Your tour of this designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty starts with a pick-up direct from your Stratford-upon-Avon hotel, B&B or the train station at approximately 9.00am (pick-up time confirmed at the time of booking).
After a short journey to the Cotswolds, and after the final customers have boarded the tour (usually at Moreton-in-Marsh station), the tour begins with a welcome and introduction by your driver/guide before departing for the first stop on the tour.
The 15 minute journey to Dover’s Hill viewpoint is an opportunity to watch the landscape change and meet your fellow passengers. Upon arrival, your tour guide will tell you the fascinating story of the Cotswolds; a story that includes facts, stats, history, unusual events and local folklore.
This 20 minute stop is followed by the short journey to Chipping Campden just 5 minutes away. The hour long stop is the first of three “self-explore” stops during the tour where you’ll have opportunity to walk the streets of the historic market town on your own with maps provided by your guide. The map features a variety of things you can see and do from historic buildings to quirky shops selling gifts, local produce and fantastic coffee.
Broadway Tower and the “secret” off-the-beaten-track Cotswolds village are the next two stops on the tour where you’ll find out more about these interesting and beautiful locations.
At around 1pm the tour arrives in the highest town in the Cotswolds, Stow-on-the-Wold. This is your second self-explore stops and with an hour and ten minutes free time there is ample opportunity to grab a bite to eat from the fantastic array of options located around the market square. Maps are once again provided featuring a list of things you can see and do.
Following Stow-on-the-Wold the tour heads South to the village of Bibury – once famously referred to as "the most beautiful village in England" by poet William Morris. The 25-minute stop provides ample time to visit Arlington Row – arguably the most iconic row of cottages in the Cotswolds – and stroll alongside the river Coln. You may even be lucky enough to spot a water vole or a brown trout or two!
Leaving Bibury behind you'll then travel through the narrow country lanes to the final stop of the day and the “jewel in the crown” of the Cotswolds – Bourton-on-the-Water. After a brief introduction to the picturesque little village you'll have approximately 40-minutes free-time to explore on your own and stock up on souvenirs to remind you of your day in the Cotswolds.
The tour finishes at Bourton-on-the-Water before making its way back to Stratford-upon-Avon arriving at approximately 5.30pm.
*Thursday tours operate from June to September. Pick-ups from Leamington Spa station also available.