Cotswold Tours & Travel

Where does the tour begin? I have looked at this too; we spent time in the Cotswolds in May after a Best of London RS Tour. I loved it there so much. Moreton-in-Marsh is a cute little town with a train station and plenty of buses to take you out to the other towns, it's very well organized, and we just took day trips on our own.

Do you know which towns you want to see? We found walking paths and lots of great little places to explore.

I haven't used Cotswold Tours and Travel, so I can't give any information about them.

Enjoy your trip! I am looking forward to returning sometime, sooner rather than later, I hope.

SKfromthePNW- the My Way tour stays for two nights in Morton-in-Marsh. I’m in the early stages of planning and looking for ideas. I thought that maybe a private tour would allow me to cover more ground than public transportation.

Any advice from your travels would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks & Happy Travels!

I hope you’ll report back after the tour as it’s a brand new tour for next year.

I agree with your thinking that you can often see more on a day tour. I see go cotswolds has a small group day tour from Morton-in-Marsh.I have heard them mentioned on the forum before.

https://gocotswolds.co.uk/cotswolds-in-a-day/

I’m taking my first My Way tour in a couple of weeks—My Way Alpine—and hope I like the format so I can take more.

I’m not familiar with the company that you mention, but will mention the company I used.

I took the Go Cotswolds tour from Moreton-in-Marsh back in 2019 based on recommendations I got from this forum. I thought it was a good choice. I was coming by train from Oxford so wanted a company that would pick up and drop off at the train station.
https://gocotswolds.co.uk/

Hi Stacie--Yes if you only have a short amount of time a day tour would probably be best for you. There is a great pub in MiM, it's right on the main street in town. So much history, also there is a botanical garden you can walk to from MiM.

The Bell Inn — Celebrated for its seasonal, locally sourced dishes, it is said to have inspired J.R.R. Tolkien's 'Prancing Pony'.

One notable botanical garden near Moreton-in-Marsh is Batsford Arboretum, which features a vast collection of trees and shrubs across 60 acres, offering year-round interest with various seasonal blooms and landscapes.

Highlights of Batsford Arboretum
Batsford Arboretum is a key attraction near Moreton-in-Marsh.

Location — Batsford Arboretum is situated just a mile from Moreton-in-Marsh, there is a walking path just a block off the main road.
Collection — It boasts a diverse range of trees and shrubs, including many rare species.
Seasonal Interest — Visitors can enjoy seasonal displays such as snowdrops, daffodils, and autumn colors.
Facilities — The site includes a garden center and is adjacent to the Cotswold Falconry Centre.

Carrie- Thanks for you tip about Go Cotswold. I will have to check them out. Cotswold Tours & Travel have been very prompt about responding to my email inquiries. I haven't been quoted a price yet -- I know it won't be cheap, but YOLO. I'd love to hear about your My Way Alpine tour. That's one is on my list too. Have a great time & happy travels!!

SKfromthePNW - Thanks for your info about Morton-in-Marsh. It sounds like a lovely town. A visit to the arboretum sounds like a must to me.

Now for my next question...

Should I skip a tour and just focus on Morton-in-Marsh and one village I can access by public transport, like Chipping Camden or Stowe-on-the-Wold?

It's my first time to the Cotswolds, so I'd love some thoughts. Planning is one of my favorite parts of the trip.

Thanks everyone!

We're considering this tour also, so FWIW here are some random thoughts we're kicking around re: Morton-in-Marsh stop.

The dates we looked at have arrival into MiM on a Tuesday, which coincides with the town's weekly Open-Air Market. That might be a good option and opportunity to stretch legs, after riding up from Bath (and a stop at Avebury). Believe the market runs until 3:30p.

For the second day we've considered taking a local 'Secret Cottage' type tour [https://www.facebook.com/CottageTour ] which provides transportation to neighboring villages with food and cream teas afterwards. Just sounds like a very British thing to do when in these parts, but I've never known anyone who's taken one so this isn't an endorsement; rather just an idea for seeing some of the surrounding towns without being dependent on bus and/or trains' schedules/frequency.

Lastly, we would hope to hike a little, but that would be contingent on agreeable weather. We'd hate to be a few miles from nearest town and suddenly be in a downpour, but there are those who would relish that circumstance.

Hope these help!

Matt- I noticed that the the tour arrives in Morton on Tuesday--Market Day. I definitely want to check it out. I had a look at Go Cotswold tours and they have a couple that look interesting. I just checked Secret Cotswold Tours and it looks like the one you posted about--I don't have Facebook to check the link. The homemade pastries and buffet lunch that the guide, Becky, provides sounds wonderful. Could be the selling point for me.

i'm signed up for the My Way tour June 27-July7, so perhaps i'll see you in England.

Lots of choices! Thanks

Back in 2017, I did a day tour with Becky of Secret Cottages tour in the Cotswolds and had a wonderful day. I'm so glad she is still operating this tour. She met us at the train station in Moreton-in-Marsh.

Stacie--I think with your limited time, you would see more if you did a day tour. We stayed 4 nights total and did a lot of walking between towns. It was really fun, and we saw lots of great little towns, but our focus was mostly on walking the paths through the countryside.

We did make it to Avon-Upon-Stratford one day. We took a bus, but it was an all-day trip, and we had to be careful about what time and where the bus picked us up to get back to MiM.

I think no matter what you decide, you will love it.

Happy Travels.
SK

As I was reading this I was hoping that Stacie was about to leave on a trip to the Cotswolds, but it looks like I will be there before her. My husband has to be in Reading on business in November. We did the same trip last year, and I rented a car in Reading, where we will be staying. (I will be on my own exploring while he works).

I am an American, but lived in the UK about 25 years ago, so the driving, while making me a bit nervous, is not too bad for me. I actually didn’t find any of it too daunting except for leaving and going back into Reading, once I got out of the city, I was fairly relaxed. Even though I did it last year, I’m not sure I want to do it again. I drove in cities while I lived in the UK, but it’s been too long and I don’t do it often enough.

I can take a train (GWR) to MiM from Reading. I looked into day tours once there and read good things about the Cotswolds tour group Stacie mentioned, and I may end up having to do that. A tour is not my first choice. I am kind of independent and want to wander, shop and look at my own pace and not on a schedule. Questions: 1. Is there a large town/small city close to MiM/Cotswolds small towns, that I can take a train to (from Reading would be great) and get a rental car, that is smaller and easier to maneuver in than Reading? (I laugh asking this as Reading is about 1/2 the size of the Dallas suburb I drive in daily, but driving in an out of it definitely feels more daunting, maybe confusing is a better word! ) 2. If I do rent a car, how is parking in some of the “touristy” Cotwolds towns? I am guessing in November this won’t be too difficult?

I have read that there are busses from town to town, how easy is taking the bus, how often do they run in mid November, how do I get tickets, etc…. Is the bus a good option or would I just be better doing the tour? I would like to see more than MiM.

If I do the Cotswolds Tour I would be glad to let Stacie know how it was. Thank you in advance for any insight you can give me!

flynnadmail

Cars are available in Oxford and Cheltenham.

Cheltenham is not fast by train from Reading, requiring a change of train although only half an hour driving to Stow on the Wold.

Oxford is easy by train from Reading and half the time to drive (45 minutes via the very special Burford) to Stow on the Wold, an arbitrary choice not far from where I used to live.

It is about 90 minutes drive from Reading to Stow on the Wold.

Oxford is no picnic for drivers.

If you can stick your courage to the sticking spot you will not fail (apologies to Lady Macbeth); you might be well off just doing the drive from Reading once you find the way out.