When you’re travelling to Cheltenham from anywhere in the UK, you’ll notice the many villages and settlement dotted around the county of Gloucestershire.
While Cheltenham might feel like the main event, it’s worth thinking about these smaller satellites because they can offer easy access to Cheltenham and Gloucester, but often with a smaller mortgage.
Here are four villages near to Cheltenham that might appeal to you.
Churchdown
Situated between Cheltenham and Gloucester, Churchdown, with a population of around 11,000 people, is one of the largest villages in the UK. It has an ancient church, St Bartholomew which has topped Chosen Hill for 800 years and before that, the site is believed to have held a pre-Christian temple.
Nowadays, Churchdown has a more lot to offer. There are six school, a social and bowls club, a golf course, lots of shops, two pubs and good transport links.
With an average house price of £277,000 in 2022, Churchdown, which is six miles from Cheltenham, is a great place to put down roots.
Leckhampton
A great place for history buffs, Leckhampton is listed in the Domesday Book and has a 14th century church on the site of an older Saxon place of worship. There are also some wattle and daub houses, as well as a 16th century timber-framed house and several Iron Age forts on the surrounding hills.
Leckhampton has a population of around 4,500 people who enjoy its amenities, such as good schools, shops and thriving drama and dance clubs, as well as a village pub.
The average house price in Leckhampton is £491,000, so while it’s a bit pricier than Churchdown, it is only two miles away from Cheltenham.
Shurdington
In 1939, Shurdington had a population of just 500 or so, now it’s six times that and will probably continue to grow. The village is surrounded by hills and you can get some stunning views of the Severn Valley if you climb up them.
The village itself is well known for its annual Whit Monday cheese rolling festival. A Double Gloucester cheese wheel is rolled down Cooper’s Hill and chased by anyone brave enough to try to catch it.
Shurdington has two pubs (one named The Cheese Rollers) and quite a few social clubs, as well as a couple of shops.
At a distance of three miles from Cheltenham, Shurdington has an average house price of £417,000.
