We are visiting a friend in Houghton (near Cambridge) for 3 days then have 7 days to explore. We are thinking about getting a driver to Oxford and seeing Blenheim Palace, then renting a car to drive to The Cotswolds for 2 to 3 nights. We might stay in Stow on the Wold. We would like to hike and visit local areas and sights. Next we want to see Bath for maybe only one night. And then ending in London for our last few days before flying home from Heathrow . One question about renting a car. Should we skip Oxford and get a driver to Stow on the Wold and rent a car there or skip renting a car altogether and rely on a train for the whole of out trip?
Posted by
Bend, Oregon
2324 posts
Very few of the villages in the Cotswolds have train stations. You’ll need to use taxis or buses to get to most of them, including Stow on the Wold.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11334 posts
When is your trip?
Hiking is tough via a public transportation, in our experience. Bus service is more attuned to morning and evening commuter and school traffic, at least as we found in a week in Bourton-on-the-Water in May. A car gives you better options.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6522 posts
The train won't help much in the Cotswolds, and it's pretty inconvenient for getting between Cambridge and Oxford. But that's only about a two-hour drive, so why not rent the car in Cambridge instead of paying someone else to drive you to Oxford? Then keep the car for the Cotswolds and return it in Bath, taking the train from Bath to London.
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
1855 posts
Can I throw a spanner in the works?
I know most American visitors head to the Cotswolds but if you are staying in Cambridge, have you thought about spending time in Norfolk and Suffolk instead? After all, its on the doorstep! East Anglia has yet to be discovered by the tourists and does tend to be a lot quieter and more relaxed. It has a lot going for it.
Many of the villages are the equal of those in the Cotswolds but without the pressure of visitors. Places like Holt, Framlingham, Lavenham, Southwold immediately spring to mind but there are many others.
You also have the Norfolk Broads (do a cruise!) There are many stately homes (do a check of National Trust properties) as well as Sandringham, used by the Royal Family at Christmas.
You also have preserved steam railways and of course there is the sea side! Go to Cromer and go crabbing off the pier and then have a crab sandwich. Sherringham is a lovely unspoilt sea side town and a step back to what holidays used to be like. There is Aldeburgh with its connections to Benjamin Britain with the Maltings Concert Hall close by at Snape.
There are windmills, ruined castles, splendid churches built on the wealth of wool and the equal of those in the Cotswolds, There is plenty of good walking too - as well as lots of of other things (too many to mention) waiting to be discovered...
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32798 posts
I like Dick's idea.
No car rentals in Stow on the Wold. Nearest is Oxford.
Drive from Cambridge.
A428 towards Bedford via St Neots, then A421 around Bedford and on to Milton Keynes and Bletchley, then follow to Buckingham (more cameras than most), then Brackley, then on to the M40 towards London, off at junction 9 - there will be a long slow queue up to the light controlled roundabout, use 2 right lanes to turn right over the motorway onto the A34 towards Oxford. The two lanes immediately merge into one, with another coming in from the left.
You need to pay an environmental charge to enter Oxford, https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/residents/roads-and-transport/oxford-zero-emission-zone-zez/charges-oxfords-zez £2 to £10 depending on the vehicle. Parking is expensive and rare.
Takes about 2:20 on a good day. But then a fast Thameslink train to Kings Cross, tube or bus to Paddington then GWR train to Oxford only takes about half an hour longer and less stress.
Posted by
Ankeny, Iowa
104 posts
Which is more important to you? Seeing Blenheim Palace and staying 2 to 3 nights in The Cotswolds? Or not having to rent a car and / or hire a driver?
If Blenheim Palace and time in the Cotswolds is more important then follow Dick's plan, above. If not having to mess with a car rental, and driver takes priority then skip both Blenheim Palace and The Cotswolds because you will spend a lot of your time on a train or bus since you are coming from Houghton.
We spent 19 days in England this spring and spent time in Bath, Woodstock, Stow on the Wold, York, and London. You can read my trip report here.
My husband loved The Cotswolds but in hindsight I would have been fine skipping it. We weren't comfortable driving on the opposite side of the road so we didn't rent a car. There were lots of "moving parts" involved getting to and from The Cotswolds and it ate up a lot of our time.
You could make Bath your home base for 3 nights. It would take about 4 hours by train to get to Bath from Houghton. Your arrival day would give you an afternoon to explore Bath, followed by a full day, which is the right amount of time in my opinion. The next day take the bus for a day trip to Wells and Glastonbury. From Bath take the train to London and spend your last days there before flying home.