After 5 days in London, my daughter and I are picking up a car at Heathrow and heading to the Cotswolds area for three nights. We will be staying in a cottage in Broadway. We have stayed in Stow-on-the-Wold on two previous visits, but both visits were a long time ago - one was driving and the other time we took the train.

I could use some help in choosing the villages to visit. I copied down all the places on the map, but I know this is not feasible - or is it? I thought we could make a couple "circle" driving routes, northern villages one day and southern villages the other. Depending on the weather, we can walk to Broadway Tower from our studio.

Here is our tentative plan:
Sunday
Pick up the car at Heathrow at noon, head west
Highclere Castle is not open, but could we see anything from the road?
Berkeley Castle
Bibury, Arlington Row

Monday
Visit northern villages:
Broadway, Chipping Campden, Ebrington, Paxford, Snowshill, Stanway (I see that Stanway House is only open on Tuesday), Stanton

Tuesday
Visit southern villages:
Stow-on-the-Wold, Chipping Norton (Bell Pottery at Station Mill Antiques Center), Burford, Great Barrington, Little Barrington, Burton-on-the-Water, Lower Slaughter, Upper Slaughter, Guiting Power, Temple Guiting.

Wednesday
Drive to Heathrow - 2-3 hours
Bampton (used for fictional Downton Village)
Drop off rental car by 1 PM
Plane departs at 3:55 PM

Thank you in advance for any suggestions (logistical or otherwise) you have. I know it's only two days, but we are good at using our time wisely. Because it will be June, we will be sure to stop and smell the roses.

Kathy

Check out Chapters Ten - Fifteen of my 2013 trip report. Should give you ideas of the towns you want to cover (and maybe skip). Lots of photos. Lots of London places also (chapters one - six). Have a cheese toastie at Borough market.

https://travelswithmaitaitom.com/england-2013/

Berkeley Castle

>>Highclere Castle is not open, but could we see anything from the road?<<

Nope -- not a whiff.

Your Sunday is pretty difficult if you don't pick up the car til noon. LHR all the way west to Berkeley Castle, to Bibury to Broadway is a 4+ hour drive without any stops. Will the owner let you check in after 7PM?

On Monday I'd try to fit in Hidcote Manor for sure. You could flip days and move all of Monday's sites to Tues to fit in Stanway, Broadway > Hidcote . Chipping Campden > Ebrington > Paxford > Snowshill > Stanway House > Stanton > Broadway is about 1.5-ish hours car time so a busy but doable day.

Meant to add -- finding s place to park in Bibury on a Sunday afternoon can be really difficult. You'll likely have to park a looooong way from Arlington Row and the Swan.

If I were you I 'might' consider dropping Berkeley Castle and do LHR > Chipping Norton > Broadway on Sunday. And do Broadway > Bibury > Burford > Bourton on the Water > the Slaughters > Stow on the Wold > Broadway on Monday.

Personally I think seeing all those villages in that short a time will cause them all to run together in your memory. You might want to whittle the list down.

Slightly different opinion. I wouldn't necessarily whittle down anything -- maybe substitute one or another. Many of those villages are teensy (the Slaughters for example) -- and the 'scenic' part of Bibury is small. In Lower Slaughter it is mainly the church, walk along the river and the Mill. So some are worth a long walk around, and some are a 20 minute or half hour look-see. Bourton on the Water is larger but is pretty busy/lots of day tripper's coaches in the middle of the day so I'd visit in the morning or later afternoon. Burford is lively and worth a decent long-ish visit. Stanton -- is just about entirely residential and mainly just the drive up the steep hill to the Mount Inn pub and its amazing views for miles.

Now -- IF you are planning lovely long walks out through the countryside or from village to village -- that is different. But a driving tour around and about -- you really can easily fit in those village. Hidcote and Snowshill will take significant time.

I've made a number of trips to the Cotswolds and still haven't seen them all, but that's because we like to take long walks. Last year, for example, we stayed in Burford and took two walks, one from Burford itself, the other from Bourton-on-the-Water through the Slaughters and back. As janisj said, BotW is very busy. If you don't plan to take similar walks, I'd follow janisj's suggestions She really knows the area.

>> we like to take long walks. Last year, for example, we stayed in Burford and took two walks, one from Burford itself, the other from Bourton-on-the-Water through the Slaughters and back. <<

I used to live in Oxfordshire and have spent a LOT of time in the Cotswolds - day tripping back in the day and lots of longer visits since moving back to the States. I totally agree, long walks are the best way to enjoy the Cotswolds. Village to village or big loops out of one or another village/town. If that is what golfmom plans - then the wish list would have to be cut waaaaaay down. But otherwise -- its all doable by car.

On your list of possible places to visit the emphasis seems to be on villages. While the villages are beautiful, for me the real wealth in the area are the "inside" locations, the houses & gardens open to the public. That's what I go to see and one gets the villages, too, along the way. You'd certainly have time for several. Two have been mentioned, Hidcote Garden and Snowshill, a lovely & relatively small house & garden. On my last trip through the area I saw a number and, if any interest you, you can check the map and you'll see which are convenient to the villages on your list. Or, conversely as I'd do, pick houses & gardens and see which villages are convenient.

Here are those from my last trip: https://www.travelgumbo.com/blog/portmoresby-in-england

Nice -- Your Sunday is still a push IF you don't leave LHR until noon. The total drive will be a little over 2 hours and with stops at the Pottery and touring Chastleton house. LHR to Chipping Norton will take at least 90 mins so 1:30 at the very earliest. So leaving the Pottery at say 2:30 and 15 mins to Chastleton House and 2 hours there you'll be pulling in to Broadway about 6PM. I'd try to get on the road by 10AM if possible.

Tuesday is very full and you might consider dropping Ebrington and/or Paxford and concentrate on the 'sites' (Hidecote, Snowshill, Stanway). Snowshill is not large but it does take time. Hidecote is wonderful of course, and Stanway also takes time. Instead of Ebrington/Paxford -- I'd try to fit in Hailes Abbey which is very close to Stanway. Just a fabulous site

I think you'll enjoy Hailes Abbey. I visited while walking my first long-distance path (Cotswold Way) years ago. Do not fail to walk across the road to also visit Hailes Parish Church, older than the abbey & decorated inside with 13th century paintings, very moving, even for this less than committed church-goer. I had it to myself & I suspect you might, too, the best way in my experience to visit a religious site. It's right there, very small & won't set you back time-wise. Hailes Church - Hailes, England

>>Do not fail to walk across the road to also visit Hailes Parish Church, older than the abbey & decorated inside with 13th century paintings, very moving,<<

Thanks -- I forgot to mention the church. If it is open definitely go inside -- it is really lovely. Whenever I've been it has been open, but I think sometimes it is now locked.

https://www.britainexpress.com/count...hes/Hailes.htm

Also, I agree that there's not a great deal in Ebrington to take you out of your way, UNLESS you're hungry or thirsty. I stayed a week nearby & as fortune would have it, the Ebrington Arms was the closest pub. The people who run the place treated me well, not necessarily a given for an older woman alone. I recommend it, they deserve it.

https://www.theebringtonarms.co.uk/#home-page

I learning about places here which I will enjoy on my next visit! Thanks.