ChgoGal

Hi, Fodorites.

Thinking Flanner will be the expert here, but welcome any suggestions.

I’m flying to England in September and want to do a few days walking in the Cotswold, before heading to London for the Open House weekend.

By public transporation/walking, I want to visit Sezincote House, the Batsford Arboretum, and repeat my Chipping Campden-Broadway walk.

QUESTION: With the attractions above, is M-i-M a good base for me?

Assuming Moreton-in-Marsh is fine…

Arrival day:
Arrive a.m., take 76 Bus to Slough, then train to Moreton-in-Marsh. (2 hrs 10 min journey)

Question: There’s a Heathrow Connect train to Hayes & Harlington, transfer to Slough train, transfer to M-i-M train (2 hrs 6 min). They both seem fine…has anyone done one or the other to offer any advice?

Question: On my first, bleary-eyed day, any one have advice on what I might do within M-i-M? I imagine I’ll wander the high street and savor English tea and cakes and hit the Tesco (yay!)—but any particular suggestions?

Question: Any advice specific to Sezincote or the Batsford Arboretum?

Thank you for any advice.

ChgoGal

Just a quick follow up for those seeking info. Landed at LHR, and from the Heathrow Central Bus Terminal, caught a 75 Bus to Slough (76 bus should work, too; 4.80 GBP for a single fare paid to the driver--allowed on this bus) to Slough Bus Terminal, then transferred to the Slough train station (just around the corner) to Moreton-in-Marsh. (I rode to Oxford, then had to transfer to the M-i-M train, but this was on the same platform...very easy.)

I DID buy the train ticket in advance--a reduced price "off-peak" ticket, but as my O'Hare flight was delayed 6 hours, I had to pay an upgrade AND an administrative fee at the ticket booth. I would have been better off buying an anytime/peak train ticket.

Finding the routes/planning the public transportation was through http://www.traveline.info/ and then you go to the rail/coach-bus websites to either prepay for a ticket, or learn the fare rules, AND download the schedules (in case of delays).

Just leaving Moreton-in-Marsh today for London. A great location for exploring the Cotswold, and convenient as there's a direct train to London.

flanneruk

Sorry I missed the first post. I hope you enjoy Open House - and that the past week's erratic weather hasn't been too much of a dampener.

ChgoGal's learnt the hard way the problems with Advance tickets and planes.

The generic answer on travel from abroad to the Thames Valley via London's airports is:
- If heading for Oxford, there's no need to book the bus, and buses from LHR are frequent enough to buy the tkt when you arrive: if the 5 mins it takes to buy the tik means you just miss one: get the next. If arriving at Gatwick (or Luton or Stansted), the booking conditions allow bookings to be transferred to most later arrivals.

- If heading for the Cotswolds ("the Cotswold" is a strange recent American invention), buy the railway ticket at the station. Westbound from Reading, all trains after 0830 (all at weekends) qualify for offpeak rates: from Slough and Gatwick many weekday late afternoon departures are subject to peak rates. Either way, it's easier to buy the right ticket once you know what train you're going to get.

Sadly the unreliability of flight arrivals plus the complexity of railway fares makes Advance fares potentially lethal.

Whatever you do, of course, you'll find with hindsight you could have chosen a slightly cheaper option. The difference can sometimes be enough to feel irritated, but never enough to worry about it for too long.

ChgoGal

Thanks for the advice, flanner. Will follow for a future Cotswolds trip.

The weather Wednesday was threatening thunderstorms (that never appeared) so rather than do a walk, I joined a tour--which I enjoyed a great deal.

But yesterday, I hiked from M-i-M, looped Batsford, went into the arboretum, walked west to Bourton on the Hill, west to Sezincote for the house and garden tour, and back to Moreton in Marsh. Really nicely way-marked paths, and just a perfect day. Though, I wish I might have made it down to Longborough to do a loop, but I was really tired by then.

At Sezincote, I didn't even plan on the house tour, thinking they'd never let me in with hiking boots, but they told me I could if I took my shoes off. Done! Kind of wonderful walking on Aubusson carpets in your socks. A gorgeous, historically-rich home, full of museum quality art and furniture, and still private, so was very grateful the family opens up a few rooms to the public a few days a week.

Still, I wish I could've stayed a couple more days in the Cotswolds to do a few more walks. I forget how wonderful they are.

ChgoGal

If anyone's interested, I'm posting an ongoing trip report on my website. I welcome any comments, corrections and insights. My first post, "Charlotte goes Exploring," features the first day or so of my trip to Moreton in Marsh.
http://www.susannelord.com/blog/