My sister and I are taking our lifetime dream trip to England and Scotland. On Friday, July 25, 2014, we will leave Bath to explore the Cotswold villages. We wanted to spend the night in Stratford-upon-Avon, so we could take the train the next day to York. Our question is: does anyone have a suggestion on a small group tour we can join? We really don't want to hire a car and private tours seem too expensive. All suggestions would be welcome.

There wouldn't likely be a tour that would pick you up in Bath and drop you in Stratford.

What is the rest of your itinerary? There may be a better.more efficient way to accomplish what you want.

I hadn't done any tours with them, so have no idea about them, but found this online:
http://www.madmaxtours.co.uk/
They leave from Bath.

re Mad Max - they are terrific. But you want to go to Stratford - they don't . . .

I would suggest renting a car for a day. There are many beautiful small villages in the Cotswolds, and driving a car is the most efficient way to visit at least a few of them. Hire the car in Bath and return it in Stratford. On the way to Strafort, stop in Bourton-on-the-Water, Lower Slaughter, Upper Slaughter and Chipping Campden. In each town, a short walk will give you an impression. Save a bit more time for Chipping Campden, which is not a village, but a small town and requires a little bit more time than the others.

Since the original poster said they preferred NOT to rent a car....undoubtedly a wonderful way to see the Cotswolds...., back to the train options.

If the ONLY, and I repeat, the ONLY reason to spend the night in Stratford-upon-Avon, after a day's touring the Cotswolds, is to take the train to York, I am a bit wondering WHY Stratford, at all?

I went to transportdirect.info, put in Stratford-upon Avon rail station to York rail station, leaving at 9:30 AM on a weekday and see the trip is 4 hours. Then I put in leaving Bath(Spa)Rail station to York rail station and see the total trip is 4 hours and 10 minutes..The route for this latter trip is Bath to Paddington,(1 1/2 hour trip), a 13 minute tube ride from Paddington to St.Pancreas/Kings Cross (or a taxi for about $13), then a train to York (a little under 2 hours) for a total of 4 hours and 10 minutes...granted with a change of trains and a tube or taxi ride, but still Four hours compared to Four hours.

The scenery from Stratford to York might also be a consideration, compared to the scenery from London to York, but if that isn't a factor, consider the latter option and take the Mad Max tour, sleep in your Bath hotel, and go on to York the next day.

I too found Stratford on Avon a place to avoid. Unless, maybe, you're going to a play. The town is touristy-tacky. Especially the Shakespeare sites.

I didn't mean to imply anything against Stratford-upon-Avon. I love the place, tacky and all. But just meant that if the ONLY reason to go there is for ease of train transport..um, no.

"if the ONLY reason to go there is for ease of train transport..um, no."

It probably isn't. It just looks that way on a map.

The way trains actually work (Stratford is a rotten place to get a train from or to) there IS a case for going through the Cotswolds to Oxford (which in a weird way is sort of a national train hub. Or at least some East-West and North-South trains interconnect there), from where there are frequent direct trains to York.

In my view, between Oxford and Stratford it's a no brainer, unless you want to see a play.

There's still the problem of getting from Bath to Oxford, and then handling luggage. But I suspect that we might help the poster best with some advice on that

The "St Pancreas" joke was funny the first time. It doesn't get better with age.