Cheltenham courier service, same day and direct
One van, one driver and a direct run from your Cheltenham address to wherever the consignment needs to be, whether that is samples for a London buyer, a part for a factory in Tewkesbury or festival kit for Montpellier.
- Race week and festival timings planned
- Head office and design studio work
- Live updates during the job
A town of head offices, studios and event days
Cheltenham does not look like an industrial town, and most of its urgent courier work is not industrial either. It is the head office that needs signed contracts with a lender by four o'clock, the fashion brand sending a set of samples to a buyer, the design agency returning a client's prototype, or the festival organiser who is one box of programmes short on opening morning.
That kind of work suits a dedicated van. Nothing else is loaded alongside your consignment, nobody sorts it at a hub, and the driver goes straight from your door to the recipient. We confirm an estimated collection time when you book, based on where the nearest suitable vehicle is at that moment.
Who sends what from Cheltenham
The town is home to the head offices of several well-known businesses. Spirax Group, the steam and fluid engineering company, has its headquarters here. Kohler Mira makes showers in the town, Superdry was founded and is still run from Cheltenham, and UCAS has its offices here. Alongside them are insurance and finance employers, software firms and a large number of small professional practices.
Typical same-day jobs include:
- engineering spares or prototype parts moving between a Cheltenham site and a customer or test facility elsewhere in the UK
- fashion samples and photo shoot stock travelling between the studio, a photographer and a London showroom
- legal and financial documents that must be signed for by a named person at a set time
- replacement IT kit for a branch office, packed and sent the same day
For contracts and paperwork, our document courier service records exactly who signed and when. Stock for shops and online sellers is covered on our retail and ecommerce courier page.
Kingsditch and the trade estates
The north-west of the town, around Kingsditch Lane and Tewkesbury Road, is where Cheltenham's trade counters, builders' merchants, workshops and retail parks are concentrated. This is where pallets, boxed stock and heavier items usually start from. A Luton van with a tail lift is the right vehicle for loads that will be delivered to a site without a forklift, and the van size guide shows what fits in each vehicle.
From Kingsditch, M5 junction 10 is the obvious route north towards Worcester and Birmingham. That junction is being rebuilt as part of a major upgrade scheme, so expect roadworks and occasional closures while the work continues. We take that into account when we plan the route and give you a timing.
Race days and festivals
Cheltenham Racecourse at Prestbury Park hosts the Festival every March and a series of other meetings through the season. The town also runs literature, jazz, music and science festivals that fill Montpellier Gardens, Imperial Square and the town centre.
Event days change the job in two ways. Roads around the venue become slow at predictable times, and access to temporary structures is usually controlled by the organiser. If you are supplying an event, send us the delivery instructions you have been given: gate, time slot, contact name and any vehicle pass. Our events and exhibitions courier page explains how we handle build-up and break-down runs.
Before race week
If you know a delivery will fall during the Festival, book it early and give us a window rather than a fixed time. The driver can then plan an approach that avoids the A435 and Evesham Road at their worst.
The hospital and the university
Cheltenham General Hospital on Sandford Road is part of the Gloucestershire Hospitals trust alongside Gloucestershire Royal in Gloucester, and items often need to move between the two. The University of Gloucestershire has several campuses in the town. For any delivery to a hospital department, name the building and the recipient, and make sure clinical items are packaged by the sender before collection.
Typical journeys from Cheltenham
Approximate road distances, which vary with the exact addresses.
| From Cheltenham to | Approx. distance | Main route |
|---|---|---|
| Gloucester | 9 miles | A40 |
| Worcester | 26 miles | M5 |
| Oxford | 42 miles | A40 |
| Bristol | 45 miles | M5 |
| Birmingham | 50 miles | M5 |
| Central London | 100 miles | A40, M40 |
Our Gloucester courier page covers the aerospace and business park work a few miles down the A40, and our Worcester courier service covers the run north up the M5.
FAQ
Common questions
Will race week at Cheltenham affect my delivery?
It can. During the Festival in March, and on other big race days, the roads around Prestbury Park, the A435 and the routes in from the M5 are extremely busy before the first race and after the last. If your collection or delivery is in the north or east of the town, tell us when you book and give us a firm deadline. We plan the route and timing around the racecourse traffic rather than through it.
Our studio needs samples at a London showroom by the afternoon. Can you do that?
Usually yes, with a morning collection. Central London is roughly 100 road miles away via the A40 and M40. Garment rails, boxed samples and lookbooks all travel well in a small or SWB van. Give us the showroom's delivery instructions, because many London buildings only accept goods at a rear entrance or loading bay, and the name of the person who will sign.
Can you collect from Kingsditch and deliver to a site in Wales?
Yes. Trade counters and workshops on Kingsditch Lane and the surrounding estates often send stock to jobs across the border. Cardiff is about 65 miles away and Newport a little less. Tell us whether the site has a forklift or whether the load needs to come off by hand or on a tail lift, and we will send a suitable van.
Do you deliver to GCHQ or do any secure government work?
No. GCHQ is a large employer on the west side of Cheltenham and its traffic is one of the reasons the A40 at Benhall gets busy, but we do not offer security-cleared or government secure courier services. For ordinary business consignments in that part of town, including the offices and homes around Benhall and Up Hatherley, we operate as normal.
Is there a Clean Air Zone in Cheltenham?
No. Cheltenham does not have a charging Clean Air Zone. Town centre deliveries are mainly shaped by the one-way system, loading restrictions around the Promenade and pedestrianised areas. If your shop or office has a rear service entrance or a specific loading time, include it in the booking so the driver goes straight there.
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