Cotstold Way Ideas
 

Hi,
My wife and I are off to the Cotswolds the first 3 weeks in October, 2005, and we are looking for input and insights as to walking along the Cotwold Way.
Our tentative plan is to take a bus (I don’t think there are trains) from Heathrow to Moreton-in-Marsh, stay at a reserved B&B there, then take a bus to Chipping Campden, and begin our walk. We will find B&Bs as to we go (not reserved).
When we get tired of walking, we will take a bus back to Heathrow and rent a car for the remainder of the trip and primarily visit Cornwall (an area we have never seen).
If you have ever done something like this, or have any suggestions to make the trip better, please share them with us.
Thanks,
Pat and Linda N.

Three weeks?

You really should plan something more formal than "when (you) get tired of walking...".

What do you want to see?

I'd do one week in Cornwall, a week in London, and a week in the Cotswolds, or maybe I wouldn't. Three weeks must be planned properly.

It's October so you're hardly going to be swimming in the sea unless you're mad. For scenery, Scotland/northern England can't be bettered so drive up from the South on a meandering route.

It's hard to tell you what to do unless you can come back with something that's fixed and must be worked around.

There are no buses to Moreton from Heathrow (or anywhere with easy access to Heathrow). There is a roughly one train an hour to Moreton from Reading, which is accessible from LHR by Railair bus, by the Heathrow Connect train to Hayes + Harlington and then onwward trains to Reading, or most effortlessly, though most expensively, by Heathrow Express to Paddington then get the train to Moreton that stops 25 mins later at Reading. Any railway website will give you full details. I'd be intrigued to leaern where you acquired your misunderstanding about transport links from.

You're nuts going back to Heathrow to hire a car. All London-Moreton trains stop at Oxford (awash with car hire joints: Budget is at the far ednd of the station car park). Or depending where you get to on your walk, hire from Cheltenham or Bath, both of which are more than halfway from London to Cornwall.

On all this, just ignore MK2.

I have a book called "Circular Pub Walks in the Cotswolds", we found it handy, as we had a rental car and parked in the pub carparks after asking the publicans, and assured them that we would be back for a hearty lunch after our walks. We did this 3 days, and was most enjoyable, especially the beer & lunch after the walk.

Definitely take flanneruk's advice to 1) not travel back to LHR to rent a car, and 2) ignore m_kindom.

I am also confused why you thought there is no rail service to Moreton in Marsh. Or did you just mean no direct rail service (There isn't direct rail service from LHR to basically anyplace except London)

I would possibly go along w/ flanner's suggestions to rent the car in Oxford, Cheltenham, or Bath.

Traveling from the Cotswolds to LHR by public transport to pick up a car to drive to far SW England simply doesn't make much sense.