Has anyone used the Cotswolds Discoverer pass to utilize buses getting around between the small towns?
My husband and I rented a car in the past, but I’ll be returning and am not comfortable driving there. I was hoping this might be a good solution for getting around the area, as I did love visiting the different towns.
Thanks!
Hi bugsy -
It looks fine on the page but I would be extra careful to check the times and frequency of the buses to ensure you can accomplish what you want to do satisfactorily. Rural areas tend not to be especially well provided for as regards public transport.
We were hiking in Scotland last week (admittedly rather more remote) and followed a hike that suggested we could stroll down a glen to a shoreline village and catch a bus back to the town where our car was parked. Technically we could, but we had a nigh on two hour wait in the middle of nowhere in particular before there was a bus. So it was a no brainer. We picked up our packs and walked another four and a bit miles back to the car. Very sensibly, our friends had got the map with them - they were going further along a ridge and down - but we made use of the OS maps Julie had downloaded on her phone and the ‘where am I?’ app. Very useful!
Having arrived back at our car we got an ‘SOS’ phone call from our friends who had descended to a point further up the coast to also catch a bus back to the same point. They were faced with a nearly three hour wait for the next bus! (So, yes, we went and collected them by car!).
Just check you don’t end up in a similar boat. Or bus shelter!
Ian
We stayed in Chipping Campden at the Volunteer Inn, which was inexpensive and great. It had the best pub in town and a great Indian restaurant.
I am not impressed with this option. I researched this problem before we did 4 weeks driving in Wales and England in October 2017. You will waste a lot of time trying to connect with transport, which will largely be by bus.
Driving on the left is not as bad as you might think, you just have to concentrate, take your time and have someone reminding you to stay on the left. British drivers are not aggressive or rude, which helps.
If you still don't want to rent a car, consider taking a guided tour.
You can see the Cotswolds thoroughly in two full days. Also, consider visiting Bath, Oxford, Stratford Upon Avon and Blenheim Palace.
Thanks for the input! I’m thinking now that a better plan may be to station in either Oxford or Stratford upon Avon for several days, and one of those days take a day-long tour of several Cotswolds towns.
I am not aware of Cotswold tours originating in Oxford or Stratford, though such may exist. At least two companies (GoCotswolds and Secret Cottage) run tours from Moreton-in-Marsh, which is a short train ride from Oxford. It is eady to base in Oxford and catch a tour from Moreton. I did it.
Yes, we definitely could take the train in to Moreton in Marsh, although the Go Cotswolds website said that Stratford upon Avon pickup is available. This was one of the reasons I’m considering staying in that town, along with the fact that we weren’t able to visit that town or any of the Shakespeare sites on our last England trip. It seems like there’s enough sites to see there for a full day, and I was also thinking of maybe visiting Warwick Castle (I have 3 kids) as it looked like we could take a train or bus from Stratford upon Avon to Warwick.
There is an excellent Cotswold tour service out of Oxford called Cotswold Exploring (cotswoldexploring.co.uk). Isobel and her husband have a very nice sprinter van equipped for seeing the sights and sites. A very knowledgeable and interesting couple. It was like riding around with a couple of friends all day and not expensive. They picked us up at our lodging and dropped us at our dinner spot back in Oxford. I highly recommend their services.
