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Cotswolds with toddler & no car

Posted by on

My husband and I are planning to spend a month in England with our 3-year-old in April/May of next year. We're starting to plan our itinerary now and have our hearts set on going to the Cotswolds. We're hoping to spend a couple of days there at least, and it seems there are plenty of kid-friendly activities in the area.

Here's the catch: My husband doesn't drive (New Yorker) and I'm frankly too scared to drive on the "wrong" side of the road with my child in the car (I tried driving in England on a trip years ago and nearly crashed the car). So we are traveling the country primarily by train, catching buses and taxis when needed, etc. For the most part this seems do-able. But I know the Cotwsolds area doesn't have great transportation links, so I'm seeking advice on how we might go about this.

One thought I had was that we could take the train into Moreton-in-Marsh and base ourselves there for a few days, then try to figure out how to get to 1-2 other towns or attractions from there. Would you recommend a tour? A private driver? Are there Ubers or taxis available? I looked into a couple of private tours but they were almost $1,000 USD and I'm not sure I can justify spending that much. The larger group tours for the most part don't look little-kid friendly--too tight of schedules, unclear whether the buses are equipped for car seats, etc. Someone help, please?

Posted by
8322 posts

We did six nights in Chipping Campden at the Volunteer Inn and loved it. However, we had a car.

I understand that there is some public transportation in the Cotswolds, but I wasn't impressed with what I saw. You need to research what is there for you.
I didn't have Uber when I was there and my phone didn't work in Europe.

Check out day tours for the Cotswolds, I am sure that they are not so expensive.

Don't miss Stratford Upon Avon.

Posted by
589 posts

No Uber in the Cotswolds, so you'll need to use local taxi firms or public buses (limited). But taxis will be a problem because you need a car seat for your child.

If you can work around that, it could work. Alternatively perhaps a pretty regional town as an alternative to the Cotswolds, so you are more mobile on public transport and can reach more on foot? Where else are you planning to visit?

Posted by
8127 posts

There is actually a lot more public transport in the Cotswolds than it is often given credit for. And next week sees the 3rd round of service enhancements this year. So Rick's guidebook will now be behind the times.

A good start is the website https://explorethecotswolds.com

There are maps of routes on there and links to the relevant timetables, which I assume are current, but you would need to check the company web sites.

In particular note the new demand responsive Robin service. At least one forum member has successfully used that reasonably extensively.

This is a new service, which you can book up to one hour before travel, and is at normal bus fares. It covers areas without a normal bus service.

Posted by
125 posts

We were in the Cotwolds in May but had a car.

We did use a private driver one day to cover a lot of ground, and for the advice, and the door to door service. It was $100 an hour, however. There are some smaller group tours, but I don't know how child friendly they would be. I think you should start inquiring directly from them and some cab services.

On our tour, we were struck by Broadway as a place that seemed child friendly. It had a lot of open green spaces and had stores that included "real life" products. I think having a wide availability of groceries, pharmacy items, and casual dining would be ideal. We have heard that public transportation is challenging, so if you can establish a relationship with a taxi driver early, maybe they can recommend approaches, especially with the car seat. Enjoy!

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