Chippenham is set on a crossing of the River Avon and lies between the Malborough Downs to the East, the Cotswolds to the North and West and Salisbury Plain to the South. Surrounding the town are stone-built Cotswold villages.
Bath 
From Chippenham it was onto Bath (which is in Somerset), where we stopped for a couple of hours to take in this beautiful and unique town. Famous for its Roman Baths, and romantic riverside Bath didnt disappoint. Although it was extremely busy, being a Sunday, we still had a lovely visit, walking through markets, narrow streets and cobbled walks, 
watched the boats on the river, seeing old churches and ancient roman baths and statues. 
It really is a beautiful town and so worth a visit.
Bath is probably most famous for its baths fed by by three hot springs.
The city is founded around the only naturally occuring hot springs in the UK and the waters from its spring were believed to be a cure for many afflictions. Bath is connected to Bristol and the sea by the River Avon via locks by small boats.
The city today is a World Heritage Site. Bath is at the bottom of the Avon Valley, and near the southern edge of the Cotswolds, a range of limestone hills designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty. The surrounding hills are beautiful.
From Bath we took a drive to Wales
From Chippenham it was onto Bath (which is in Somerset), where we stopped for a couple of hours to take in this beautiful and unique town. Famous for its Roman Baths, and romantic riverside Bath didnt disappoint. Although it was extremely busy, being a Sunday, we still had a lovely visit, walking through markets, narrow streets and cobbled walks, 
watched the boats on the river, seeing old churches and ancient roman baths and statues. 
It really is a beautiful town and so worth a visit.Bath is probably most famous for its baths fed by by three hot springs.
The city is founded around the only naturally occuring hot springs in the UK and the waters from its spring were believed to be a cure for many afflictions. Bath is connected to Bristol and the sea by the River Avon via locks by small boats.
The city today is a World Heritage Site. Bath is at the bottom of the Avon Valley, and near the southern edge of the Cotswolds, a range of limestone hills designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty. The surrounding hills are beautiful.
From Bath we took a drive to Wales
Wales
We crossed the bridge from England into Wales and drove towards Cardiff. Dad was fascinated with the road signs and thought we were in another country. Cardiff is the capital and largest city of Wales.
Located on the south coast of the country. It was a small town until the early nineteenth century and came to prominence as a major port for the transport of coal following the arrival of industry in the region. It eventually grew to become the largest city in Wales and serves as a major centre of culture, sport and history in the United Kingdom.
Located on the south coast of the country. It was a small town until the early nineteenth century and came to prominence as a major port for the transport of coal following the arrival of industry in the region. It eventually grew to become the largest city in Wales and serves as a major centre of culture, sport and history in the United Kingdom.
We didnt have time to explore Wales much further and because our main idea was to adventure through the villages of The Cotswolds we headed for our Holiday Inn in Gloucestershire for a good nights rest.
Everywhere you drive in the Cotswolds is green and leafy. The views are magnificent and the unique villages are so pretty and so old.
Everywhere you drive in the Cotswolds is green and leafy. The views are magnificent and the unique villages are so pretty and so old. Cotswolds are centred on the gentle slopes of the Cotswolds Hills and is a natural beauty area, the largest in England and Wales, made up from parts of the English Counties of Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Somerset. The region is famous for its ancient mellow 'honey' coloured limestone villages that blend perfectly into the countryside and its bustling market towns. The Cotswolds region is one of the most treasured, toured and vacationed in the UK for nowhere else will you see such timeless uniqueness and heart warming preservation on such a scale.
The next day we started our Cotswold meander and our first stop was Painswick and we fell in love with it immediately. Old yellow stone and the beautiful countryside as its backgarden makes it the perfect place to grow old and happy.
I think it is best known for its church's Yew
trees. The town is mainly constructed of locally quarried cotswold stone and we took a walk around taking in the quintness and oldness of the town. 
It is situated on a hill overlooking the Stroud valleys. The streets are narrow and its traditional architecture make it that perfect qaint English village. Painswick is quite often referred to as the Queen of the Cotswolds due to it's fine buildings of pale grey limestone. These are a reflection of the town's former prosperity during 300 years of activity in the cloth industry.
St. Mary's church is largely of the 15th and 16th centuries but the spire was not added until 1632. The churchyard is famed for it's 99 yew trees which were planted around 1792. It is said that every time a hundredth tree is planted it dies.
The next day we started our Cotswold meander and our first stop was Painswick and we fell in love with it immediately. Old yellow stone and the beautiful countryside as its backgarden makes it the perfect place to grow old and happy.
I think it is best known for its church's Yew
trees. The town is mainly constructed of locally quarried cotswold stone and we took a walk around taking in the quintness and oldness of the town. 
It is situated on a hill overlooking the Stroud valleys. The streets are narrow and its traditional architecture make it that perfect qaint English village. Painswick is quite often referred to as the Queen of the Cotswolds due to it's fine buildings of pale grey limestone. These are a reflection of the town's former prosperity during 300 years of activity in the cloth industry.St. Mary's church is largely of the 15th and 16th centuries but the spire was not added until 1632. The churchyard is famed for it's 99 yew trees which were planted around 1792. It is said that every time a hundredth tree is planted it dies.
We continued driving and stopping along the way to take pictures and take in the really pretty countryside.
Our next stop was Tetbury, which lies on the site of an ancient hill fort. Tetbury is an architectural gem, the central part of the town is largely unchanged since the 16th. and 17th. centuries, and parts have clear links to medieval times.
Next stop was Circencester, a market town that lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. We stayed for a short walk around the town and then headed back to our hotel for the night.
The next day we went to Bourton-on-the-Water
which a is a lovely picturesque area. It is known affectionately as the Venice of the Cotswolds.
The River Windrush runs through the middle of the village, in landscaped setting and is spanned by several small but very attractive road and footbridges.
which a is a lovely picturesque area. It is known affectionately as the Venice of the Cotswolds.The River Windrush runs through the middle of the village, in landscaped setting and is spanned by several small but very attractive road and footbridges.
We decided to have some fun and went through the popular Dragonfly Maze.
StOw-on-tHE-wOLd was next and is a delightful market town and along with Moreton in Marsh, perhaps the best known of the small Cotswolds towns.
Stow-on the-Wold stands exposed on a 700 feet high hill at a junction of seven major roads, including the Roman Fosse Way.
At the height of the Cotswold wool industry the town was famous for it's huge annual fairs where as many as 20,000 sheep were sold at one time.
The vast Market Square testifies to the towns former importance. At one end stands the ancient cross, and at the other the town stocks, shaded between an old elm tree. Around the square the visitor is faced with an elegant array of Cotswold town houses.
After a very long and busy day we headed back for a good nights sleep. Next day was my birthday and I was keen to go to the Forest of Dean. The Forest of Dean is in the county of Gloucestershire.
FOreSt Of dEAn
The area is bounded by the River Wye to the west and north, the River Severnto the south, and the city of Gloucester to the East. It is characterised by over 110 km² of mixed forest and is one of the most ancient surviving forest in England, with areas of associated woodland stretching across the border into Wales.
The forest is steeped in history, and goes back thousands of years. We drove around and took a walk through the bluebells.
Westbury court garden
And last but not least was the small market town of
Stratford-upon-Avon a small market town in Warwickshire on the River Avon and the birthplace and deathbed of Shakespeare.
The town of Stratford upon Avon is located north of the Cotswold limestone and is an important gateway to the Cotswolds.
Stratford means 'street across the ford' and was a river crossing in Roman times.
The town of Stratford upon Avon is located north of the Cotswold limestone and is an important gateway to the Cotswolds.
Stratford means 'street across the ford' and was a river crossing in Roman times. At the time Shakespeare was a child his father, the Mayor welcomed groups of actors to entertain the townspeople. This may have started Shakespeare's interest in the theatre, which led him to London to work, but he returned to Stratford upon Avon near the end of his life.