We will be staying in Bath for 3 days/ 2 nights and were considering a daytrip to the Cotswalds.
Is this feasible, or a waste of time?
And if feasible, what is the best way to travel? We won't have a car.
Thanks in advance,
Kimberly
Posted by
UK
1015 posts
The Cotswolds - note spelling - are very pretty but difficult to see under your own steam without a car.
Mad Max are a well-regarded operator who do a range of one-day tours from Bath, including the Cotswolds.
http://www.madmaxtours.co.uk
Bath is beautiful and I'd happily spend 1.5 or two days there, but if you have a little longer, read up on the available Cotswolds tours, look at the pictures and see if they sing to you!
Posted by
Modesto, California
101 posts
My wife and I traveled from the Cotswolds to Bath last summer. Like you, we had no wheels and instead relied on rail to get us from Moreton-in-Marsh to Bath via Redding. The trip was two or three hours, if memory serves. It is possible to undertake the day trip you're speaking of but not advisable for several reasons, not the least of which is that the Cotswolds is lovely and really merits more than a brief drop by. We used our stay to hike the Cotswolds way and visit Stratford and that was just scratching the surface.
Posted by
WI
370 posts
As others mentioned, a day trip is possible by train. However, the Cotswolds generally without a car (especially with only a day trip from Bath) is difficult. The area is not well connected by public transport. Also, I think the best part of the Cotswolds is riding from village to village, with short hikes and little finds all around. We rented from Enterprise in Bath and used that car for a day trip to the Cotswolds, including visits and hikes around Chipping Campden, Upper Slaughter and Lower Slaughter. If you do change your mind, a car makes the Cotswolds day trip much more manageable.
Posted by
OP
111 posts
Thanks to all for your replies!
Despite my general preference for rail travel, I agree that a rental car makes the most sense, and really should not be a big deal---as long as I can get confident about driving on the other side of the road. I heard that it helps to repeat "median stays on the right" when making turns and such.
Posted by
WI
370 posts
Kimberly, I found it helpful to consciously train my eye to look toward the centerline on the right. In the US, your eye trains left behind the wheel toward the centerline, but in the UK doing that will have you looking at the curb over the hood of the car and that pulls you left (several curbs jumped in Bath later I figured that out). Take it slow, and you adjust in a few hours behind the wheel. Have a great trip!
Posted by
naples, florida, USA
32 posts
I have taken the MadMaxTours to Cotswold in 2005 .....Mon, Wed or Fri from 9 am to 5:30 pm ....you will have a tour of many of the villages with plenty of time at each to browse in shops and even grab some lunch. The vans are comfortable and seat no more than 15....great narration. Consistently gets 5 stars for their tours. I am going again in Sept 2017 and have already booked. They fill up fast.
Also does tours to Stonehenge if you are interested. www.madmaxtours.co.uk
Posted by
Hampshire, England.
1075 posts
Some tips for driving in England:
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g186216-c9626/United-Kingdom:Driving.Tips.For.Visitors.html
Posted by
not here anymore
631 posts
Bath is almost in the Cotswolds, the boundary of the Cotswolds AONB ( 1 step down from national park) is the edge of the town.
http://www.cotswoldsaonb.org.uk/landscape-and-environment/map/
the frequently visited Moreton in Marsh is at the opposite end (and also right on the edge).
Buses from Bath are very limited but Bath is a short train ride to Swindon and from there you have a decent service via Cirencester to Cheltenham. https://tiscon-maps-stagecoachbus.s3.amazonaws.com/Timetables/West/51_51A_Swindon_2_April_2017.pdf
There is also a bus around every 90 minutes from Cirencester to Stroud (poor service at weekends) from where there are trains back to Swindon.