thereyet

I understand the cotswolds are a collection of small?? villages not far from London. It has been suggested as a nice daytrip. I have no interest in bus tours but would renting a car for a drive around the area, seeing what we happen across and then returning to London in the evening be worth the effort? Only six nights in London and I am sure I would have no trouble staying busy there but would I regret not stepping outside of the city? thereyet

tudorprincess

I would use the search function to research this. I haven't been to the Costwolds yet in 6 different trips though I want to eventually.
You ruled out Stonehenge/Salisbury since you only have 6 days and the Cotswolds I believe would be better enjoyed over two days or more.
But that's just my opinion.

thereyet

From reading past posts on the subject it sounds like driving is not that easy(narrow lanes, difficult directions). Are there trains that service the towns of the Cotswolds from London? Anyone? thereyet

thereyet

Tudorprincess, that is also what I gathered from previous posts. I guess I am trying to find options in case my family needs a change of pace from London. I keep forgetting that we are going to Spain immidiatly following. thereyet

bettyk

We stayed in Chipping Camden, a very nice little village in the Cotswolds a couple of years ago. You can find some of my husband's great photos by going to www.webshots.com. Do a search for dkubiak and look at our Travel in England & Scotland album.

Ackislander

I lived on the edge of the Cotswolds as a child and spent many hours then and later exploring its lanes and villages.

It is not really suitable for a day trip from London unless there were specific places you especially wanted to go (say, Bibury, Lechlade, Chedworth)and were willing to move right along to view them. It is not that things are far apart but that the joy is in the exploring. Save it for your next trip.

janisj

The Cotswolds aren't really a "day trip" sort of place - There are organized tours that do go there - but I'd definitely not recommend them.

If you want out of the hustle and bustle you can manage quite easily right IN LOndon. Walk across Hampstead Heath and visit Kenwood house. It feels like "country" and you would never know you are in the middle of a major metropolis until you got to the top of Parliament Hill and saw the amazing view.

Or take a boat to Greenwich.

Or go to Kew Gardens

No reason to traipse across half the country to get out of London's rush.

PalenQ

Re: bus tours. You can hop a train to a Cotswold station like Stow-in-the-Wold and i think there are double-decker buses that circulate around the area, stopping in some of the famous 'woo' towns - you get on and off for the day and there is some commentary but not really a bus tour per se. Google Guide Friday bus tours to see if they are offering it and from where.
Otherwise renting a car in say nearby Oxford would be great.

flanneruk

There's no station in Stow. There are no hopon hop off buses round here.PalenQ is either on the waccy baccy or is deliberately confusing you.

It's JUST possible to get a morning train from London to Moreton in Marsh, get scheduled buses to Chipping Campden and Broadway, then get a bus to connect witha train back to London. It's not properly publicised, and if you want to try this, email me at [email protected] for a brief summary of options.

If you've not driven here before, don't hire a car in Oxford: collect one at Heathrow so you've got 50 miles of divided highway to get yourself used to driving on the proper side.

janisj

Boy, PalenQ -- you smokin' something this afternoon?

Could you have <u>possibly</u> meant Stratford-upon-Avon?? That is a stretch for sure - but there IS a train station there, and there ARE hop-on-hop-off buses from there to a couple of nearby villages w/ Will Shakespeare connections.

But it isn't in the Cotswolds

If you did mean Sow-on-the-Wold - nope - no trains, and no hop on or hop off buses . . . .

One can't really tour the Cotswolds by train. You can get to Moreton in Marsh, or Evesham - but then you have to rely on local bus routes (not tour buses)

janisj

Sorry - not female pig-on-the-Wold -- <b>Stow</b>-on-the-Wold . . . . .

PalenQ

I should have said Moreton-in-Marsh - got my wold towns mixed up - when i was there several years ago there were such bus tours. I do know they went from Stratford also but that option would not be practical for a day trip from London and figured these buses must at some point rendezvous with a town that has rail service. thanks

thereyet

When I google mapped the Cotswold's it looked like a 45 min. drive from London. I am getting the impression from this conversation and other threads this just isn't the case. Maybe I ended up looking at the wrong destination?? Flanneruk also points out something I suspected would be a problem. Driving on the wrong side of the road!!! Yikes, I better just be satisfied if I look in the correct direction when I step off the curb. thereyet

carolyn

If you really want to do a day trip by train, there are lots of choices. Try Canterbury, Winchester, Rye, Hever Castle, or, very near London, Windsor, or Hampton.

flanneruk

Where does Google Maps have a drivetime calculator? And is it smoking the same stuff PalQ's on?

From the beginning of the A40 at the end of Marylebone Rd to the first &quot;Welcome to the Cotswolds&quot; sign is an 80 minute drive at 0100. The closest Cotswold boundary is 69 miles from Trafalgar Square, and there's no way you can average the 92 mph nercessary to do it in 45 minutes even if it were legal.

From other parts of central London, or when there's traffic, I'd allow at least an extra hour, and visitors should allow a great deal more.

thereyet

Flanneruk, you really can get estimated drive times from google maps under &quot;get directions&quot;. However you are correct sir that my computer was smoking something when it said 45 min. or whatever. I think it was 2-3:00AM at the time! I just rechecked the directions and of course you are absolutely right about drive times. The place googlemaps gave me directions to was north of London and not at all the right place. Still having fun though. thereyet

noe847

thereyet, my family would mutiny if I tried a day trip like what you propose! There are many threads on here about day trips from London, so a search would pull up lots of information. Also, give a look at the &quot;London Superthread&quot; for tons of info about visiting London:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34548473

Our first trip to London was 6 days. I thought we might do one day trip, and selected Oxford (can be reached by train or by express bus). As it turned out, we found there was so much we wanted to do in London that we never left! Some other possibilities for a day/half day near London would be: Hampton Court, Windsor Castle, Greenwich, Hampstead Heath, Cambridge, Brighton.

We've visited Salisbury/Stonehenge and York, but each as an overnight trip.

thereyet

noe, this is what i suspected and I am sure you are right. Will have tons of stuff to do right in town. Just was thinking of backup plan if the family gets restless. thanks for everyones wonderful advice. anyone else can feel free to chime in if they wish. thereyet

Sassafrass

You will probably find plenty to do in London, but if you do want a bit outside of London, take the train to Oxford and the local bus (a very short ride) to Blenheim Palace where Churchill was born. It is one of the most beautiful palaces anywhere and still lived in as a home. The grounds are wonderful.

Mimar

Another thought is to take a train down to Brighton, see the Royal Pavilion and the sea. It's supposed to be a pretty happening place now.

But I really think your 6 days would be best spent in London. Plenty to see and, because of all the parks and squares, London doesn't feel so dense and urban.