The Cotswolds

Guided Tours of The Cotswolds

Through our sister organisation Cotswold Exploring, we can organise tailor-made tours to The Cotswolds for small or large groups from Oxford or nearby towns and cities.

Our knowledge and expertise in this area of outstanding national beauty will bring the Cotswolds to life. Discover the quaint villages with thatched cottages built from Cotswold stone, small streams and village greens. Learn the history of this fascinating area, passing by Roman remains and medieval castles.

Let us entertain you with stories of Cotswold folklore and the famous people who have lived there – all the writers, artists, actors and entrepreneurs who, over the centuries have been inspired by the Cotswolds.

Please see below examples of some of our favourite itineraries. For further details please visit our Cotswolds website www.cotswoldexploring.co.uk.

The Cotswold Explorer

The exact timing and itinery for this tour may vary slightly, depending upon the time of year (which impacts on daylight hours) and prevailing conditions, but a typical Explorer tour will start with a drive out west to Burford, the Gateway to the Cotswolds. The route will take us through through Minster Lovell, with its its attractive thatched houses and ruined Hall – and the beautiful villages of Asthall and Swinbrook (home to the Mitford sisters).

Continuing through the quarrying villages of Taynton and the Barringtons, we reach Bourton-on-the-Water. A succession of decorative bridges span the River Windrush as it flows through the heart of this small town, earning it the accolade The Venice of the Cotswolds, where we will make a stop for lunch.

After lunch we drive on through Stow-on-theWold to the beautiful market town of Chipping Campden. In the late 19th century this historic town was a focus for the popular Arts & Crafts Movement, with some of the key designers and craftspeople of the time setting up their workshops and studios in Chipping Campden. The Movement is still alive and well today. Here, you can browse in the quaint shops or visit the impressive ‘wool church’ and ruined manor house.

We start heading back towards Oxford, following a beautiful route which offers stunning views as we pass through the charming thatched-cottage villages of Broad Campden and Blockley. We pause in the busy market town of Moreton-in-Marsh, with its art galleries and antiques shops, before returning to Oxford via Chipping Norton and a final stop in Woodstock.

This town is the site of Blenheim Palace, one of the most imposing houses in the country, home to the Dukes of Marlborough and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. He is buried in the churchyard of nearby Bladon. Please visit our Cotswold Exploring Website for further details of this tour and the current route.

Private tailor-made tours for up to 12 guests:

From £750

Please e-mail us on exploreoxfordtours@gmail.com for further information, or call +44 (0)7976 246967.

The Cotswold Adventurer

As with the Cotswold Explorer tour, the exact timing and route may vary through the year, but the Cotswold Adventurer Tour typically introduces visitors to some of the most enchanting villages of the northern Cotswolds, starting with a drive to the ancient market town of Bampton.

One of the oldest towns in England, Bampton is now known and recognised the world over as the village of Downton in the popular television period drama about the Crawley family, who lived in the supposedly nearby Downton Abbey. Notable Bampton locations include the parish church of St Mary the Virgin, and the town library, which doubled as the entrance to the cottage hospital. The old rectory in Bampton was used for the exterior shots of the house where Isobel Crawley (Penelope Wilton) lived.

We continue via Kelmscott, the home of the Arts and Crafts founder, William Morris. The renowned textile designer was also a poet, novelist, translator, and socialist activist, and lived in the manor at Kelmscott from 1871 until his death in 1896, and is reputed to have drawn much inspiration from the beautiful landscape that surrounds the village.

We travel on to Lechlade on the River Thames, from where our journey takes us through some charming Cotswold stone villages to idyllic riverside location of Bibury. One of the most picturesque villages in the Cotswolds, Bibury straddles the river Coln, with a profusion of 16th century stone cottages, an extensive trout farm and charming gardens.

Heading up the Coln Valley we travel through a succession of stone villages, hidden valleys and stunning scenery to arrive at the beautiful Regency town of Cheltenham Spa; the capital of the Cotswolds. Famed today for the annual four-day Cheltenham Festival of horse racing, the town’s success was built upon water. A popular spa town during the Eighteenth Century, our visit includes a panoramic tour of the picturesque Georgian squares before culminating in lunch.

There is time for shopping before our return to Oxford, passing through the old market town of Northleach, with its impressive Cotswold Perpendicular-style church. Please visit our Cotswold Exploring Website for further details of this tour and the current route.

Private tailor-made tours for up to 12 guests:

From £750

Please e-mail us on exploreoxfordtours@gmail.com for further information, or call +44 (0)7976 246967.

Cotswolds Taster – Half-Day Tour

This half-day tour is ideal for those who would love to see some of the Cotswold villages, but cannot spare a whole day, and begins by following a similar route to our Explorer Tour, visiting Minster Lovell and the delightful villages of Asthall and Swinbrook en route to Burford. Continuing westwards, we visit Taynton and the Barringtons until we arrive in Bourton-on-the-Water, with its graceful arched bridges over the River Windrush.

We then go ‘off the beaten track’ and explore some idyllic villages, such as Naunton, Ford and Temple Guiting before heading to Stow-on-the-Wold. Enjoy exploring the narrow streets where sheep used to run and visit the quaint shops.

We return to Oxford via the charming village of Cornwell, with our final stop in Woodstock, site of Blenheim Palace and home to the Dukes of Marlborough. Please visit our Cotswold Exploring Website for further details of this tour and the current route.

Private tailor-made tours for up to 12 guests:

From £600

Please e-mail us on exploreoxfordtours@gmail.com for further information, or call +44 (0)7976 246967.

Cotswolds Rover – Half-Day Tour

The ‘Cotswold Rover’ sets off with a drive from Oxford to Bampton, one of the oldest villages in England with its quaint square and Norman church. Downton Abbey fans may recognise Bampton as being the location for the village scenes in the popular period drama. Buildings to look out for include the Old Rectory (Churchgate House), the library and several houses in Church View, including two that were adapted to look like pubs.

Continuing through Kelmscott, the home of the Arts & Crafts founder William Morris, the tour reaches Lechlade on the River Thames. From there, we head for the old coaching town of Fairford, with its impressive ‘wool church’ of St Mary’s, complete with some of the finest medieval stained glass in the country.

We then follow a scenic route to the picturesque village of Bibury, with its mellow-stoned cottages, rippling river and trout farm. Heading up the Coln Valley, we pass through pretty stone hamlets, hidden valleys and remarkable scenery, before arriving in the historic town of Northleach, with its imposing perpendicular church tower.

We then head back east and visit the busy town of Burford with its quirky shops and cafés perched on the steep side of the Windrush valley, before returning to Oxford through the charming villages of Asthall and Swinbrook. Please visit our Cotswold Exploring Website for further details of this tour and the current route.

Private tailor-made tours for up to 12 guests:

From £600

Please e-mail us on exploreoxfordtours@gmail.com for further information, or call +44 (0)7976 246967.

Cotswolds & Shakespeare Tour

Our Cotswolds & Shakespeare Tour combines a delightful drive through some of the most idyllic scenery of the North Cotswolds with an exploration of Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon. We begin by heading northwards from Oxford to meander through a succession of delightful Cotswold-stone villages, passing close to the site of the famous English Civil War Battle of Edgehill and catching glimpses of imposing castles and stately homes. One of these – the picturesque Charlecote Park – is reputed to be where a young William Shakespeare poached deer from Lord Lucy.

Once in Stratford we begin a personal guided walk around the Bard’s home town, taking in the medieval timber-framed houses, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s theatres, and the River Avon. We conclude with an optional visit to Shakespeare’s Birthplace.

After lunch we head back out into the Cotswolds, passing Anne Hathaway’s cottage. Our bucolic cross-country route takes us through the village of Ilmington and on to Mickleton, site of the famous Kiftsgate Court Gardens, and past the National Trust’s property of Hidcote Manor.

Our next stop in Chipping Campden – the centre of the Arts and Crafts Movement in the Cotswolds. Here we pause so that you can explore the town, perhaps visiting the quaint shops, the impressive ‘wool church’ or the ruined manor house.

We follow another scenic route on our return journey, negotiating the villages of Broad Campden and Blockley and stopping in the busy market town of Moreton-in-Marsh, with its art galleries and antiques shops. The final run back to Oxford takes us via Chipping Norton and Woodstock.

This Wednesday tour is a feature of our Spring/Summer Programme, which runs from 1st April through to the end of October. Please visit our Cotswold Exploring Website for further details of this tour.

Please note: Prices do not include entrance to attractions.
All tours depart from the Visitor Information Centre in Broad Street, at the heart of Oxford. However, we can sometimes pick up and return visitors to other points along our route, including Woodstock Market Place, by special arrangement.

Private tailor-made tours for up to 12 guests:

From £750

Please e-mail us on exploreoxfordtours@gmail.com for further information, or call +44 (0)7976 246967.

Themed Tours of the Cotswolds

If your group has a particular interest, we can offer private guided tours of the Cotswolds and adjacent areas with the following special themes:

Cotswold Film Locations
The Arts & Crafts in the Cotswolds
Bath and The Roman Cotswolds
Harry Potter in the Cotswolds
Antiques Hunting in the Cotswolds
Gardens of the Cotswolds
Stonehenge, Avebury & Salisbury

Please visit our Cotswold Exploring Website for further details, or send us a message via the Contact Page on our companion website with your requirements and we will be happy to give you a quote.

Private Tours of the Cotswolds

Our minibus can seat up to 12 people, so if you have a group and would like to organise your own private tour of the Cotswolds, we will be happy to provide you with a quote for this. We can also provide guides for larger coach parties with their own coaches.

What Our Guests Say

Highly recommended!

Rated 5 out of 5

"It was such a lovely day out! Thank you Isobel for your wonderful and informative guide, and thank you David for the safe and comfortable ride. The Cotswolds is really difficult to travel with public transport, so joining the tour was the best way to enjoy the quaint villages and hidden gems in the area. Also, it is rather impossible to get a ticket for the immensely popular Highclere Castle on your own; I am so glad to have found a perfect tour that saved my day."

Arisa N.

Best tour and great people

Rated 5 out of 5

"We had an excellent tour with the most knowledgeable and friendly driver and guide. I would seek them out again if we are ever back in the area! Thank you so much for being accommodating. You went beyond expectations! All seven of us commented on how much we enjoyed our day."