Hi,

My sister and I will be going to London next week, we'll be there for 12 days. Is a day trip to the Cotswolds possible? We'd like to travel by train but have no idea which stop to choose. I have read some posted messages and driving around the Cotswolds area (I know it is huge)seems to be preferred. I have no idea which part of Cotswolds- but I know I want to go there because of the beautiful pictures posted by some members. Thank you in advance.

quite honestly i would not do it by train....most of the beauty of the cotswolds is seen poking around on small lanes, etc by your own car...

bus tours would be a better option imo, if you must go there....and i am a cotswold lover...

thanks for the quick reply. This is going to sound dumb but here goes.. do you recommend driving from london to cotswolds? Which bus tour would you recommend? Thanks again!

If you are in London 12 days -- is there a way you can swing a 2-day, 1 or 2-night trip out to the Cotswolds?

It is really not a "drive through to see" area. It is a place where you want to get out and walk, visit several villages, visit a few pubs.

Though there is little rail service in the Cotswolds, you could take the train to a few different places (Moreton-in-Marsh, Kingham, Charlbury) and then get a local bus or taxi to a town or village to base yourselves.

If you can't give up a night in London - your best bet is to take the train to Moreton-in-Marsh and just explore that one village and walk nearby, then train back into the city.

You could rent a car locally - though the closest national chains are in Oxford. You could take a train to Oxford, then a cab to the nearest rental agency to pick up a car.

I really wish janisj (whose advice on practically everything but this irritating issue and an incomprehensible tolerance for the crass vulgarities of Blenheim is spot on) would stop using "village" to describe towns which had had their charters for hundreds of years before Christopher Columbus started wondering where to go for his holidays none of his chums had already started a Pronta Paella franchise in.

Which said, she's almost quite right. Get the 0851 train to Moreton from London Paddington (slightly infrequent morning service: timetables at www.nationalrail.co.uk). Don't waste too much time wondering round it, but get the 21 or 22 bus at 1047 to Chipping Campden (all local bus timetables at www.cotswoldsaonb.com/page.asp?pageID=16 You want "north&quot

After pottering around for a while take the 4 mile walk to Broadway, allowing 2.5 hours for the walk and gwetting a bit lost. Directions at www.chippingcampden.co.uk/contentok.php?id=176. Get the 1737 bus back to Moreton from Broadway to connect with the 1820 train back to London.

These times are Monday to Friday. Times are different on Saturdays, but the same thing works. Most buses don't run on Sundays. Timetables change slightly on May 17 2008, for anyone using this suggestion later.

There are limited alternatives for public transport day trips from London. Use http://www.cotswoldsaonb.org.uk/file...oreguide07.pdf for suggested ways of getting round the area by bus and train - though most assume you're here for more than a few hours.

I suspect janisj is using "vilalge" due to the size the of the villages involved. While they may hold charters as towns since the year dot - when the population of everywhere was much smaller - most of them are incredibly tiny, and appear to be villages to people driving through them.

For example, Moreton-in Marsh has a listed population of 3,200 - hardly enough to constitute a town. (The block I live on literally has more people than that.)

To me - a "town" is way bigger than most of the Cotswold villages - at least 25,000 people or so.

Oh - and my brother and SIL live in an old village in the suburbs of NYC (founded by Rockaway Indians then settled in the 1780s). It now has a population of about 12,000, and is a part of the Town of Hempstead - pop about 750,000. (The Village of Hempstead, incorporated in the Town has a population of about 55,000.)

Another option would be to see what tourist brochures covering the Cotswolds are available at your hotel. Most places have such sources or ask your concierge. When I was in London over Easter, there was information advertising tours (via vans) to the Cotswolds. London Walks does a tour of the Cotswolds on certain days. There is also a company which I believe is called Cotswold Ramblers that offers day trips. Or pick up a copy of Exploring the Cotswolds by Bus which you can get from T.I.

We went on "Enchanting Cotswolds" Evan Evans Tours.

Sometimes, a bus tour is just so efficient. We were very pleased.

I've committed the "Village/Town" sin lots of times, (And I usually do know which are which)

When I write about a Cotswold or any other "village", it is in the context of answering a question - usually from a Yank. If I said "town" they might assume I meant a town like back home -- 25,000, maybe 50,000, people w/ a mall, cinema(s), car dealerships, etc etc.

I try to use "hamlet" when talking about teensy/tiny place w/ just a few houses, "village" when there are more people, a pub or two (or six), shops, etc.

So it isn't a charter/no charter issue - but a description.

And besides - in this post I used &quot;<u>town or village</u>&quot; in so I think I covered all possibilities

Thank you all for the replies.janisj - I would love to spend an overnight in any Cotswolds town but we have booked our hotel stay in London - it's sort of fixed.
flanneruk - Thanks for the links - I will go through them. I'd love to take the Cotswold walk but am unable to due to weak knees, which is why I have asked my sister if she is willing to do a day-drive
djkbooks - have browsed the EE tours and since I can only do a day trip to the Cotswolds - I can't make up my mind.
I know I have seen a beautiful Cotswolds trip report here (pictures) and I can't find it again. I think the lady's name is Mary and the date was around 2005? She posted a lovely picture of a thatched cottage with an incredible looking garden. I know she rented a car and drove around but she stayed overnight at some towns. I want to go there. I hope I am making sense.

Just a thought - even if your hotel is pre-paid -- it might be worth eating a night so you could spend two day in the Cotswolds. A B&amp;B for one night doesn't have to cost more than &pound;25-&pound;30 per person.

janisj, I am still convincing my sister to do what you suggested. Would you mind commenting on this idea? I've chosen Chipping Campden for our Cotswold destination. We'll ride the train from London Marylebone to Oxford, hire car from Oxford to drive all the way to Chipping Campden, stay around that area then return car at Oxford area, ride train by nightfalll to London? Think we can do this in a day? I have no idea how many hours driving to Chipping Campden is though. I know train ride is 1hr 30-40 mins max. We'll have to leave London real early.

From Oxford to Chipping Campden is nearly 40 miles and it would take you a bit over an hour to drive there.

IMO a better idea would be to take the train to Moreton-in-Marsh and then a taxi to Chipping Campden - it is only about 6 or 7 miles.

You can spend a very pleasant day just exploring Chipping Campden and taking a country walk. No need for a car.

-- Now that is my suggestion IF you only have the one day. For an overnight trip, a car would be good so you could visit several other villages.