Malmesbury

The best place to start has to be my home town of 'Malmesbury'.

Malmesbury can be found in the Southern Cotswolds and lies 5 miles south of Tetbury but is one of the lesser known towns in the Cotswolds. I think it is a real gem and is a charming small town that is surrounded by the most beautiful country side.

The town is steeped in history and is well known as being England's oldest Borough and is also home to a stunning 12th century Abbey. When St Aldhem founded the Monastery the site soon became a place of pilgrimage and learning, and in the 10th Century, Athelstan, the 1st King ( of all ) England made Malmesbury his Capital. He is buried under the Abbey grounds.

Malmesbury is a great town for a visit and the bustling high street has a selection of independent home and antique shops. There is also a total of five places to grab a pint with my favourite being 'The Old Bell Hotel', I am afraid this comes with my interior design hat on ( its well worth checking out!). There are also numerous cafes and restaurants. If you like pizza then you must try 'The Bird Cage' which has a delicious selection and is extremely popular so you may need to book ahead if opting for an evening meal!

Once you have taken in the history, browsed the shops and refuelled then I thoroughly recommend a walk through the adjoining countryside and pretty riverside paths. Malmesbury is quite famous for its Rivers and numerous bridges which make for a varied and interesting walk. I have attached a circular walk around the town which should take around 1 hour to complete.