Family of 6 (2 adults + 4 boys 16, 15, 12, and 8). No car. Looking for advice on whether we should visit Stratford Upon Avon or the Cotswold's near Chipping Camden? Are there hiking/walking/biking trails leaving or near Chipping Campden or Morten-in-Marsh that would allow us to visit another village in that area? Which area (Stratford vs Chipping Campden) is more picturesque? Any insight world be helpful.
Posted by
Cornwall
332 posts
One’s a town with a world class theatre in the middle of it and ones a largely rural area of 800 square miles.
There are footpaths everywhere.
Posted by
Nashville, TN, USA
3895 posts
It would be impossible for me to guess whether you would enjoy the Cotswolds more or Stratford-Upon-Avon more. The Cotswolds could be considered more scenic, in that they are villages/towns with countryside, streams, rivers, paths between them.
The main activity for your family in the Cotswolds will be taking walks, since you won't have a car.
The Cotswold Way is a walking path/trail that goes through a number of villages, including Chipping Campden.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotswold_Way
You can take the train to Moreton-In-Marsh from London.
If you stay in a hotel in Chipping Campden, you'll have to get there from Moreton-In-Marsh by bus or taxi.
Likewise, you can take the train from London to Stratford-Upon-Avon.
Here's a recent thread outlining things to do in Stratford-Upon-Avon:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/shakespeare-s-grave-and-other-sites
Posted by
Nashville, TN, USA
3895 posts
How about doing both? You might stay in Stratford-Upon-Avon for a couple of nights, then pack your bags and jump on this tour, which leaves from Stratford. It gives you a tour of some of the Cotswolds villages, and you can choose one ahead of time, leaving the tour bus (do tell your guide/driver) to check into a hotel in the Cotswolds.
You could leave the tour at Bourton-on-the-Water and check into a hotel. From there, you could enjoy a couple of days walking in the Cotswolds.
I highly recommend this tour:
https://www.gocotswolds.co.uk/product/cotswolds-in-a-day/
Notice their page states:
Pick up times and locations:
08.50: Stratford-upon-Avon – Shakespeare’s Birthplace Coach Terminal, Windsor Street, Stratford-upon-Avon
09.30: Moreton-in-Marsh – Moreton-in-Marsh train station (wait in the car park near the ticket office)
Drop off times and locations:
17.00 – Moreton-in-Marsh train station
17.30 – Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare’s Birthplace Coach Terminal
If you would like to be picked up in Stratford-upon-Avon and dropped off in Moreton-in-Marsh, or vice versa, no problem!
Posted by
London
358 posts
Stratford is a very nice town that you can walk around easily - the Cotswolds are a huge area with very limited trains and a rural bus network. For me, Stratford will be a lot easier without a car than the Cotswolds
Posted by
8322 posts
We did both in 2017, but had a rental car.
We stayed in Chipping Campden at the Volunteer Inn, I highly recommend it.
Still, if you visit that city and the Cotswolds, you will need a rental car.
We loved Stratford Upon Avon. I have always been a Shakespeare fan and loved it. We did a day trip there from Chipping Campden.
The Cotswolds are more bucolic and scenic, yet some cities have lots of history. Stratford is more devoted to Shakespeare and history.
Posted by
Bristol, UK
1453 posts
Cotswolds will be a nightmare without a car, so I’d recommend Stratford. Your family won’t fit into 1 taxi so getting around a rural area will be extra challenging.
Posted by
3124 posts
Stratford-upon-Avon has a hop-on-hop-off bus that circulates to Shakespeare's birthplace, Mary Arden's farm, Anne Hathaway's cottage. It is staffed with a tour guide who will answer questions in addition to delivering the normal tour script. The kids would surely enjoy both of those out-of-town locations.
The town itself is very walkable in the historic center district, and there are open spaces (for example, by the river) where kids can run around.