Oxford · Burford · Bibury · Bourton · Stow · A touring day
The Cotswolds: a route, not a place
You cannot be dropped at the Cotswolds. It is eight hundred square miles of villages, and a good day there means moving between four or five of them. That makes this the one booking on our site where the vehicle stays with you from morning to evening.
All day, rather than dropping and collecting. It is a touring arrangement, priced by the day, and it is the only way a Cotswolds trip actually works, because the villages are miles apart and there is nothing else linking them.
The vehicle stays with the group
Different from every other booking on this site, and simpler than it sounds.
Not a drop and collect
The driver and vehicle are with you from pick-up to home.
We suggest one
Tell us what you want to see and we will propose a route that flows.
Within the day
Twenty minutes in one village, two hours in another. It is your day.
City centre restrictions
Coaches cannot enter the centre, so we set down and collect there.
Kent to Oxfordshire
Round the M25 and out on the M40. The Cotswolds begin west of Oxford.
| Pick-up area | Distance | Each way |
|---|---|---|
| Bromley & Orpington | 88 miles | 1h 50m – 2h 25m |
| Sevenoaks & Tonbridge | 91 miles | 1h 55m – 2h 30m |
| Dartford & Bluewater | 94 miles | 2h – 2h 35m |
| Gravesend & Northfleet | 99 miles | 2h 5m – 2h 40m |
| Maidstone & Aylesford | 106 miles | 2h 10m – 2h 50m |
| Rochester & Chatham | 110 miles | 2h 15m – 2h 55m |
| Canterbury & Ashford | 134 miles | 2h 40m – 3h 25m |
A day that works
One suggested shape. We will build it round whatever you actually want.
| Time | Stop |
|---|---|
| 07:30 | Leave Kent |
| 09:45 | Oxford. Set down for the colleges and the centre, two to three hours |
| 12:45 | Drive west into the Cotswolds proper |
| 13:15 | Burford for lunch |
| 14:45 | Bibury, then Bourton-on-the-Water |
| 16:30 | Stow-on-the-Wold, or wherever the day has got to |
| 17:30 | Set off home. Back in Kent for around 20:00 |
Planning a Cotswolds day
Pick three or four villages, not eight
The temptation is to list everywhere, and the result is a day spent in a vehicle looking at places through a window. Three or four stops with real time at each makes a considerably better day than eight rushed ones, particularly with two hours of driving at either end.
Oxford is a set-down, the villages are not
Oxford's centre has access restrictions and a coach cannot drive into it, so we set down and collect there in the same way we do at Canterbury. In the villages we can generally park up and stay with you, which is the whole advantage of the touring arrangement.
Tell us if you would rather we suggested the route
A good many people booking this have a vague idea rather than an itinerary, and that is entirely fine. Tell us how long you want in Oxford, whether you want lunch somewhere specific and roughly what you like, and we will propose a day that flows sensibly rather than doubling back.
It is a long day, so start early
Two hours each way plus a proper tour makes twelve hours door to door. A half seven departure gets you to Oxford before the coach parties and gives the afternoon room to breathe. Starting at ten produces a rushed day and a late return.
Oxford and Cotswolds questions
A touring day, not a drop-off.
Can you drop us in the Cotswolds?
Not usefully. It is eight hundred square miles of villages miles apart, so a good day means moving between several. The vehicle stays with you all day.
How does the pricing work?
As a day rate rather than a drop and collect, because the driver and vehicle are with you from pick-up to home.
Do we need an itinerary?
No. Tell us how long you want in Oxford, whether you want lunch somewhere and roughly what you like, and we will propose a route that flows.
How many villages should we do?
Three or four with real time at each, rather than eight rushed ones. There is two hours of driving at either end already.
Can a coach go into Oxford?
No, the centre has access restrictions. We set down and collect there, in the same way we do at Canterbury, and then park up in the villages.
How far is it from Kent?
Around ninety to a hundred and thirty-five miles to Oxford, roughly two to three and a half hours each way on the M25 and M40.
What time should we leave?
Around half seven. Two hours each way plus a proper tour makes twelve hours door to door, and a late start produces a rushed day.
Is the fare fixed?
Yes, agreed at booking as a day rate covering the whole arrangement.
Touring days and the west
Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds.