Has anyone taken this "Explorer Day" tour? What were your opinions? I'm looking at several of the walks for my upcoming trip, and this one caught my eye. If it were just Oxford I'd probably do that on my own, but I like that they also go to the Cotswolds during the day. I've been to Oxford once, but in a jetlagged haze (first day of a university semester in London, they drove us straight to Oxford and send us on a walking tour - I guess in an attempt to keep us awake!).

I went on a Cotswolds only one, and an Oxford only one and both were fantastic. The guide lives in the Cotswolds and he takes you to cute villages (we went to Upper and Lower Slaughter). I would highly recommend it!

Seems like it'll be a very rushed tour... I can't imagine rushing through Oxford in half a day! Sounds like the dedicated day tours to each place (described by jamikins) will be better.

I took the Oxford/Cotswald tour back in 2000 and really liked it, but yk has a good point about it being a lot of ground to cover in one day. If time allows, I would seriously consider taking one day for each place.

Oxford and Cotswolds in one day, did I get that right? That's too much. I'd just go to Oxford solo...

I did think it sounded like a lot, but I figured I'd never been to the Cotswolds so what do I know. Good to know my instincts are right, then! I'll keep looking into options. I have four full days in London, and am trying to decide between a day trip to Bath or one to Oxford (I've been to Bath before as well, but during the aforementioned semester on a horridly rainy day, and basically all we saw was the Roman baths). London Walks has such a great reputation that I thought a tour with them might be a good way to go.

Their walks are great! It will likely be a 2 hour walk through Oxford, then an hour or so free for lunch. Then you will get on a bus and do a drive through some of the Cotswolds, then stop and do a 2 hour walk through a village or so (we walked Upper Slaughter to Lower Slaughter).

It will give you an overview and I have always been happy with London Walks as long as I have my expectations set appropriately.

jamikins - that's exactly what the tour description sounded like, although I think they flip the order. I agree that expectations are probably key; I was being realistic and not expecting to see all of Oxford and all of the Cotswolds in one leisurely day! I'll think it over. My brother, as it turns out, will be joining me for the week, so I guess he should get a say too!

The other factor is that the trip would be £45, which certainly isn't unreasonable since it also includes train and coach for the day. I just need to decide if I'd rather spend $65 and get a great overview, or take a cheaper self-planned tour and maybe miss out on some things. The weather may actually be a bigger factor - I've no desire to traipse around the Cotswolds in the rain!

Hi Jent

I just remembered, you've already lived in London, so I guess you don't have to "max out" your time there... so whatever works for you, works...

I just think it sounds like a lot of transport time for one day, when you could do either one with your brother by yourselves... Heck, rent a car for the Cotswolds!

Or, you could play it by ear, go to Oxford with your brother and find a local walking tour?

Oooh, now there's an idea - rent a car and do the Cotswolds ourselves. Would that be a good day trip? I really don't know anything about the Cotswolds, but it sounds like that may be a good option to research! I've driven in Ireland, so I'm OK with renting a car, but didn't want to do it on my own. Gotta have a navigator! I guess we'd get to an airport to do that - maybe Luton? Do (<i>or is it does?</i the Cotswolds have many towns with train access?

And yes, I've lived in London (we both have, actually), but I'm still torn between spending time there and seeing new or somewhat new places. Always a conundrum!

You could probably take a train to Stratford from London? I hear that the "recently discovered portrait of Shakespeare" will be on display there soon...

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...e-unveiled.cfm

Depending on where you drive in the Cotswolds, it could be a pretty long day trip. I googled Evesham (where I stayed, once) and it was a 2-hour drive from London. I was on the road though, this wasn't a day trip.

It's so funny how one new idea sends you flying off in different directions. Now I'm thinking about a) talking the Walks tour, just getting an overview and not worrying about transport; b) taking the train to a hypothetical Cotswolds town from which we could perhaps do a hike or leisurely stroll around a bit of countryside; or c) just doing a day trip to Oxford or Bath or somewhere on our own, as originally planned. The more I think about it, I think one day trip may not be worth the hassle of getting a car and figuring out routes and all that.

We did go to Stratford and Warwick Castle in college - it was a great day trip, but I'd rather do something else this time (despite the recently discovered portrait ). Good suggestion, though!

hey!

I have another thought for you.

One day, I did a hike in Kent. I will have to check my notes and report back. I remember passing a falconry, Roman artifacts (mostly mosaics), and walking through little villages and through pastures. I stopped at a little pub in a village and had a pint and a good conversation with some locals while sitting at a picnic table outside (it was SO nice out..) and just had a great day. It was a short train ride from London - less than an hour ride IIRC.

Oooh, that does sound nice - if you can remember where you went that would be great. Dang it, so many options! Sounds like baby bro and I need a teleconference.

I keep picturing a day like I had in the Lake District a couple of years ago - a friend and I stayed in Windermere (no car), but took the bus to Grasmere and walked to Ambleside to catch the bus back. It was so beautiful and relaxing. It'd be nice to have a day like that in the midst of city time, and to see a part of England I haven't visited before.

OK - calm down Too many ideas floating around here . .

Where did Luton come from??? Luton is miles and miles from anywhere else you've mentioned.

A car day in the Cotswolds is definitely a possibility - and it would cost less than a guided tour. You can take the train to Oxford and collect a car there. Or you can take the Oxford Tube bus for less £. OR - you can take the tube to Heathrow and pick up a car there. LHR into the Cotswolds and back is an easy drive.

Or - if Kent sounds good, take the train to Gatwick and pick up a rental car there to tour Kent/East Sussex.

janis - I was wondering if/when you'd chime in! Luton just came up because I was trying to think of the closest airport/care hire location to the Cotswolds. Clearly, my hypocritical self didn't even pull up a Google map in my excitement.

I know you've spent lots of time in the UK - would you choose the Cotswolds or Kent? Any particular towns? Since (clearly) these are all new ideas, I'd appreciate any opinions! No worries - I know I've got to narrow it down. How much would a care hire cost for the day (even a very vague ballpark would be helpful)? I normally love to travel by train, probably because it's a novelty for this Southern girl, but if a car is easier and not much more expensive, I'm definitely open to that.

OK - IMO it mostly depends on what you want to get out of your day in the country.

if you want to walk and see "biscuit tin" villages -- the Cotswolds

If you want to see castles/gardens/palaces -- Kent

There are examples off all the above in both places -- but the Cotswolds is mainly villages/small towns w/ flowers, lovely churches and wonderful walks.

In Kent/East Sussex w/i short drives of each other you could see Hever, Penshurst Place, Chartwell and/or Knole -- or -- Sissinghurst, Scotney Castle, Bodiam. Magnificent gardens/grounds and beautiful historic houses.

A one day rental can be had for about £25-£40 a day (one day rentals cost more per day than weekly rentals). You can get a small car since you won't be schlepping luggage.

OK - thanks for the descriptions! That's extremely helpful. I sent the link to the thread to my brother, so I'm sure we'll have a chat later.

Thanks to all of you for the great ideas, by the way! I'm positive I'll be back with more questions (in case that wasn't obvious). Normally I'm much more focused; thanks for bearing with the craziness.

" Now I'm thinking about... taking the train to a hypothetical Cotswolds town from which we could perhaps do a hike"

It's not easy doing pleasant walks from Cotswold stations. Or rather it is, but I've not got round to writing the walks up and uploading them

Until I get round to that, the best source for train-to footpath walks is http://www.oxfordshirecotswolds.org/...loadable-walks Look for walks centred on Kingham or Charlbury. The nicest, IMHO, is to buy a railway return ticket to Charlbury, walk through Blenheim to Woodstock, get the half-hourly bus to Oxford station then get the train back, but this doesn't seen to be anywhere on the web. You can buy the OS Woodstock and Oxford 1:25,000 map and just follow the footpath.

Thanks so much, flanner! I'll definitely look into that too.