holidays, and I think we'd enjoy it a lot... but we've been there many times and we've done all the tourist things.

I remembered this trip report on Slow Travel of a family who spent Christmas near Burford a few years ago. It might be helpful to you: http://www.slowtrav.com/tr/tripreport.asp?tripid=1748

Kathy