Stow-on-the-Wold is an ancient market town that has a vast market square that boasts an ancient cross at one end and the village stocks at the other, surrounded by an elegant array of Cotswold stone townhouses, antique shops, tea rooms, traditional pubs, award-winning restaurants and its very own cricket museum. Many walks and cycle rides through the beautiful rolling countryside of the Cotswolds can be enjoyed from the centre of Stow. Cheltenham is a short drive away and is a spa town with an incredible range of shops, cinemas, theatres, restaurants and pubs, it is famous for its horse-racing festival in March, culminating in the Gold Cup steeplechase.