cotswolds

Bourton-on-the-Water is very touristy, assuming you're visiting in the summer months (longer daylight), better to go there late afternoon when the tour buses start leaving.

I would recommend that you plan to visit Oxford and eat at the "Eagle & Child" pub, this is where C. S. Lewis and J.R. Tolkeim and several others used to meet and discuss their writing. Just a few miles from Oxford is Blenheim Palace (Winston Churchill), this is an amazing place that seems to fly under the radar for most tourists yet is one of my favorite experiences while in England. Warwick castle would be a wonderful experience for your teenagers, they often have falconry exhibitons and fire catapults, etc. Last but not least, if you want to go for "Parent of year", on the way back to London stop by the "Harry Potter" studios, even as an adult I loved the tour and the movie sets are technological wonders.
Don

But if you want to go to the Harry Potter be sure to reserve tickets well in advance. You can't just drop in, it is usually sold out well in advance.

It'd be a shame to go to Stonehenge and not turn the runts loose at Avebury for an hour or so.

Thank you all for the advice. I was looking at Avebury. My timetable will depend on whether we do Hampton court palace as a day trip (we are staying in Camberwell) or do it first thing on the way out of London. Would Salisbury be the best place to stay for 2 nights to see Stonehenge and surrounding area? Hoping to see oxford and aear opn the way back to London. I love the idea of the Harry Potter tour but it is quite pricey.

Stonehenge takes an hour and a half, about the same for Avebury. Unless the Salisbury stuff is on the list you don't need two nights at all. If you just want an overnight stop, Amesbury is pretty good.

I was only thinking of two nights if we do Hampton court on the way out of London and therefore get over there in the afternoon.

Hoping to see oxford and aear opn the way back to London.

Sorry, Oxford and where?

BTW, Rick always says to travel light. I'd like to refine that and say that weight is not the issue; it's bulk. So my mantra is, "Travel Thin." So I always avoid cotton clothing and instead use Gore-Tex, nylon, and some of the other synthetics. For example, instead of a sweater I pack a Nike, long sleeve warm-up top. It has a fourth of the volume, all of the fashion, and a good measure of the warmth of a sweater. Choices like this reduce bulk, improve your options for getting your clothes quickly laundered, and reduce weight as well. For socks, I still use primarily cotton or wool since there's no synthetic alternative that I've found, unless you're just going to be fancy and wear dress socks all the time.

We have used "Windsor Cottage" in Winchcombe, very cute place and not a bad place to base out of plus you can try out the Warwickshire Railway which runs back and forth a few miles.

100% positive that your kids AND you will LOVE Warwick Castle! It is the full package. Beauty, history, explore friendly, classic , imaginative, just a LOVELY place to visit for a day. The dining halls are so very Harry Potter like in their ceilings and tables. We LOVED our day there and were able to explore the town for an hour in the afternoon before leaving. After you walk out of the pay-area gates, there is a gate opening in the wall. go through that wall and walk towards a black-white building which is a pub... delicious scones with clotted cream and jelly with a cuppa coffee/tea... Dickens it was good!