We are spending 1.5days and one night in the cotswolds. We are taking the train from london to bath and doing the Roman Bath tour and if we have time, the Abbey. I well know that there is so much more to see and do in Bath but we are choosing to make time for the cotswolds instead. We are scheduled to pick up a rental car at 1pm. We have an airbnb. In the afternoon/evenig we are planning on driving thru castle combe, tetbury, wotton-under edge and to our Airbnb in Nailsworth. The second day we plan on driving thru minchinhampton, painswick, sheepscombe, stanway, chipping Camden, Broadway, Morton-in-Marsh, Stow on the wold, Burton on Water, Bibury, back to Bath. We need to have the car back to the rental place by 6pm. Is this too much? Are there any places on the list that we could live without seeing? Anything we could add? Thanks
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
34003 posts
Do you want to ooh and aah at the architecture in these many places or do you want to get out and walk around or visit things?
Posted by
Land of La
9265 posts
Too much unless you are just driving through without stopping to explore. Slow down.
Posted by
Washington DC
28247 posts
Even if you're OK with the idea of seeing the villages from inside your car, is the driver really going to be able to take his or her eyes off the road long enough to see anything other than pavement and any clueless tourists who step out in front of the car?
MadMax runs one-day van tours of the Cotswolds, departing from Bath.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Answering your question: yes, it's too much.
And Acraven's 1st paragraph is exactly what I have found when driving in England/UK, the N. American driver sees nothing while driving except the pavement in front of her/him, except on the expressways (where there's nothing to see). Now, if the driver understands that and is ok with it, yeah right....
Posted by
Camano Island, WA, usa
1526 posts
Look at the National Trust UK web to preview the sites you might like to see in the Cotswolds. Several Hundreds are including on their Overseas Visitors Touring Pass for 7 or 14 days. English Heritage has a similar pass; they have Stonehenge. Getting both is affordable even if there might be some crossover. You buy them online and pick up there at listed sites. You can save a lot of money on admissions and parking, which is usually included with the passes. This will let you narrow down what you really Want to see. I found that some Villages were pretty but not enough for me to linger; driving does allow for quick viewing, so you can then stop and visit what you really want to see. Be advised that because everyone feels that they must "see" the Cotswolds; supply and demands tends to make prices higher in these locations. There are many other charming and not so costly locations.
Posted by
8329 posts
Way too much.
We stayed in Bath three nights, did one full day in Bath, which you need, then did a day trip to Wells and Glastonbury.
When in Bath are you going to see some of the other sites of this wonderful city? There is a lot more than the Roman Bath Museum and Abby.
After going to S. Wales, we came back to Chipping Campden and spend 6 nights there, visiting Oxford, Blenheim Palace and Stratford Upon Avon on day trips.
Also, we spend about 1 1/2 days visiting the Cotswolds. We followed Rick Steves suggested day driving around to most of the places you listed and more. However, we could not cover all in one day and had to go back for another half day.
You may have time to drive through, but will you have time to stop and see these places?
Also, you left out the amazing city of Cirencester. Further, there is a small village near Chipping Campden called Broad Campden that is worth a stop. All the building have thatched roofs, it like a picture book village.