Cotswold location

We will be staying in Moreton in Marsh without a car and use trains and buses to get to many Cotswold villages and also Oxford and we think Blenheim Palace. It seems there are many things we can do from there without a car. This may be true for Cheltenham too, but we haven’t researched that idea.

Both Moreton-in-Marsh and Cheltenham have direct trains from London (Paddington) and can be used for reaching Cotswold villages by local buses. Cheltenham is the town from which the steam railway runs eastward to the attractive Cotswold large village of Broadway - although the station is about 1Km N of the town. (The steam rail station in Cheltenham is not at the same place as that for the normal trains).

Also note that from Cheltenham, you could travel by train N to Kidderminster for a ride on the Severn Valley Steam Railway. To reach Kidderminster from *Cheltenham you will need to change trains at Worcester (Shrub Hill) and the journey will take about 1 hour 20 minutes. You can also easily take day trips by train from Cheltenham to other cities including Cardiff, Bristol & Birmingham - all in about an hour or so. However, it sounds like you are really wishing to see villages in the countryside & for that, you will need to use local buses. * You can also go by train from Moreton-in-Marsh to Kidderminster to visit the Severn Valley Railway - this usually involves changing trains at Worcester (Foregate Street).

Suggest you read:> https://explorethecotswolds.com/cotswolds-by-public-transport/

mlstimetotravel- there is the hourly bus from Moreton in Marsh to Cheltenham- https://www.pulhams.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/801-leaflet-mar24-v8-web.pdf

then a frequent park and ride bus to the racecourse for the steam railway to Broadway.

Using the 1/1A bus you can do that as a circle- the 0923 bus from M-i-M to Broadway, train to Cheltenham, bus back or the other way round coming back from Broadway to M-i-M at 1405 or 1810.

Likewise for Blenheim you don't have to go from M-i-M to Oxford for the bus.

You can go to Hanborough from M-i-M (before Oxford). From there the estate driveway is now an official walking and cycling route to the Palace. Also, not yet confirmed for this year, there is a shuttle bus at weekends from Hanborough Station- this was the service in 2022 (both Saturday and Sunday) and don't forget your 20% discount for arriving in a green way.

Another easy place to get to is Evesham- train M-i-M to Worcestershire Parkway then the X50 bus every 30 minutes. While there Evesham has it's own fun little Railway- Valley Railway Adventure (formerly the Evesham Vale Light Railway).

From Evesham there is the hourly #28 to Stratford on Avon, for the bus back to M-i-M- another great circular day out.

@ adkins.family Another steam train ride you can easily do from Moreton in Marsh is the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway- https://cholsey-wallingford-railway.com/

Wallingford is easily reached by bus from Oxford (#X40 every 30 minutes) and Cholsey is a railway station on the Oxford to London railway served by half hourly local stopping trains from Didcot Parkway to London Paddington.

At the moment the Severn Valley Railway only has part of the line open following a major landslide.

It isn't clear what month you are travelling

It think that it may be more helpful to say that regarding the landslip on the Severn Valley Railway that

the landslip only affected services to and from the northernmost and final station on the line, Bridgnorth. Trains are being turned at Hampton Loade, a beautiful station with a garden railway and small shop and a very short and scenic walk down to the River. Across the River is the National Trust property Dudmaston.

Trains are still serving Kidderminster where the station is adjacent to the mainline Kidderminster station which is on the line from Birmingham and Stourbridge to Worcester (and the Cotswolds) and Hereford.

Also Bewdley, with the most beautiful town and lots of railway interest, good for tea shops, right on the river and has lots of swans.

As you travel from Kidderminster towards Bewdley you pass the West Midlands Safari Park - you may catch a glimpse of the elephants.

You cross the Victoria Bridge over the Severn River. At the time of its construction, the 200-foot railway bridge was the longest single span cast iron bridge in Britain.

You could stop at Northwood Halt which is a request stop. Let the Guard know in plenty of time, or if boarding hold out your arm straight and be sure the Driver sees you.

Then there is Arley, which has starred on TV, beautiful hump-backed bridge for the road over the tracks next to the station.

Highley is next and it has a large Engine House Visitor Centre as well.

Then Country Park Halt, procedures the same as for Northwood Halt, and lovely walks off into the Country Park adjacent.

And finally, Hampton Loade as mentioned above.

The railway is one of the longer preserved railways at 16 miles each way. The landslip just affect trains between the last two stations, Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth.

You can walk between all stations on footpaths.

I'd say thats a pretty good day out.

Full disclosure - I spent several years volunteering for the SVR before I worked for Central Trains, the forerunner to the current West Midlands Trains.

We are 70+ and did not do much hiking on our last trip to the Cotswolds. We stayed two nights in Moreton in Marsh which has a train station and three nights in Bourton on the Water. We took mostly buses and some car service. We went to Hidcote, Broadway, the Slaughters and Stow on Wold. It all worked very well. Afterwards, we took a car service from Bourton out to Kingham and the train from there to Bath.

Katie