Our group ( 3 middle-aged, and 3 in their twenties) plan to visit the Cotswold area on July 5 and 6. We will have cars, and have read that there is a summer concert on the grounds of Warwick Castle on the evening of July 5, but are not sure if it would be worth attending. We will leave from London on the morning of July 5 and return the evening of July 6. I have just recovered from an ankle injury and would not be able to negotiate uneven terrain.

Would appreciate help/comments with the following possible itineraries:

1) Drive to Stratford upon Avon ( how long is the drive?) look around, and then head for the summer concert which opens for admission at about 6.30pm. We have never been to a summer concert, and the website states that premier seating is sold out. If we just bring a mat, would we be able to have a good view and enjoy the show? Does anyone know if there is a proper amphitheater on the grounds of Warwick Castle? It would be an evening of classical music, so if the
acoustics and view is obstructed, we would not enjoy the evening much.
Stay overnight in either Warwick or Stratford upon Avon or nearby Cotswolds village? Any suggestions for accommodation?
Next day, either visit Warwick Castle or drive around other Cotswold villages. What would be the better option? If we do the Cotswolds villages instead, what would everyone suggest for a day trip? One of my sons needs to go back to Oxford, and the rest of us will head down to London.

2) Forget about Warwick Castle, and concentrate on the Northern Cotswolds instead for two days. I am just concerned that the younger members of the group might be bored with just looking around the villages. We will not be able to do any hiking. I am considering visiting Bleinheim Palace/ Rollright Stones/ Chipping Camden/ Winchcombe/ Painswick/the Slaughters/ Northleach/ Bibury/ then back to Oxford and London respectively. what is the driving distance/ time between these towns? It is probably too much ground to cover in 2 days, so would really appreciate your comments on which areas to drop/ add and where to stay for the night of July 5.
Would these areas be completely overrun with tourists and are there towns with the charm of the Cotswolds, but likely to be less crowded?

3)Keep the itinerary for 1) but stopover at 1 or 2 villages on the way to and from Stratford upon Avon.

Thanks for your help

I can only answer part of your question, but I lived in the Cotswolds as a child and have visited there fairly frequently over the last thirty years.

Skip itinerary 1. Warwick is a great town, Warwick Castle used to be a great castle until it became a kind of theme park. What would you do at an outdoor concert if it rained?

Shakespeare's birthplace and Ann Hathaway's cottage are worth visiting, at least partly because they have been tourist attractions for a couple of hundred years.

I'm not quite sure why you are driving from London and back. Having a car in London is no joy, but I suppose you have your reasons. I might take the train to Oxford and rent the car there, given the choice, but you have your reasons.

Itinerary 2 is a good one but Blenheim Palace is most of a day by itself and involves lots and lots of walking.

I would take the M40 to Oxford to pick up your son, then to Banbury and Rollright Stones and on to Stratford to tour the houses and spend the night.

Next morning, I would pick up your itinerary 2 -- more or less -- generally making my way toward Burford but picking up the market towns and villages en route. Lots of pretty scenery.

Take the A40 west to the A429. Drive toward Cirencester. Look on the map for the valley of the River Coln. Follow the minor road from Fossebridge to Bibury.

Take the B4425 back to the A40 near Burford. If the day is advanced, head toward Oxford. If you have more time, cross the bridge in Burford and follow the signs to Swinbrook, Asthall, and Minster Lovell. From Minster Lovell, you can climb a steep hill back to the A40 and on to Oxford.

I agree with Ackislander about getting on the minor roads. We were wandering on very minor roads when we stumbled upon Bibury - what a beautiful village.

Hello Sandlady I live in Stratford upon Avon & would recommend the Classical music concert at Warwick Csstle. You don't really need to see the orchestra- the acoustics are great and the firework displays are always fantastic.We always just take a picnic rug to sit on. In addition the Castle itself is great fun. OK it's rather 'theme park' like but it is genuinely old and we regularly take overseas students who love it.
The drive to Stratford from London takes about 1.5-2 hours depending on traffic. Take the A40/M40 to Junction 15 clearly marked for Stratford. You could travel up to Stratford in the morning, have lunch in Stratford- recommend The Vintner in Sheep St or Carluccio's Waterside. Take the open top bus ride around town for a bird's eye view (a whistle stop tour) of Shakespeare properties.

Then off to Warwick Castle (about 8 miles away) to visit the Castle, eat early in Warwick town and then take in the concert. You'd probably want to stay in/around Warwick overnight.
Sunday 6th Take A429 to Chipping Campden for morning coffee break at Higgs in the High Street, next to Cotswold House Hotel. Meander through the Cotswolds (Lower/Upper Slaughter; Stow on the Wold, Bourton on the Water)
All these places will be busy- height of summer, weekend= crowds. But the reason for the crowds is the beauty of these places.
I think that would be enough for a day if you have to get back to London/Oxford. The M40 going back into London last Sunday night was at a standstill about 5.30/6pm- just to warn you!
Have fun!

Warwick is close but not in the Cotswolds. Much as I like Warwick Castle, with only 2 days I'd skip both it and Stratford. (Though if you want an evening entertainment, you could go to a play at the Royal Shakespearean Theatre.)

The point of the Cotswolds are the picturesque tiny towns and the beautiful countryside. To enjoy them, you need to slow down. Too bad you can't walk, but spend the night in a Cotswolds village.

I found Stratford to be stuffed with visitors and full of tourist traps. Not my favorite place.

Also, understand that in England, especially outside the cities, you're expected to walk. For instance, just getting from the parking lot at Blenheim to the building itself is a bit of a hike, though it's mercifully flat.

A few issues - unless you have handicap parking, there is really no place you can go w/ long or very long walks. Not over uneven terrain necessarily - but long walks none the less. Blenheim for instance - the drive may be able to drop you off near the entrance, but there is still a LOT of walking. Just inside the house and the immediate gardens is a pretty long walk.

Also - on a July weekend there will be lots of crowds/traffic even it is wasn't for the concert.

I LOVE Warwick, I love LOVE the Cotswolds -- but you cannot plan on zipping around seeing lots of sites. Since you only have 1 night/2 days, your first issue is finding a place w/ room for all 6 on a Saturday night.

From a practicality/accommodations point of view - your best option is Stratford/Warwick and nothing else. Drive up to Warwick area. Visit Kenilworth and Warwick Castle. Have a late lunch in Warwick. Then go to the concert at the Castle. Next morning drive over to Stratford, visit the Shakespeare properties (they will be crowded) and maybe a few nearby villages, head down to Oxford to drop off the son and then in to London.

That is about all you can expect to do in 2 days. There is a H-o-H-o bus that will take you around all of Stratford and out to Anne Hathaway's and Mary Arden's houses so you don't have to hike from site to site.

If you decide against the concert - just go someplace like Burford and use it as a base to tour around the Cotswolds a bit. But honeypots like Bourton on the Water and Bibury will be absolutely chock-a-block

that should be "the driver may be able to drop you off near the entrance. . . ."

That would be before going off to park the car across the grounds.

Wow! You guys and gals on Fodor's are the best! Thank you everyone for your very helpful and detailed comments. Ackislander, I really appreciate your tips on meandering through the minor roads to soak in the ambience, so to speak. Your comments on Bleinheim are giving me second thoughts, as I probably am not up for too much walking. Otherwise I would have loved to walk more in the lovely Cotswold countryside. Just hope that driving through the area will give us a satisfactory feel of the place.

bellini, your feelings about Warwick Castle and the concert are the reasons why I feel so torn between the different itineraries. I have since read in a few more posts that there is a lot of renovation going on in the Shakespeare properties, so should I skip Stratford upon Avon? We may skip it altogether if the renovations are likely to spoil our experience of Stratford. We would like to do it another time, though, being the birthplace of the great Bard, and all that . Would the traffic be better if we leave later, say after 7 or 8 pm?

Hi sandlady,

I lived in teh midlands for about 18 years and still have family there, so I'll chip in too.

I'd go with A'lander on this one - I think that you would find Stratford very disappointing, compared to Warwick and the cotswolds. It is now VERY touristy and only of interest if you are a real shakespeare buff.

I've never been to the concert you are interested in but it sounds fun and the castle is spectacular. the town is interesting too. and even though i drive through them regularly to visit family, i never tire of the cotswolds. it's dead easy to get off the beaten track, even on a sunday.

But I would start on the accommodation soon - with 6 people, it may not be easy.

regards, ann

Thanks Janisj and Annhig, all the comments are helpful for me to get a handle on what to expect... hmmm, need to think hard about the traffic and crowds, sounds like it might not be the relaxing or idyllic weekend break we had in mind

I must defend Stratford. I live here and there are places you can relax if you walk just a little way from the main street! The renovations taking place are at the main theatre and the surrounding river bank. There's new landscaping and planting taking place in one area of the Bancroft Gardens but there's the Recreation Ground on the other side of the river, opposite the Theatre which offers wide open spaces.The Shakespeare properties (there are five) are spread out and the bus will take you round them all with little or no walking involved. Try New Place Gardens on Chapel Lane for a lovely peaceful seat in the sunshine. Enjoy!

Can anyone suggest an alternative, less crowded , but equally scenic/ interesting area to explore, which is within the same easy driving distance from Oxford? EG is a drive to visit the Southern Cotswold equivalent? Sorry, I have not done much research into this area yet.

From Oxford you could drive to Burford, then along the B4425 to Bibury. Ther are many absoultely beautiful small villages in that area tucked away down minor roads to explore, ones that tourists rarely visit.

Cirencester is the next town along that road, an attractive market town with an interesting perpendicular church. From there you could go to Painswick with its yew trees, an easy drive along the A419 to Stroud and then the A46 - about 16 miles. Or there is Tetbury, agains a pretty little market town close to where Prince Charles lives at Highgrove. From either Cirencester of Tetbury you can easily get to the M4 to drive back to London, or Bath is within an hours drive of either.

Don't forget, off the main roads you will find some absolute gems of Cotswold villages.

yes - there are lovely little places off the main roads that will be quieter. However, even though Bibury is off of main roads - I'd skip it on a summer weekend. Bibury is a beautiful, tiny village - but just about everyone w/ a car will be trying to visit it. The parking situation alone is a problem.

Bibury, Bourton-on-the-Water, and probably Broadway are the main places to avoid if you want to miss the crowds.