Explore the Cotswolds (Private Day Tour from London)

There is nothing better than spending time in the country. The stunning scenery, including golden fields in the spring, the vibrant rainbow coloured country gardens in the summer, and the myriad of dark crimsons, yellows, & silvers in the autumn & winter, always take our breath away. Add the gorgeous historic towns & villages made of soft creamy sandstone many of which regularly top the best places to visit in the Cotswolds & the UK, plus the local wildlife of ducks, geese, bees & even the odd snake, & the fantastic food and you have the perfect refresher to staying in the noisy city.

Visiting many of the villages that are annually voted the best places in the Cotswolds, this tour offers you the opportunity to see some of the prettiest parts of Britain with someone who is passionate about the past, loves to eat (and knows the best places to stop for food), and who knows where to take a photo that will make your friends back home jealous of this unique, almost perfect, day out.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Woodstock, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England

Our tour starts with a visit to the gravesite of Britain’s favourite Britain Sir Winston Churchill. Unlike other great national heroes who are buried in one of the great cathedrals in London, Sir Winston is buried in The Parish Church of Saint Martin Bladon, close to where he was born. Whilst here, you will be able to pay your respects to the great wartime leader, and your guide will explain just why Sir Winston is such an important (and sometimes controversial) figure. If The Parish Church of Saint Martin Bladon is open to the public on the day of your tour, you will also have time to see the Churchill memorial window which is housed inside the Church.

Duration: 15 minutes

Pass By: Chipping Norton, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England

Chipping Norton is the highest town in Oxfordshire and gets its name from the old English word for market. A market town since the 13th century and a significant Wool trading town since the 15th century, this lively Cotswolds town is also home to the famous Bliss Mill. This one of a kind former tweed mill is known throughout the area for looking like a cross between a mansion and a folly rather than a factory. Whilst in Chipping Norton, you will be able to explore the beautiful shops and see the great wool church of St Mary. At St Mary’s Church, your guide will explain why these great wool churches emerged and why wool was so important to the local and national economy during the 15th century.


Stop At: Moreton-in-Marsh, Moreton-in-Marsh, Cotswolds, England

Moreton-in-Marsh is one of the main market towns in the northern Cotswolds. Located on the Fosse Way, the old Roman road that linked Exeter to Lincoln, this picturesque market town is still busy with a local market every Tuesday. Founded in 1227, this weekly market is now one of the oldest markets in the United Kingdom.

Like all Cotswolds villages, the local pubs at the heart of the community and the town’s history. Whilst in Moreton-in-Marsh you will hear how Charles I sheltered in one of the town’s pubs during the English Civil War, and how the author JR R Tolkien is believed to have been inspired by The Bell Inn when writing his famous work The Lord of the Rings.


Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Blockley, Blockley, Moreton-in-Marsh, Cotswolds, England

Blockley is a charming and largely unspoiled midway point between Moreton-in-the-Marsh and Chipping Campden. This beautiful village was once a leading production centre for silk, which used the local stream to power the silk mills. Today, the village is regularly seen on the TV series Father Brown where the Norman church of St Peter and St Paul stands in as the fictional St Mary’s Church and where the local vicarage doubles as father Brown’s residents. Whilst visiting Blockley, you have time to explore the village and its stunning surroundings and take photographs of the quaint houses, cottages, and shops.

Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Chipping Campden, Chipping Campden, Cotswolds, England

Chipping Campden like Stow-In-The-Wold, Burton-On-The-Water, and Burford (all places that you will visit on this tour) is regularly listed as one of the best places to see in the Cotswolds by bloggers and journalists alike. Bursting with history, as well as beautiful buildings and fascinating history, Chipping Campden’s high street was once described by the historian, G.M. Trevelyan, as “the most beautiful village street now left in the island”. Today this high street remains largely untouched as the wide and gentle arc of the road is fringed in a continuous stretch of buildings that date from the 14th century.

With over 250 listed properties, including one that dates back to 1380, this charming town is the perfect place to get photos that will make the folk back home jealous of your getaway.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Stow-on-the-Wold, Stow-on-the-Wold, Cotswolds, England

Stow-In-The-Wold is an antique lovers delight and is the highest of all the towns in the Cotswolds. Famous today as a place where antiques are bought and sold, historically, things in Stow-In-The-Wold have not been so sedate. Whilst at Stow-In-The-Wold, your guide will explain how the last battle of the first phase of the English Civil War took place in the town and how the local church of St Edwards was used as a parliamentarian prison for royalist troops. You’ll also hear how during the height of the wool trade in the Cotswolds, Stow-In-The-Wold was famous for its market where over 20, 000 sheep would be sold at one time and how today Stow-In-The-Wold is a centre for the Gypsy and Romany communities who gather here twice a year

Duration: 30 minutes

Pass By: Upper Slaughter, Upper Slaughter, Cotswolds, England

As we drive through the countryside to our next location we will travel through the twin villages of Upper and Lower Slaughter. If you'd like to briefly stop here, please let your guide know and they will be happy to make a brief additional stop.

Pass By: Lower Slaughter, Lower Slaughter, Cotswolds, England

As we drive through the countryside to our next location we will travel through the twin villages of Upper and Lower Slaughter. If you'd like to briefly stop here, please let your guide know and they will be happy to make a brief additional stop.

Stop At: Bourton-on-the-Water, Bourton-on-the-Water, Cotswolds, England

Bourton-On-The-Water is sometimes known as the Venice of the Cotswolds. Like the vibrant Venetian city, Bourton-On-The-Water is an excellent place to get photographs that will make your friends jealous of your trip. The gently flowing river Windrush is crossed throughout the town with several small and beautiful bridges, the perfect places to pose for a picture. The town is also full of a wide range of shops varying from jewellery to perfume and pottery which offers you the chance to pick up some perfect presents to take back home.
Should you wish to spend a little bit longer in Bourton-On-The-Water, there’s also the chance to visit the local model village, a perfect 1/9 scale replica of Bourton-On-The-Water created in the 1930s or Greystones Nature Reserve, home to a wide variety of local wildlife, and site of the Neolithic and Iron Age encampment (which is now on the schedule of ancient monuments) which gives Bourton-On-The-Water its name.


Duration: 30 minutes

Pass By: Burford, Burford, Cotswolds, England

Our final destination on this tour is the stunning chocolate box village of Burford. Regularly voted as one of the top places to visit in the Cotswolds (alongside Stow-In-The-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water and Chipping Campden) Burford includes pretty pubs, stunning shops, including a traditional sweet store, and traditional grocery and clothing stores. Arranged along a central road, which will take your breath away, the town of Burford was a favourite retreat for Charles II and his mistress Nell Gwyn and contains Britain’s oldest pharmacy, which opened all the way back in 1734.

You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.