Yes, It's Cotswolds BTW - if the following fails then simple Googles will bring up copious information

http://www.cotswold.gov.uk/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=559

Its easy from oxford to catch a bus to burford, via witney. I think its the S1 which leaves from george street in oxford ( near debenhams). At witney you may need sometimes to change onto the 233 service.

I live near burford and use this service a lot.

National Express run a coach service from Oxford to Stroud. Goes from Gloucester Green Bus Station in Oxford.
Recommend Stroud Farmers Market every Sat in the streets around the Cornhill.

There is, by British standards, very little transport into the Cotswolds from Oxford. An hourly bus to Chipping Norton and an hourly bus to Charlbury, an hourly train to Charlbury and Moreton in Marsh, two or three direct buses a day to Burford, Northleachg and Cheltenham and that's your lot (Witney's not in the Cotswolds, though handsome enough and blessed with just about the loveliest church close in England. But the S1/233 combination takes almost a lifetime to Burford)

That absolutely shouldn't stop you, though. A full transport guide's downloadable at /www.cotswoldsaonb.org.uk/?page=transportpublications . Any Oxford bookshop (obviously, especially Blackwell's) is stuffed with "loads of walks round here" books, and Blackwell's has a terrific facility for printing bespoke OS maps, centred on anywhere you like. There's also a great set of walks based on the Oxford-Hereford railway line (www.clpg.co.uk/clpgfwtt.htm), on sale at most manned stations along the line.

Getting to Stroud from Oxford's a pain though. Without a car, you're really limited to the Northern Cotswolds, the non-Cotswold countryside near the Chilterns, the rather dull country round Woodstock (jolly nice) and Blenheim (don't get me started) and the ironstone countryside round Banbury. There are frequent trains, changing at Didcot, to Bath.

Which hardly comes to a limitation. Unless (unaccountably) you've got a thing about Stroud.

PS:

I can't find an Oxford-Stroud bus on the National Express website. And I've never seen one displayed at the Gloucester Green coach station.

Is there some confusion here?

Thanks for all the responses. I will check out some of the websites. We only have three days and we really want to see some of the villages and do some of the walks. What would be anyone's suggestion? We want to stay in Oxford because it will be easy to get to from the airport. arfoley

If you are staying in Oxford, I highly recommend a walk to St. Mary's Church in Iffley. St. Mary's is one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture in England. A lovely 12th century church which never seems to get the tourist crowds that frequently overwhem most villages in the Cotswolds.

To get to St. Mary's from Christ Church, head south on St. Aldgates to the Folly Bridge. Cross the bridge and take an immediate left onto the towpath along the Thames. Follow the path past the college boat houses and nature reserves for about 2 miles until you reach the Iffley Lock. Take a left and cross the lock then take the 1st right up a small hill toward the church.

Along the towpath is The Isis Farmhouse (pub) if you want to to stop for drinks or lunch.

Isis is another name for the Thames.

"to get the tourist crowds that frequently overwhem most villages in the Cotswolds."

Tourist crowds NEVER overwhelm 99% of Cotswold villages.

About five honeypots get crowded between 11 am and 4 pm, Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays, from Mothering Sunday to Michaelmas. That's about 6% of daylight hours year-round.

The rest of us virtually never see a tourist. We hang out on this forum to understand this exotic species.

arfoley: Oxford is a great place to visit -- but not as a base for daily jaunts into the Cotswolds. How long is the entire stay?

I personally think you'd have an easier time of it if you stay in one of the towns/villages for the day(s) you want to explore the Cotswolds. You can take buses, walk, and/or take local taxis to get from one village to the next. This would be a LOT nicer than schlepping out and back from Oxford every day.

If you are thinking of more than 2 days -- maybe stay the first night in Oxford and then the rest of the time based in Burford, or Chipping Campden, or Moreton-in-Marsh, or any other place that strikes your fancy.

You can even get a train from M-i-M to London if you are headed that way after the Cotswolds. So -- how long were you planning on staying in Oxford and what is the rest of your itinerary like?

I should've qualified my response "to get the tourist crowds that frequently overwhelm most of the villages in the Cotswolds" Not most but some.

I was referring to the usual must see villages such as Burton, Bilbury etc. Certainly the majority of villages are ignored by most tourists in favor of the honeypots, so to speak.

Personally I know many lovely places that I'll not mention on this forum hoping that they don't end up on the can't miss villages list.

Hi arfoley,
The traveline site will help you plan your journey.
http://www.traveline.info/

If you click on my name, you can read my trip report which may have some useful walk info., too.
Have a wonderful time!

We are just back from the Costwolds! Spent Sunday night in Morton on Marsh - took the train from London Paddington, which stopped in Oxford. It was very easy and efficient. On Monday we took the bus from Moreton on Marsh to Chipping Campden - about 1.5 hour trip - and then back, with return train to London. Would have liked to have stopped in Broadway if we'd had time; our bus stopped there too. Seems like if you stay in Moreton on Marsh, there are many options for bus trips. The schedules are posted at the train station and around town, and there were a number of tourists on the buses. There were good public trails right behind the B&B where we stayed, so walking to some of the villages is another option.