Bath-Cotswolds-London itinerary help

Your plan sounds good, given the amount of time you have. Of course, each traveler would have their own personal preferences and do it a little differently, perhaps.

You may feel a bit rushed trying to see the Cotswolds as a day trip--but just prioritize and see your favorite sights first and see how it goes.
5 days in London is not too much, IMO. Even with 5 days, you'll probably only see 1/2 the things you want to see--again, prioritize.

If you've never driven "on the wrong side", strongly consider renting an automatic transmission, the standard car rental there is a non-automatic standard shift. My personal experience picking up a rental car in Bath is that it's not sufficient to just check the box for automatic transmission on the on-line car rental form when you make your reservation, because it's likely there isn't one automatic transmission on the car rental lot when you get there. A couple of days before you depart, call the UK number for the car rental location, and say something like, "I'm a Yank and really, really do want an automatic."

Be aware that the country roads in the Cotswolds (which you will want to drive on to see some of the sights) will seem very narrow to you, so be cautious, especially when passing an on-coming wider vehicle such as a truck (I mean, lorry).

Happy Travels! It will be an adventure.

We stayed at the Apple Tree Guest House (RS recommendation) in Bath for two nights and found it to be plenty. It only allowed for one full day in Bath during which we saw the Roman Baths and took the free city walking tour. Another day would have been nice but you want to spend that driving to the Cotswolds. The drive to the Cotswolds takes awhile to get there and I think you'll spend more time driving to/from the area than the pleasure you'll derive from it. I would try to focus on another day trip closer to Bath. Lacock Village is quite charming and might give a little bit of the feel of some of the Cotswolds villages. You can just wander the streets of Lacock and/or go through the Lacock Abbey. The rest of the day you might head to Avebury, if you haven't been there. Be sure to sign up for a nearly-free tour through the ancient stones and finish up by touring Avebury Manor, whose interiors were authentically redone in cooperation by the BBC. Each room is recreated in a different era. There's a nice garden adjacent to the Manor as well as a very old church.

Hi Sue, my wife and I travelled to Bath upon arriving in London, and toured the Cotswolds in a day trip from our base in Bath, and then returned to London for 4 full days in 2012. Very similar to your plan it seems. Train from Paddington to Bath is easy. Lots to see and do in Bath (one of my favorite places), 2 days in Bath would be great for me but others may see it as doable in 1 day (and I would understand that). The Cotswolds driving from Bath takes a few back roads, but that's part of the charm. I would select a couple towns or areas in the Cotswolds and focus on those with only one day. We selected Chipping Campden (lovely place for a stroll, lunch) and Upper Slaughter and Lower Slaughter (also lovely, connected by a short, easy walking path). Stow-on-the-Wold would be another good choice (we passed through only). So, I like your plan - the question is whether you cut a day off London to give yourself another day in either Bath or the Cotswolds. If 5 nights in London means 4 full days without travel, then I would encourage you NOT to take another day off London. I absolutely love Bath, the Cotswolds were great - both are worth more time than just a day in my view - but based on my experience and your available time, I would not leave yourself with less than 4 full days in London. Cheers and happy trails!

Thanks all for the very informative replies.