My husband and I would like to do a self guided walking tour in the Cotswolds. We are wondering what areas would be relatively free of tour buses? We've been researching companies, but it's unclear to us what areas of the region are typically less visited by large groups.
Posted by
Bristol, UK
1797 posts
I’d say the two key places to avoid are Bourton on the Water and Bibury. Both get a huge number of visitors and Bourton in particular is very popular with coach trips. My Mother in Law’s assisted living facility is going on a coach trip there this Friday so watch out Bourton!
Posted by
Land of La
9751 posts
Winchcombe, Blockley, Stanway.
Spent a Christmas in Winchcombe. Hiked up to Bela’s Knapp solo. Sudley Castle was all lit up.
Very good meal at The Swan Inn in Broadway.
Had a car. Came upon Hailes Abbey by chance.
Posted by
Camano Island, WA, usa
1632 posts
If you are looking for a time travel experience away the buses, there are many areas in the UK that have charming villages with less tourist traffic. I've been to the Cotswolds and they are pretty, but we enjoyed other places more because they were far from the maddening crowd. Look at www.nationaltrust.org.uk this can show you what to see in the Cotswolds and other areas in England and Wales with open to view sites as well as hikes and beaches. We drove so we could come and go as we wished. We had a NT Pass so we had a parking spot at most places. I have to admit I didn't go to walk, but I go for viewing antiquities and beautiful homes and gardens. I figure I get enough exercise going up and down steps! Bon Voyage!
Posted by
Sidney, BC, Canada
1087 posts
Have you looked on-line for information on the Cotswold Way? Lots of information on hikes and companies who can arrange self-guided tours for you avoiding the coach infested towns. Unfortunately the Cotswolds are very popular for tourism, with good reason - lovely towns and villages, scenery, interesting sites - but there remain lots of unspoiled areas.
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
2717 posts
Definitely have a look at Blockley which seems to have avoided getting itself on teh tourist trap routes. It is an attractive stone village with a lot going for it.
It's also a good centre for walking. There is some information about walks on this general website about Blockley.
There are also more dertailed descriptions of walks on these websites.
https://www.grazierscottage.com/blockley-batsford-arboretum
Posted by
Sacramento, CA
718 posts
Years ago we did a self-guided walk in the Cotswolds, round trip to/from Bath. We used Cotswold Walks and I would use them again. We did not see any tour buses, but we also were not in the towns along the Cotswold Way. In any case, I recommend checking out Cotswold Walks https://www.cotswoldwalks.com
Posted by
Cincinnati
221 posts
We did the full Cotswold Way in 2022 and didn't see any tour buses in the villages where we stayed. The villages in the Southern portion seemed to have fewer tourists. We were told by our tour company that the Northern portion is generally considered to be more scenic. In 2016, we did a Cotswold Ring tour with Cotswold Walks in the Northern Cotswolds. The only village where we saw tour buses was Bourton-on-the-Water, but it was very quiet from about 5 p.m. on. On our self-guided walks, we were usually walking in the countryside for much of the day without a lot of crowds or traffic. Each day brought amazing views and historical sights that we could explore at our own pace. Enjoy your trip!
Posted by
Niagara, Ontario
1828 posts
I haven't walked the Cotswold Way. Looking at the map I'd say nearly all of the villages will be on the quieter side. Painswick is a nice spot, as is Winchcombe: we spent a few hours at Sudeley Castle in June of last year, a really good visit. You'll get more of a crowd in Broadway and Chipping Campden, though nothing compared to Bourton in my experience.
You may want to plan your route with particular attractions in mind: https://www.cotswolds.com/things-to-do/attractions/
Generally, when it comes to villages, few shops = few tourists.
Posted by
79 posts
We did this tour https://www.contours.co.uk/cotswold-way several years ago and it was perfect. We took 10 days to walk north to south, Chipping Campden to Bath. They booked the lodging for us and handled getting the luggage from one to the next each day.