A feeling of familiarity

Holidays are different things for different people, but this holiday took even me by surprise when – with no apology to either town – rather than going somewhere completely different, we ended up in a town that felt very much like the place where we live.

I guess the fact both Tunbridge Wells and Cheltenham are historic spa towns means I shouldn't have been too surprised at the feeling of familiarity, but history doesn't necessarily translate into present day and the two certainly don't seem similar on paper. For starters, one has far too many hills, while the other takes longer to walk across and is definitely more of a shopping destination. But let's stop before I end up accidentally insulting one or other destination. Back to my feeling of comfort and familiarity as we meandered the streets of Cheltenham.

We were there for a weekend with two goals in mind: visit the local parkrun, meet a new-to-us bookshop. We also found a lovely real ale pub, ate some gorgeous meals, meandered, and wished we had more time to make the most of a very relaxed wine bar. Not forgetting our complete failure to find the time to walk to the tap room of one of my favourite breweries. I'm no travel reviewer, so that's as much as you'll get about all of those. My priority is Rossiter Books.

Part of a small chain of independent bookshops, Rossiter Books intensified my feelings of familiarity because I've previously visited two of their older outlets. From the front, it looked exactly as I'd anticipated. But you'll have to take my word for it because apparently my only external photo is this selfie.

Inside, the bookshop is large and light. Its two floors mean I'd say it's larger than the others I've visited, but I hope they'll forgive me if the memory of those first two has dulled over time. While all the Rossiters are different, the pale blue front and the oak (I'm guessing) coloured bookshelves meant there was no doubt this was part of the same family.

This shop is also as well-stocked as the others, meaning we spent quite some time browsing in the calm surroundings. I loitered in the area pictured above, while I lost The Boy to the non-fiction. It being late in the day on a Saturday meant we had the place mostly to ourselves, which is always a treat.

I ended up buying two books: Orbital by Samantha Harvey, and a gift for a friend: Back to the local by Maurice Gorham, while The Boy chose Hitler, Stalin, Mum & Dad by Daniel Finkelstein. As some time has passed since this 2014 visit, I can tell you all three books were very much enjoyed. I was particularly smug to be able to say I'd read a Booker Prize winner before the winner had been announced (this occurrence is rare for me).

Happy with our purchases, we left the bookshop and made our way back down Montpellier Street, which had a slight feeling of The Pantiles about it, in terms of businesses and architecture – there really was no escaping the familiarity.

I'm not sure how long ago the Rossiter Books "empire" arrived in Cheltenham, but I'm pleased to see it's continuing to grow and thrive. For me, independent bookshop chains such as this are a welcome part of the bookshopping world, and I look forward to visiting the rest in time. I'm also long-overdue a return to Cheltenham, to re-visit the bookshop, finally get to the brewery, and to enjoy another break in this home away from home.

Rossiter Books
7 Rotunda Terrace, Montpellier Terrace, Cheltenham, GL50 1SW