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A queer road trip around the Cotswolds: Pt 3 - Cirencester, the Capital of the Cotswolds

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If you were to ask anyone in the know to point at the Cotswolds on a map of the UK, chances are their finger would fall somewhere in the region of Cirencester. The small but perfectly formed market-town in the very centre of the Cotswold hills, and as a former important Roman city, is where most of the main roads end - still following the 2,000 year old road plan till today.  It's from here you can follow any of these ancient Roman Roads in every direction, westwards on Ermin Street to Gloucester, eastwards on Akeman Street to London (roughly back in the direction you have be travelling from if you've been following Part 1 and Part 2 from Oxford), or North and South along the Fosse Way to either Bath or towards Leicester.  The absolute best of the Cotswolds lays along this ancient road northwards through the central Cotswolds, past wool towns and ancient villages that sprang up along the Fosse Way in the middle-ages using the long standing road as a super-highway to markets ...
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A queer road trip around the Cotswolds: Part 2 - Around Oxford

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Oxford might be one of the UK's most beautiful and easy to access cities, filled with grand limestone buildings, ancient colleges, and some of Britain's best museums, but travel out of the city on the western roads and the Cotswold Hills open up in front of you. Ask any Englishman and they will go misty-eyed at the thought of pristine rolling hills, quaint little villages filled with lively gastro-pubs, and a life long forgotten in most other corners of England. And while the villages might cut a demure appearance, it doesn't mean that all of their former inhabitants do; with many things to see and do with a little queer historic interest sprinkled in for good measure.  And with one of the liveliest gastronomic scenes in the whole of the UK, the Oxfordshire Cotswolds are also perfect to tour if you're looking for a little luxury on your road-trip, be that in high-end spas, or in cutting-edge restaurants. So grab yourself an AA Road Map, sit yourself in the left-hand lan...
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A queer road trip around the Cotswold: Pt 1 - Oxford

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With it's chocolate box villages, trickling streams, beautiful rose gardens, and world heritage sites, The Cotswolds are a slice of England barely disturbed by modern life. In fact, with around 23 million visitors a year spread between it's historic cities, countryside retreats, and spas, it's one of the UK's most popular destinations.  Most people come as day-trippers either striking out from London or detouring from their route between big-ticket destinations such as Oxford and Bath, but with so much to see and do, the real way to get to drips with the Cotswolds is on a road-trip. How else are you meant to slow down, picnic in incredible summer gardens, promenade around period-drama-perfect parklands, and soak in some of the UK's best spas? But while it's string of historic towns and beautiful villages might look great on your grid, did you know there is also a fascinating queer history to discover while you travel around this pretty slice of the UK? Here'...
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