Any suggestions for renting a car (car size and rental company) to go from Bath to Stratford-upon-Avon, through the Cotswolds? Will a compact be large enough for four people and four suitcases - figuring that some of the suitcases will have to go in the back seat? I will request an automatic transmission car, since it will be my first time driving on the left side of the road. Thanks!
Posted by
3124 posts
I'm with you on the automatic transmission, for sure. In the UK we've rented from Enterprise and Hertz, good experiences both times. What they consider a midsize or full size car is still relatively small by US standards. For 4 adults & luggage, I would err on the side of large. Even on the narrow, winding roads of the Scottish highlands we were OK with the size of car larger than a compact.
Posted by
Portsmouth
5554 posts
A compact car for four people (presumably adults) will be tight and uncomfortable and you can forget about putting luggage on the back seat, that's where the two passengers will be! You may be able to squeeze two large suitcases in the boot and as most compact cars are hatchbacks the removal of the parcel shelf will assist in this. You won't get four suitcases in. You'll also struggle finding a compact automatic, they're nowhere near as common in Europe.
You are far better off renting an intermediate/family car. Boot size is larger although you will still struggle with four large suitcases and the choice of automatic is greater. Your best bet would be to rent an estate, I've searched Rentalcars for a week in October in Bath and the cheapest automatic estate is a Mercedes C class for £417, the cheapest manual was a Kia Ceed for £216.
Posted by
UK
1015 posts
If you're making stops en route, get a car large enough to put all the cases in the boot (trunk). While theft from cars is relatively rare, leaving luggage in sight while leaving the car in a car park is never a good idea.
Posted by
Nashville, TN, USA
3896 posts
There are several companies that rent vans. You may find that you need one for four people plus suitcases.
However....If it were my trip, I would take the train from Bath to Stratford-Upon-Avon, and forget the car rental.
I would spend several nights in Stratford-Upon-Avon, and one of those days take a tour of the Cotswolds with this company, Go Cotswolds. This is what we did last spring.
https://www.gocotswolds.co.uk/
The highlight of our entire trip was the day we spent on a tour of the Cotswolds on the "Go Cotswolds" Tour, hosted by Tom. We were staying in Stratford-Upon-Avon, where we were picked up at our hotel in the morning by Tom and his mini-van. We had 8 people on board that day including us.
We went to Chipping Campden, Broadway Tower, Stow-On-The-Wold, Bourton-On-The-Water, and the Rollright Stones, to name a few of the stops. Tom gave out walking maps in some of the towns, and made recommendations for shops selling coffee and cakes, or lunch. Plenty of time was given for us to walk around and take photos at each stop.
Tom was born and raised in Stratford-Upon-Avon, so he knows the Cotswolds quite well. We enjoyed his stories and explanations of local landmarks. Being a local, Tom can also suggest some great restaurants around Stratford-Upon-Avon.
Here's my trip report with more information:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/day-tours/go-cotswolds-tour-with-tom-the-most-fun-we-had-while-in-england
I was glad that I didn't have to drive myself. It greatly reduced my stress level on this trip. Very relaxing to have someone take you around the Cotswolds. Don't know if this would work for you, but I just wanted to mention how much we enjoyed doing it this way.