The Cotswolds

Guided Tours of The Cotswolds

Through our sister organisation, Cotswold Exploring, we operate a schedule of tours from Oxford to the Cotswolds, taking small groups in our comfortable Mercedes 12-seater minibus.

Soft drinks offered from our coolbox are included in the price, and our tours are delivered by an expert group of Blue Badge Tour guides and, as well as in English, can also be delivered in many foreign languages, including French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, Japanese and Mandarin.

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.

Prices and descriptions shown below are for guidance only. The exact timing and route for each tour may vary through the year, to make allowances for shorter daylight hours in the winter and potential tourist hot-spots at the height of summer. For details of the current itinerary, and for further information or to make a booking, please visit our Cotswold Exploring Website.

The Cotswold Explorer

A Full-day tour, every Monday throughout the year, from £85.00 per person

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.

Small group tours with
maximum 12 guests:

£85 Per person

Private tailor-made tours
for up to 12 guests:

From £600

Experience type:

Day tour / activity

Booking in advance:

Cut off: 2 hours

Duration:

Summer – 8 hours and 30 minutes / Winter – 7 hours

Difficulty:

Easy

Supported accessibility:

Stroller or pram

Know before you go:

Minimum age of passengers is: 12

Categories:

Cultural and theme tours, Day trips and excursions, Luxury and special occasions, Culinary, Bus / minivan tour, Family friendly

Live tour guide:

English

The Cotswold Adventurer

A Full-day tour, every Friday throughout the year , from £85.00 per person

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.

Small group tours with

maximum 12 guests:

£85 Per person

Private tailor-made tours
for up to 12 guests:

From £600