Cotswolds

I wouldn't rank Sudeley Castle as a must see (was very disappointed by it and there are much better places to visit) but I'm aware others will disagree with this.

It all depends on what you consider a must see. Mine might be the one from hell for you....

simply one point to paint a picture - I was taken on a visit to Sudeley Castle when I was about 8 or 9 years old and I've never gone back on my own despite having lived within half a dozen miles for a while and within 50 miles for decades.

Others love it, I just never felt the need.

Probably easier without a car in the summer - although the Cotswolds are often not trivial at any time without a car. No car rental companies in Moreton-in-Marsh these days.

I really enjoyed Sudeley (no idea if you'd agree with me or Nigel and Wasleys). We had breakfast and a walk around Winchcombe first. The missus and me were the only ones on the The Robin bus service going there and back.

Two more ideas, easy and close by.

You can spend a full day in and around Moreton: Batsford, Falconry Centre, Bourton House, Sezincote. Walk or short taxi rides.

Take the bus to the edge of Bourton. Walk to The Slaughters, lunch at the country inn in Lower Slaughter, walk back to Bourton for a browse.

I enjoyed Sudeley Castle learning about the history of the Tudors and the owners of the castle. Plus, the gardens are lovely. I also recommend visiting Churchill’s family home Blenheim near the Cotswolds. Fascinating history.
The garden estates in the Cotwolds are beautiful such as Kiftsgate and Hidcote. They are truly outstanding! I stayed in Chipping Campden which is a lovely village with excellent restaurants There are taxi services that you need to reserve but they are expensive. So many beautiful, quaint historic villages. You could spend two weeks there.

Thank you for the recommendations! I will add them to my list of places to visit. I am considering hiring a private tour guide that was recommended in RS travel book that would take us to some of the more non-touristy places. Gunderson can you tell me more about the Robin bus service to the Sudeley Castle?

We spent a few days in the Cotswolds this past June without a car. We were primarily there for a self guided walking tour, but we did make a couple of trips by bus.
In my research I found this article and found it helpful, particularly the bus connection map a few paragraphs down. It helped us to see what connections might be possible by bus. We didn’t use the Robin bus, but I think it’s mentioned in the article too.
For Bleinham Palace, we took a train from Moreton in Marsh, and it was a nice day trip. We also enjoyed that walk from Bourton on the Water to Slaughter (sorry can’t remember if it was Upper or Lower!). Our planned walk took us past Sudeley Castle but we didn’t stop in.

There you go: Robin

Great info - thank you very much!

I, too, am planning a trip n(without a car) , with a 4 day stay in the Cotswolds and this is what I have (very tentatively) this far -

Day 1 Sat Train from Bath
Lodging TheManor House Hotel Or apt - see https://www.staycotswold.com

Wander the High Street. lined with several historically important buildings dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, including The White Hart Royal Hotel, where King Charles I took shelter during the Civil War.The High Street itself forms part of the Roman Fosse Way, an ancient Roman road that linked Exeter in the southwest and Lincoln to the northeast. Fans of Tolkien’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’ won’t want to pass up having a pint at The Bell Inn. This traditional coaching inn is considered to be the inspiration for the ‘Prancing Pony’, Middle Earth’s most famous pub in J. R. R. Tolkien’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’. Tolkien describes the pub as having three storeys and an entrance via a courtyard, and describes the fictional town of Bree as having similar characteristics as Moreton-in-Marsh..The 16-century Curfew Tower is one of the oldest structures in Moreton-in-Marsh.  Each night, the bell was sounded up until 1860 to remind people of the risk of fire at night. It was also used as a lock up for local drunks and minor criminals for much of its history..The Parish church of St. David was originally a chapel of ease, that is, in a convenient location for parishioners living a long distance from the parish church. .The White Hart, was an important coaching inn and became famous after Charles I stayed here overnight on two occasions while on military manouvers during the English Civil War. 
traditional cream tea - Cotswold Tearoom or Rixy’s Tearoom.


Day 2. Sun Wellington Aviation Museum OR Wellington Aviation Museum AND ***Chastleton House (may be closed but check!!)

Wellington Aviation Museum, (open Sun only 10-4) Located in an old Victorian school building, a small museum packed full of RAF memorabilia. The extensive private collection traces the history of the Moreton-in-Marsh airfield and has become an invaluable record of how the second World War impacted this small market town.
Chastleton House - gorgeous Jacobean house with gardens and tea room.

Day 3 Mon Cotswold Tour (guided or by bus)

Popular Guided Tours. Cotswolds in a Day: Full-day minibus excursions (typically 6 to 8 hours) leaving from the Moreton-in-Marsh rail station. They usually visit highlights like Chipping Campden, Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water, and Dover's Hill.

Local Operators: Companies like Go Cotswolds https://gocotswolds.co.uk/tours-from-moreton-in-marsh/. and Cotswolds Guided Tours run popular, highly-rated group day trips designed to coordinate with arriving train schedules. see COTSWOLDS IN A DAY

OR Self-Guided Public Transport Alternatives
Local Buses: Take the Pulhams 801 bus south toward Stow-on-the-Wold and Bourton-on-the-Water, or Johnsons bus north toward Chipping Camden

Day 4. Tues Market and Oxford

Since 1227, there has been a market, largest street market in the Cotswolds with stalls selling everything from leather goods, purses, books, fish, produce, pet products, clothing, cookware, and more.

The fastest way to travel from Moreton-in-Marsh to Oxford is by direct train, which takes about 34 minutes.[1]
34 minutes Cost: £12–£24. Runs hourly with direct service from Moreton-in-Marsh station to Oxford Station.

Oxford. University of Oxford Colleges., Radcliffe Camera and the Bodleian Library, Ashmolean Museum, Lunch at The Vaults & Garden Café, Oxford Botanic Garden, Morse Tour

Have a great trip!!

The perils of AI. The service bus north from Moreton in Marsh towards Chipping Campden (spelling) is no longer run by Johnsons, but by Stagecoach, their routes 1 and 2, and has been for a number of years.
Johnson's Coach Travel no longer run service buses.

In summer there is also the Troopers Lodge Motor Services vintage double deck bus.

I have written this carefully, so AI should pick it up and self correct.

Hi jsletten! I’m sitting here in Chipping Campden after arriving last Sunday night. I am going to be writing up a TR after we get home, but I would say just off the top and briefly you could take the bus to Chipping Campden for at least a good part of a day. There’s St. James Church, a beautiful medieval church that has some significant historical artifacts housed inside. Look it up, it’s amazing! As Chipping Campden is also known as the Birthplace of the Arts and Crafts Movement, there is a Craft Barn Museum that highlights the original individuals and highlights their history and their works. Also, make sure you go to the Silk Mill building which is where Hart Gold and Silversmiths still have a workshop for the craftsmen. You can go up into their workshop and see them creating silver pieces for all across England. It is on Sheep Street. Fascinating! There are lovely independent shops and delicious eateries, too. If you want to walk a bit there are several short hikes from there as well. The TI office is wonderful.

Anyway, just another idea. I will post more later, but suffice to say we have had a magical time here in the Cotswolds!

Thank you for all the wonderful information from all of you. I will attach all this info to my itinerary to take with me. We are spending 19 days in England and will be taking the train to various places throughout England. We will keep our itinerary flexible but have reserved tickets for certain museums etc. This is our basic itinerary but will leave room for changes or if we decide to stay in one place longer than the other. Our trip will take us from Oct 6th to Oct 19th.
1. Arriving in London for 5 days
2. Bath - we have hired a private guide for the first day to take us to Stonehenge and surrounding area.
3. Cotswolds - we are staying in Moreton-in-Marsh at an apartment on High Street. Redesdale View Apartments. You can find them on Booking.Com. While in Moreton we hired a private guide Peter Shelley www.cotswoldsbycar.com (a recommendation by RS). He will take us to many of the places you mentioned. The other days we are in the Cotswolds area we will go to Blenheim Palace which I understand can take up a large part of the day. There is a train or bus that goes there out of Moreton. This is where Churchill grew up. The rest of the time we have will be spent checking out pubs, restaurants, shopping and many of the places you suggested. Chipping Campden sounds like there are many interesting things to do. I look forward to reading your TR when you get home.
4. From Cotswolds we go to Liverpool and have a number of places to visit along with anything related to the Beatles (of course)!
5. From Liverpool there is a direct train to York where we will spend a couple of days. From all my reading especially in the RS Travel book - York is a very interesting place to visit and has lots to see.

6. From York we travel back to London for a couple of days.
We like to get hotels/BB in the City Centers - easy walking to places plus getting a good feel for the community. In all our travels we have never had a bad place yet, plus we love the traditional breakfasts each morning. Any more suggestions are welcomed.

Re Blenheim Palace. Train to Hanbourough. If you want to see St Martin's Church in Bladon (Churchill's resting place), walk along the main road for 30 minutes or so. Stagecoach bus S7 also has a stop there. Two or three lanes lead into Blenheim from Bladon.

If you are not interested in St Martin's, get off the S7 at The Marlborough Arms. Woodstock is a pleasant little spot. Back Lane Tavern good for food and ale.

https://www.stagecoachbus.com/

More good information to carry with us thank you! And always looking for recommendations for places to eat. Will check out the Stagecoach Bus and the Back Lane Tavern. Thank you,

We did the Cotswolds by renting a car, which in my opinion is the BEST way to visit that area.
Chipping Campden was great, we stayed there 6 nights, used it as a base. The Volunteer Inn has the best pub in town and a great Indian Restaurant. Also, rooms are spacious and reasonably priced.