Cotswolds

For ease in traveling around the area, I would choose Moreton-in-Marsh. It is reachable by train from London and has convenient coach (bus) service to several other towns in the Cotswalds. Buses go as far as Stratford-upon-Avon, and from there you can catch a bus for a short ride to Warwick. That bus probably stops near the castle. I've stayed in Moreton several times. There are B&Bs walking distance from the train station and the bus stops. A TI in town can help you find lodging, bus schedules, and walking info. There are some decent places to eat, a great pub, and numerous places to stay. In the other direction, Blenheim Palace and Oxford are not far. Daytrips (commercial) from Bath to some of the Cotswalds villages are possible and recommemded in the RS books.

We used Northleach, a nice market town. We also use a car when in England, I have no problem driving over the many trips there.(Though my wife doe not want to drive.)

We stayed in a cottage rental in Painswick - a lovely small town without many tourists. We had a car. I'm sure it's possible to use busses to get from place to place, but I can't imagine why you would ever want to unless you were truly terrified to drive on the left.

You can get to some villages by bus, but there are a lot of small quaint villages that you won't be able to get to by bus. Th easiest way to see the Cotswolds is by driving. Moreton in Marsh would be a good base town.

Darrell,

I stayed in Stow-On-The-Wold on my last visit to the Cotswolds, and had a great time. I had a Car, which gave me some flexibility in terms of which town to stay in. I rented the Car in Bath, so didn't have to contend with traffic getting out of London.

Using a Bus to tour the Cotswolds could probably be done, but it would require a lot of planning. That's an area that's best seen by car.

In terms of "which town would be the best", I'd suggest reading the description of all the towns in the England Guidebook and see which one appeals to you the most.

Happy travels!

If you want to rent a car for just a couple of days to help you get around in the Cotswolds you can rent a car in Bourton-on-the-Water.

Any of the larger Cotswold villages are just fine as a base for your visit. I believe that Moreton-in-Marsh has the only train station. We stayed at the Poppy Bank B&B in Chipping Campden and it was great. If you want to see a lot of the Cotswold, a car is essential. We were there for 3 days and we day-tripped to Hidcote Manor Gardens (near Chipping Campden), Bourton-on-the-Water, Stow-on-the-Wold, Stanton, Broadway, Snow Hills and other smaller areas. If you like afternoon tea, don't miss Buckland Manor near Stanton. Superb. We also day-tripped to Blenheim Palace and Oxford. You have to search for parking in Oxford but we found a nice lot. Note that Oxford University is quite large (38 colleges). We took advantage of the hop on/hop off bus in Oxford and visited several areas of the university.

I did the Cotswolds by bus only about 2 years ago and it worked out just fine! I home based in Moreton-in-Marsh at a lovely B&B about a 1/2 mile walk off the train station. I would buy an all day bus pass and then just GO...the bus hits every Cotswolds village and it was easy. No need to have a car. Have fun! Chipping Camden was my favorite. :)

I'm sorry, but the buses in the Cotswolds do not go to all of the villages in the Cotswolds. As others have have posted above a car is the bust, but if using the bus you can get to a lot of the bigger villages but not the small quiant ones.