We are ( hopefully!!!!) going on a trip to the UK at the end of September. We will have a car and plan to go to Oxford, Bath, Stratford upon Avon and the Cotswolds for 10 days. We are in our 60’s but fit Does anyone have a tried and tested itinerary that they’ve used ?Thank you !
Posted by
7661 posts
Debbie,
In 2017 we did our second drive in the UK for four weeks (first trip was only three days).
We spent six nights at Chipping Campden, using it as a base for the Cotswolds, Oxford, Blenheim Palace and Stratford Upon Avon.
Prior to that we spend three nights in Bath (also doing a day trip to Wells and Glastonberry). In between those two, we spent five nights in S. Wales. After, we went north.
For the detailed narrative of the trip, including where we stayed, dined and visited:
28 days in Britain and Celebrity Eclipse home
https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=599139
In Bath, the Brooks Guesthouse is nice and loved the Scallop Shell restaurant for the fantastic fish and chips.
The Volunteer Inn in Chipping Campden is a good place to stay with a great pub and Indian restaurant.
You can see everything that we saw in less than 10 days.
After we left Chipping Campden on our way to York, we stopped for a night in Warwick to see the famous castle.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
6532 posts
We’ve been to both Bath and the Cotswolds a few times. Once we stayed in Chipping Campden, and most recently, we stayed at the Arden hotel in Stratford Upon Avon. It has free parking and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay there. Stratford is pretty much the northern limit of the Cotswolds. Chipping Campden Is more centrally located depending on which villages you plan on visiting. Stratford is larger with more restaurants and things to see in the evening than Chipping Campden. From Stratford, it is easy to get to the more popular villages such as, Broadway, Chipping Campden, Burton on the Water, Stow on Wold, and Upper and Lower Slaughter. Bibury is a little further away. Last December we took the train from London to Bath. It’s easy to spend and entire day in the city. It’s been said that parking in Bath can be hard to find during peak tourist times. There is no tried and tested itinerary since everybody likes to do and see different things.
Posted by
Lancaster PA
245 posts
You might consider taking the bus from Heathrow to Bath as suggested in the RS guidebook and then renting your car when you are ready to leave town. It saves the stress of the post-flight drive on the left side and parking in Bath. It was necessary to take a cab to the rental agency on the edge of town, but the more peaceful roads leaving Bath were far better for getting comfortable driving than the high stress LHR area. Enterprise let us drop the car at a different location with minimal cost.
Do some homework to decide what appeals to you for an itinerary. Each village has its own charm and Blenheim provides a grand estate to visit. There plenty of great places to stay in the Cotswolds. The Abbots Grange in Broadway was walking distance to the shops and restaurants but provided a country manor experience with on-site parking.
We hope you can travel in September!
Posted by
OP
11 posts
Thank you all so much for your reply. They were really helpful
Hope we all get to travel soon
Debbie