suggestions for day trip to Chipping Campden area

Bradford on Avon.

The problem is that there are very few service buses from Bath into the Cotswolds without it taking a very long time and several changes.
That is why I guess Claudia has suggested Bradford on Avon (in the wrong direction), rather than your intended destination of Chipping Campden.

The reality is that Chipping Campden is unreachable by bus from Bath- you would need to be starting from Stratford in Avon or Moreton in Marsh.

So yes Bradford is a very pretty place architecturally with the mellow local stone buildings and on the Avon and Kennett Canal. A good idea, but forget the Cotswolds.

Bradford upon Avon is a good choice as there is a lot of history there to be discovered. St Lawrence's Church is one of the few surviving Anglo Saxon churches in England. A bit later but equally impressive is Holy Trinity Church.

There is also The Hall, built in 1610. Dropm out in the gardens on a sunny day, ot join one of the tours of the house.

Don't miss the old lock up on Town Bridge either.

Bradford-upon-Avon also has a lot of traffic going through.

Bradford-upon-Avon also has a lot of traffic going through.

I'm not sure when that had any relevance to the tourism potential of a town. Traffic is a double edged sword. Too often you build a bypass and people stop going to a town.

You can also get to Bradford on Avon by train (the same trains as go on to Salisbury, Southampton and Portsmouth). It's a nice walk back to Bath as well- I've done that before, about 7 miles (say 3 hours).

The bus from Bath is the # D1- which continues on to Warminster . You will see older versions of the D1 timetable on line where it continues on to Salisbury. That is no longer the case, such versions should be disregarded.
Warminster is another of those towns which is often neglected by tourists.

The traffic in Bradford really does spoil the town centre. It’s a major through route and the streets are narrow and twisty. I think it’s worth mentioning if you think you’re heading for a quiet rural spot. However, it’s still a pretty nice place to visit. You can walk along the river and there are good pubs and cafes.

Chipping Campden from Bath for a day trip by public transport is as mentioned above a nearly impossible task. But all is not lost. There have been many posts here where people have taken a Cotswold tour from Bath. Or from Oxford which is reachable by train from Bath. Or from Moreton in Marsh just a little further than Oxford.

So it is worth a dig around - there are folks here who will have the answer.

I don't have a direct recommendation because that's my old stomping ground so I just go where I'm going but never on a tour or almost never by public transport as I have my car.

Good luck....