Cotswolds Question

Your plan is good for someone using public transportation in the Cotswolds. A traveler with a car could, maybe, cover it in 2 days. March in England, you probably already know the weather drill (think Pacific Northwest in March).

Thanks Kent......What are your favorite villages

Favorite villages? You've already got a good list. Chipping Camden, Moreton-in-Marsh, Stanway, Stanton, Stow-on-the-Wold. What I don't know is: can all of these be reached by bus? Some do a mini-van tour one day.

If you have a private car and you are heading for Stanton and Snowshill, stop at Buckland Manor for afternoon tea and scones. You have tea in an absolutely well-appointed parlor or drawing room. You would think that you are in a castle. Since you will be there in March, this room has a great fireplace. We discovered this experience by accident. The Buckland Manor appears to be a hotel. Best tea and scone experience that we had in England.

Dave, no 3 days isn't too much. You are going to some of my favorite villages, Bourton-on-the-Water and Broadway. When you are in Bourton make sure you see the Model Village, it's behind the Old New Inn it is really worth the time. When you have your driver you might want to drive thru Lower Slaughter and Upper Slaughter they are beautiful, they are 2 miles from Bourton-on-the-Water. I think you should visit Sudley Castle, I really enjoyed seeing it. Have a great trip. Kent, yes the villages that he has mentioned going to by bus has bus services. It's good that he has a driver for the others.

Dave, 3 days is not too long. Bourton on the Water is one of my favorites. Don't forget Castle Combe. It is one of the lovliest villages in England. I shouldn't forget the last day if I were you. I think you'll find you will need it.

Each village is different- no matter how many you visit. Three days is a nice session. Upper and Lower Slaughter are great. In addition to all others mentioned, we like Burford, take time to walk through it, especially see the pack bridge at the bottom of the hill. Also with your driver take time to look at the scenery and villages as you go by. Get the flavor of the place. Stow is a great village to overnight.. Get out and walk around- even if just window shopping. A little out of the way- Fairford church has very old stained glass windows- before the reformation. We always stop there

Three days is fine. We happened to stay very near to Sudley Castle and enjoyed our visit. It is well off the main tourist routes so a peacefull, leisurely visit is possible. This is an area of large farms so get to know your sheep and your pubs. I wonder if they still have Old Speckled Hen.

Yes, they still have Old Speckled Hen, that's my husband's favorite.

No, IMHO 3 days is not too much time. Remember that in March days are still pretty short in the Cotswolds, and March can be pretty wet and blowy. .... Please be careful with village and town names. There are lots of similar names. For example, Chipping Norton and Chipping Campden are relatively close but completely different. If you're not clear when checking transport or planning journeys you might end up in an adventure you hadn't planned on. .... Bourton on the Water is where the tourists go, Bourton is dozens of miles away near Swindon, and Bourton^on^the^Hill (substitute dashes for ^s because of the problems on the board) is several miles away and where the birds of prey show is. ..... In the UK there are often many variants of name around.

Hi Dave I organise walking holidays in the Cotswolds and consider you will be packing a great deal into three days. Chipping Campden is said to have the most beautiful High Street in England and if you are interested in history it's full of period buildings. At the beginning of the 20th century, craftsmen from the Arts and Crafts movement settled there - so another interesting exploration. And that's just one of the towns. Your Broadway day will explore the Cotswold escarpment with fantastic views over the Vale of Evesham to Wales, and there is a wonderful manor at Snowshill packed with arts and crafts objects collected by Charles Paget Wade - he had so much he had to move out into the barn! On day 2 you'll pass through rolling countryside and towns each with their distinct character so I don't think you'll find that things start to look the same. Hope you have a good trip. Anne

Hi, We just returned from a week in London and took a day trip to the Cotswolds. Burton on the Water was so charming. We also spent some time at Blenheim Palace. We hired Ray Skinner ([email protected]) who took us around for 2 days. One day was the Cotswolds and one day was Stonehenge, bath and places in between. Ray was great and we were able to go where we wanted to go and not be stuck with a bus tour. He was very accommodating and took us where we wanted to go on our schedule. I would highky recommend him. We usually hire a driver in every country we visit and Ray was y far the best experience among all our other wonderful experiences. S.