Dedicated star-spotters can feast their eyes in CIRENCESTER, where celebrities have settled to enjoy the capital of the Cotswolds.

Cirencester is a lovely place to visit - and who knows which famous personalities you might spot shopping for their Easter eggs in Waitrose.

Billed as the capital of the Cotswolds - it's not hard to see why the town seems to be a magnet for celebrities.

It was a favourite of the late Princess Diana, who loved its individual shops and was often seen with the young princes William and Harry shopping there while on weekend and holiday visits to nearby Highgrove House, the family's country home.

Today, whether you're film royalty, fashion royalty, or just plain royalty, the Cotswolds stands out as the A-list area to abide.

And Cirencester's branch of Waitrose has been cited, in a national newspaper, as one of the top ten places in England "to be seen''.

After moving to the area from Notting Hill, comic Dom Joly has been quoted as saying: "It was a while before I realised the Cotswolds has more celebrities than west London.

"Waitrose in Cirencester has to be even more riddled than Sainsbury's in Ladbroke Grove. There's Mr Hurley shopping for Liz, there's Gary Kemp over at the vegetables.'' It may be the sense of gentle sophistication that pervades the town which has made it such a favourite.

Old and new money seem to reside happily together. The mix of good shopping and schools, lovely honey-coloured limestone homes and beautiful countryside - not to mention the proximity to the M4 making it an easy journey to and from London - have combined to make it a very popular place to live.

Around 1,900 years ago Cirencester, then known as Corinium Dobunnorum, was second only to London in size and importance.

While it's now a relatively small town - its population is around 19,000 - it's still a very desirable place to live.

The town centre is a bustling place, a street market is held in the Market Place every Monday and Friday and there are farmers' markets there on the second and fourth Saturdays each month. Craft markets are held in the Corn Hall on Saturdays.

There are dinky versions of High Street names like Woolworth, Boots and WH Smith and upmarket chains like East, White Stuff and CC (Country Casuals).

But it's the fantastic mix of of individual shops, which attract customers from far and wide.

And shopping isn't the only attraction: Cirencester has an open air pool built in 1869 and supplied with natual spring water which is open May to September.

Brewery Arts, in the heart of the town, is a nationally recognised craft centre, with shops, workshops, gallery and coffee shop and the Corinium Museum has one of the finest collections of antiquities from Roman Britain.

The Cirencester Early Music Festival offers an acclaimed programme of events during June and July and there are guided town walks every Sunday from May to September.

  • For more information on Cirencester and events contact the Visitor Information Centre, Corn Hall, Market Place; 01285 654180.