Hi - As the title suggests, I am curious if there is a home base to see Bath as well as to get a brief taste of the Cotswolds, and possibly also the ability to check out either Oxford or Cambridge (Bath & Cotswolds are a must, however)... So I'm basically envisioning 3 day trips, so to speak, and I'm curious if this is best done from London for some or all of the above, or would it make more sense to stay in Bath, or somewhere else? Regardless, we will be going to London at some point during the trip to spend some time there, but I don't mind having another hotel stay if it allows us to see most/all of the above efficiently. Bonus points if this can be done without renting a car, though we are very open to hiring a driver, particularly for the Cotswolds part of the program. Would love to know thoughts -- the good, the bad, the ugly. Thank you so much!
Posted by
Charleston & Birmingham
5241 posts
You can get a "brief taste of the Cotswolds" by taking a Mad Max day tour from Bath
Posted by
Niagara, Ontario
1974 posts
Oxford might work for you (you can easily spend a few days there, depending on your interests). A little over an hour by rail to Bath.
Fairly short bus ride to Woodstock/Blenheim Palace. About a 30 minute train ride to Moreton in Marsh. From Moreton you can catch a bus to Stow, The Slaughters and Bourton one way, Broadway and Chipping Campden the other way; the bus service to the first group of villages is more frequent.
Cambridge is very much worth it and can be reached from King's Cross in London in just over an hour.
Posted by
Winchester, UK
151 posts
I would recommend staying in Bath.
If you are willing and able, I highly recommend using public transport (where possible, I know it is scant before you persecute this answer!) or travelling through Cotswolds by foot. You miss so much of the experience while driving. Furthermore, Bath is the beginning of the Cotswold Way, which goes all through the region and ends in Chipping Campden.
If you're more keen on small villages in general, I recommend Bradford on Avon which is only a few stations south of Bath, or Frome which is accessible by bus from Bath and by train occasionally.
There are loads of routes into the Cotswolds from Bath bus station, many of them going to places off the beaten track.
Posted by
Chicago, IL, USA
510 posts
Bath. Why make it more complicated?
Posted by
Arctophilia, Northamptonshire, England
36658 posts
Cambridge takes a long time by car from Oxford, even longer other ways.
You would so so much better as a day trip from London. Not just over an hour, just 48 minutes by train nonstop twice an hour from London Kings Cross to Cambridge (other slower alternatives with stops from other stations available).
Posted by
Isle of Skye, Scotland
1635 posts
Cambridge is the outlier here. I would recommend staying in Bath - the Indigo Hotel is a good bet. It's in the city centre but on a quiet street and an easy walk to the railway station. I'd stay in London to visit Cambridge as Nigel suggests.
Posted by
9931 posts
I strongly recommend NOT doing day trips from London. Why waste the time commuting. Enjoy great places like Bath and the Cotswolds. Also,, lodging in London is way more expensive than in Bath or the countryside.
If you rent a car, consider Chipping Campden at the Volunteer Inn, it has spacious rooms, parking for your rental car and a great pub and Indian restaurant.
If you stay in Bath, consider the Brooks Guesthouse, a great place to stay. Also, dine at the Scallop Shell, that has the best fish and chips anywhere in the World.
Don't miss Stratford Upon Avon, if you love Shakespeare. Oxford and Cambridge are great to visit, but expensive to stay there.
Posted by
OP
Illinois
7 posts
Thank you for the help so far! Great thoughts here! I'm already mentally agreeing that Cambridge will be dropped from itinerary (or, if time allows when we're in London, we'll do it from there.)