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!