Cotswald Tour from London

London Walks occasionally offers such a tour, I believe. I think it departs from London by train and then switches the group to a road vehicle for the actual tour. Those tours are infrequent, but there's one scheduled for April 26: https://www.walks.com/our-walks/the-cotswolds-excursion/. I haven't taken any of London Walks' out-of-town trips, but I've been on at least ten of its London walking tours and found them great.

Several years ago I took a small-group GoCotswolds tour that originated in Moreton-in-Marsh, but I was staying in Oxford at the time. The tour departed from the train station at 9:30. On the nationalrail.co.uk website I see a train scheduled to depart London's Paddington Station at 7:50 AM and due to arrive in Moreton at 9:17 AM. That should work fine for catching the tour, but you would assume the risk; if an unexpected, significant train delay occurred, you'd miss the tour.

I'd prefer a tour that utilizes a train from London rather than depending on a bus for the entire day; the train trip should be faster.

I will be in London March 31 and will take the train from Paddington to Moreton and take the go cotswolds tour April 1. I too was concerned about that tight time frame of 917 train arrival and 930 tour start although they do want you there prior to the tour. In one of those middle of the night flashes realized Moreton is also a Cotswolds town so taking the 817 train and will take a walk around Moreton before joining the tour! Staying by Paddington Station so easy to get the train. Another thing to consider is that it is about a 2 hour trip from London and I kinda soughta wasn't interested in being in a van with a bunch of other people for that length of time coming and going.

I did a day trip with Rabbies and I was very happy with it. You’re in a 16 seater bus so it’s not a huge group. The driver/guide talks about the sites while he’s driving and then drops you off and you can wander alone. It meets outside Victoria Coach Station.

Check out GetYourGuide. Search for London to Cotswolds and see what appeals to you.

But try to buy tours directly from the companies operating the tours. Get Your Guide is just a middleman. If you buy from them, either you'll pay more money or the tour company will receive less money, or both. That's how middlemen make money.

And again, if you take a bus tour from London, you'll have less time to spend actually seeing the Cotswolds, because you'll spend more time on the bus than you would on a train.

I took the London walks tour and I would recommend it. You do take the train to your starting point so you’re not spending as much time on the bus and then there’s a minibus that takes you around so it’s a small group.

I was glad we had our tour guide with us from London because there was work on the train tracks and of course we had to change trains in Oxford. It would’ve been a little more stressful without somebody who knew what they were doing.

I do want to go back and do a much longer walking to her. My uncles have done that several times and have great experiences to talk about, but it was a good way to at least expose myself to the region.