Cotswolds Advice

I walked part of the Cotswold Way which starts in Bath. I highly recommend that as it's the best way to see what you want from the Cotswolds, in my opinion. It's great for a few days' trip or even just a walk for a day.
The nearest town from Bath, Cold Ashton, is a day's walk if you're up for it. Mind that the hills are sometimes steeper than they look, but you get the best views of the area. If not you can get a train from London to Moreton-in-Marsh which is equally lovely. There is accommodation for walkers before Cold Ashton if you don't make it that far.
Check me on this but I thought I saw there were buses from Cold Ashton back to Bath if you don't fancy walking back.

Hi Marci!

We last travelled to the Cotswolds in April 2019. The weather was very nice during our week there. It is of course unpredictable. Daytime temperatures were pleasant but in the 50s and 60s. We stayed in Chipping Campden at the Lygon Arms in a very comfortable courtyard room. It was a very central base for exploring the area. We picked up our rental car in Bath and I recommend that as a convenient way to see the countryside. Oxford is also an option to pick up a rental.

The Ebrington Arms is an excellent gastropub outside Chipping Campden and Eight Bells inside town was excellent as well. We enjoyed our walks in the country and a visit to Broadway Tower nearby was a highlight - the view was outstanding. I know that Bourton-on-the-Water is a magnet for tour buses, and it can get very crowded, but it is very picturesque, and we always plan a day there. The walk from there to Lower Slaughter and Upper Slaughter is an easy one and a good way to slow down and enjoy being where you are.

Best,

JB

I believe you'll be glad to have a car. I didn't; I just took a one-day van tour from Moreton-in-Marsh. MiM is something of a bus-transportation hub for the Cotswolds and has good rail connections to Oxford. If for some reason you decide not to rent a car, I think MiM would be a good place to stay.

We stayed in Chipping Campden for six nights and used it as a base to see the Cotswolds, Oxford, Blenheim Palace and Stratford Upon Avon.

You need a rental car to do the Cotswolds. You can rent one to pickup in Oxford.
We stayed at the Volunteer Inn. It is very budget affordable with rather spacious rooms and bathrooms.
Also, they have the best pub in town and a great Indian restaurant.

There are a couple of other good restaurants in Chipping Campden, forgot their names.

We stayed in Chipping Campden and loved it! Our accommodation was a Landmark Trust property called the West Banqueting Hall- if you’re into history or staying in a unique property then stay there. It was one of my best travel memories ever. I didn’t hire a car but used taxis, buses and trains and had no problem seeing many wonderful places. Enjoy! 😁

I have stayed at the Mousetrap in Bourton on the water. Nice pub that does food, car parking and just a short walk into the village centre. It is normally busy until 5pm when the tour buses leave. Evenings are just locals and overnighters. You may be a couple of weeks early to see much colour in the countryside, There might be daffodils still out, maybe some early Bluebells and the trees should be getting some leaves but late April, May and June is the greenest time.

Hello from Wisconsin,
We spent a week on the edge of the Cotswolds. We were in Cirencester. The 'pretty quaint' Cotswold villages are jam packed with tourists during the day. Staying in one of those villages would give you the advantage of being there during the quieter evenings. On the other hand, they do tend to be small. I mean, walk around them in a couple hours small. In comparison, Cirencester has a population of about 18,000. It was the second largest city of England during Roman times with a population of about...15,000. Or so I have tread.

Size is the advantage for Cirencester. It is the market town for the surrounding region. That equates into restaurants, places to stay, an impressive museum, stores, and a nice cathedral. It has a couple lovely 'main' streets.

I would recommend getting a car. The countryside is spectacular. I don't think I had ever seen so many wild pheasants in a couple days as here. A spring visit, and the forest floors in places were smothered in Blue Bells. And the too small to be touristy villages were a treat to go through.

Cirencester is also like a hub of a wheel with roads heading out like spokes. You can take a different road out of town each day.

wayne iNWI

They are not wild pheasants.
They are raised to be shot
Some people call it sport. not me!

Not all of the pheasants you see are 'rasised to be shot'. We do have a lot of genuinely 'wild' ones too....

I can't imagine seeing much in the Cotswolds without having a car. Around the world in general, the more rural and "quaint" an area is, the less likely it is to be served by lots of mass transit. Or you could take a train to one town large enough to be served by a train and then walk, but that will limit your area.

plenty of pheasants around me here, not for shooting

I don't know what makes you think those pheasants are wild
Up to 36,000,000 are thought to be bred for shooting each year

not wearing rings

in the fens

I hope I am not exhausting you with my babble about walking the Cotswolds, but a perk of staying in Chipping Campden is that you can have a nice walk into the countryside on the Cotswold Way :) It really is worth your trouble.