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Bath to Birmingham

Hi all,
We are renting a car after our stay in Bath to drive north through the Cotswolds. We will stay in Chipping Campden 2 nights.
We will leave Bath midday and sleep in Chipping Campden 2 nights. Along the route, I was planning on visiting Malmesbury,
Stow in the Wold and save Chipping Campden and the immediate area for the next full day. Given that we have a half day to drive - which towns should we stop in (even briefly) along the route. The next full day we will visit Hidcote and Chipping Campden.
The 3rd day we will drive on to Birmingham, drop the car and train to Edinburgh

Any suggestions?
Many thanks!

Posted by
619 posts

You have lots of choices. You could stop in Castle Combe on the way to Malmesbury, and then go on to Tetbury. Cirencester is the biggest town within the Cotswolds and has lots to see, including the excellent Corinium museum. It also has lots of places to eat. There is a Roman ampitheatre on the outskirts of Cirencester in the middle of a housing estate which is quite undeveloped and so unexpected.

If you want to know more about the Romans, then Chedworth north of Cirencester is worth a visit, or you could make a detour via Bibury. Other options are Westonbirt Arboretum, or any of the smaller manor houses that are open to the public, sometimes on only one or two days a week.

Generally, my suggestion would be to take it easy, divert from the beaten track, and avoid just visting a succession of choclate box places.

Posted by
3124 posts

On your way to Birmingham you could stop in Stratford-upon-Avon and/or Warwick. Be aware that Stratford-upon-Avon can get pretty congested -- not just with tourists, though there are some 5.5 million/year, but also with local commerce as it is a town of 25,000. Allow time for traffic delays if you venture into the town.