Cotswolds Itinerarty

We stayed at Poppy Bank B&B in Chipping Campden last year. As you drive through Chipping Campden heading north, there are 4 new B&Bs all together. We did not see these B&Bs in the RS 2009 England book. Poppy Bank was great. The property backs up against agricultural land and is very scenic. We did have a car and not only visited the larger Cotswold towns, we also visited many of the smaller nooks and crannies of the area. Hidcote Manor Gardens was on our list. One very charming place for afternoon tea and scones is Buckland Manor. It's near Stanton.

September is probably the Best Time for the Cotswolds. The Gardens are all still in bloom. We just pointed our car in the morning to some place that sounded interesting and booked a B & B at a Tourist Information Office by 4ish or no later than 5 and we always got a charming place in our price range. Sometimes, since these were private homes, the bath was across the hall...but most often we were the only guests anyway. One time we stay in Woodstock just walking distance to Blenhiem Palace.

Thank you for your replies. Any suggestions on car rentals - where, what kind and what is the average cost? I know that petrol is around $6/$7. I've read it is NOT a good idea to pick up at Heathrow because of traffic. We would also like to see Stonehenge.

I would suggest picking up a car in Slough, there isn't any place to rent a car in Windsor. Bourton-on-the-Water and Broadway are both beautiful quiant villages which would make a fantastic base. For Broadway.....Crown & Trumpet Inn~Old Station B&B....for Bourton-on-the-Water....Cotswolds House B&BMousetrap Inn B&B.

We did pick up our rental car at Heathrow. We wanted to see Stonehenge, Winchester Cathedral on our way Bath. We succeeded with that plan but we did get a bit lost in trying to get from Heathrow to the highway. The next day, we went to Stourhead Gardens. Great.

We've traveled to England several times in September, and it's been a beautiful time of the year. We always get our car at Heathrow and have had no problems leaving the airport. I think a lot depends on what time you land (so you're not in morning or evening rush hour traffic). I will have to say that the last two times there we had a GPS which made it very easy.

Last year we flew into Manchester Airport on USAirways from Philadelphia and rented a car. Drove around the Cotswolds for about 4 days, then dropped the rental car in Oxford and took the train from there into London for a few days. We did have some trouble finding the car rental return place in Oxford, even though it was in walking distance from the train station. We should have printed out a map to it before we left the states. We then traveled to France and flew home from Paris. It was alot less hectic flying into Manchester Airport to start this trip. On previous trips we flew in and out of Heathrow and would spend a few days in London, then take the tube back out to Heathrow to rent a car to tour the countryside.

Cindy, I hope you don't mind my posting a question here, but I believe it is not off-topic.. would you all find it too risky to travel to the Cotswolds without prior hotel reservations? We'll be on a 12-day itinerary from Scotland to London by car and the only two nights without reservations are in the Cotswolds.. TY

That's a good question, Beatrice, and one that I have as well. We know people who never make reservations until their arrival. We are not exactly seasoned travelers, so it sounds a little risky to us.

Unless you must have a country club style hotel there is no reason to worry about a place to stay in the countryside. Bed & Breakfasts are one of the biggest cottage industries in UK. We have stayed in posh Manor Houses, Farm Houses, Carriage Houses, Country Inns and have been pleased with few exceptions. The Hotels in Towns tend to be more severe with smaller rooms. As long as you have a car, you have an amazing variety to choose from. A very popular area in high summer with a festival going on might require reservations. Just get a Tourist Information Office Map and be sure to drop by one between 4-5. Even if you get there after closing most post availble rooms with Phone#. We did this one time in Jedburgh and it was one of the most charming Victorian Homes up a country lane where we actually saw Hedgehogs running up the road. We felt like we were in Wonderland.

We've gone to the Cottswilds without reservations, but it's been in off season - had no problem then. When we go during the tourist season we always get reservations ahead of time. I'm not sure if September is considered off season since it's such a great time to go.

Thank you all!!

I would hesitate to travel to the more popular Cotswold towns during summer weekends without lodging reservations as I overheard a tourist office host telling a couple on a Thursday that nothing was still available (except at exorbitant prices) for the weekend.

Reservations (I prefer doing my comparison shopping online) can ensure you receive the type and size of room you want with the desired ammenities.

Several B&B owners told me that they prefer NOT to deal with their local tourist office because they take a cut of the nightly rate and don't always explain any restrictions (such as the B&B I visited that asked for cash only).

I was in Great Tew and Little Tew, which were just beautiful, and was pretty much the only tourist around. I also got to see a house being re-thatched in Great Tew, which was pretty cool.

http://www.greattew.net84.net/

By the way, I used the "Book a Bed Ahead" system by the Tourism office to book for each night (I was there in late September), and never had a problem finding a room. You call from a TIA in one town and they will find you a room for the night at your final destination for the day. It's super easy and convenient and gives you the ultimate in flexibility.

Be careful with arriving in a Cotswold village on a Saturday. We did this once and were very lucky to find a room in Stow-on-Wold as everything was booked. Found a room after much searching and it was way more than we wanted to spend. It would have been possible to find a B&B/farmstay out in the countryside but it was dark when we got there and would have been a hassle driving around on those small roads. This was in October and it seemed like many Londoners were up in the Cotswolds for the weekend.If you have enough time I suggest visiting Westonbirt Arboretum--very beautiful.

Love, Love, Love the Cotswolds. I spent Sept 2008 and October 2009 in the Cotswolds.

Both years, I stayed at a bed and breakfast (The Chance) in Chipping Campden. Before I travelled, I did lots of research and from their website, I chose the Chance because I liked the look and feel of the rooms. Luckily, I did. From the moment we arrived til leaving, the host (Sally) was extremely helpful and friendly. She welcomed us, as many BnB's do, with cakes and tea/coffee. She made reservations for restaurants if needed. Helped us navigate to travel to different Cotswold towns. Because of this great experience the first time, I stayed there the following year and was still just as delighted with the hospitality.

Some of the towns that I thoroughly enjoyed in the Cotswolds were:
Stow-on-the-Wold, Broadway (a little touristy), the Slaughters (quaint), Chipping Campden (great restaurants and shopping), Burford, Snowshill (one of my favorites..very small and quaint). Those are the ones off the top of my head. All are beautiful as you step back in time. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. Bon Voyage!

Thanks so much everyone! I'm ready to go right now ... well, almost. I know that I definitely want to rent a car to drive to each little village and that we will most definitely plan for a weeknight visit instead of a weekend. We are still planning on mid September - maybe 2011.

Cindy,

You might consider travelling from Heathrow to Bath via National Express and then spending a few days there prior to going to the Cotswolds. It's a wonderful city and a very relaxing place to unwind and get over jet lag. Be sure to take one of the walking tours.

When you're ready to go to the Cotswolds, there are several car rental shops in Bath (I can't remember which one I used on my last trip - would have to check my notes). That will save you a few days of rental, as you won't need the car during your time in Bath.

For touring Stonehenge, you can either use a car or take one of the Mad Max guided tours.

I used Stow-On-The-Wold as my "home base". It's a nice town and has some nice shops and restaurants.

Cheers!