brucen

Hi,

My wife and I will be spending six days in the countryside in mid April (18th to 23rd). Probably
two nights in Bath, two somewhere in the Cotswolds and two in some other semi adjacent area,
possibly a little north but within 150 to 200 miles. We are looking for suggestions for places to
stay and tour out of, moderate accommodations in those places and suggestions for sights to take
in. We are renting a car which we will pick up in Bath and then leave somewhere (not by the side
of the road) and take the train back to London. Any suggestions?

Bruce
Winnipeg, Canada

Lee4

Hi Bruce,
I have not been to Bath or the Cotswolds, but, last night I was visiting the website www.vrbo.com (vacation rentals by owners) and saw some listings for rentals in those areas. These properties included prices, pictures, and information about the surrounding town or village. It might be worth checking out.

rhkkmk

bourton on the water is a lovely town in the cotswolds....we have stayed in b&b's in that area for a number of years...it is quite central....get a good cotswolds map and just explore....book in early to b&B's so as not to be disappointed....little rissington is just north of bourton and we used to stay there often too..unfortunately that property has just been sold but there are others in the neighborhood...

janis

Unfortunatly the vacation rentals by owners Lee mentions are self catering cottages that rent by the week - not useful for your itinereary.

There are many - hundreds actually - B&Bs in the Cotswolds - but that is Easter week and things may fill up early especially for the 4 day weekend.

I would book something ASAP.

Things to see in the area: All of Bath of course - the Roman Baths, Abbey, Museum of Costume, gardens, river, and just the general architecture.

In the Cotswolds - Blenheim Palace, Hidcote Manor Garden, Hailes Abbey and as many of the Cotswold villages as you can squeeze in - the Slaughters, Bourton on the Water (But it will be VERY crowded due to the holiday), Burford, Stanton, etc. Plus possibly Warwick Castle - but wih only 2 days you will have to pick and choose what you'll see. I would actually recommend you spend your 4 days in the Cotswolds since there is so much to see.

Then drop the car in Oxford and hop on the train to London.

traveldanni

Try Drakestone House listed in Karen Brown's Bed and Breakfast Book. We stayed there 2 years ago and it is one of my favorite places in England.

Also Painswick is a lovely Cotswold town and has many bed and breakfasts available.

rickmav

There’s a lovely little place called The Honey Pot in Chipping Campden. It’s just off the main street so is very quiet, but right in the middle of town so handy to everything. And it has parking. It’s also just off The Cotswold Way in case you feel like walking. It’s run by Mrs. Dorothy Brook and she offers both B&B or (and this is much better) if you are staying a min. of 3 nights a self-catering cottage with a four-poster bed and decorated with antiques. (I think she charges 50 pounds a night for the 3 night stay, 250 pounds for 7 nights for the self-catering cottage - it’s well worth it.) Chipping Campden is very handy to other places in the Cotswolds and has a nice selection of restaurants and shopping. You can have a look at the cottage at http://www.chippingcampden.co.uk/honeypot.htm
If you need any other info. on Cotswolds, feel free to e-mail me directly at [email protected]

Bob1

We stayed in the LAMB'S INN in BURFORD in the summer of 2000 and enjoyed it. Used this town on the outskirts of the Cotswolds to explore the area...Bath included.

kaudrey

Hi Brucen,

I stayed in Bath at the Brompton House, www.bromptonhouse.co.uk. Good sized rooms and bathrooms, nice quiet street, good breakfasts, about a 5-7 minute flat walk to the Abbey and Baths. Great location and a double was 60GBP a night.

Also, from Bath we went to a quaint little town called Castle Combe. I'd recommend stopping - it only takes about an hour or two to take pics, walk around, and have a pint in the cute pub. Have fun!

JackOneill

I know you didn't ask this, but let me mention: get a good map. Seriously, if you intend on driving through the Cotswolds get a good map. It's a splendid area and makes for great driving, but road signs are few and far between and it's real easy to get turned around. I know from first hand experience.

Incidentally, we stayed at the Queensberry Hotel in Bath and loved it. The rental car station is right next to the train station in Bath. Make sure you can drop the car in another town/cottage.

emjoy

Our best ever B&B in England (and I've been to the UK about 5-6 times in recent years) was in Bath at the Marlborough House. It's actually run by a lovely family from San Fransisco and is on a main road but is quiet, and is within walking distance to the town (even late at night we walked with no trouble) our rooms overlooked allotments of gardens. All the rooms are beautifully decorated-up to traditional B&B standards not small hotel in UK standards, and the breakfasts are fabulous and cater to vegetarian diets. They were very friendly and helpful with restaurant recomendations-our best ever restaurant experience in the UK was at the Walrus and the Carpenter on their recomendation (once again vegetarian recommendation). We enjoyed talking with our host so much we were late leaving and had to skip over the entire town of Salisbury. : )
http://www.marlborough-house.net/

nancy

I stayed here in Stow-on-the-Wold in May 1999 - #9 Park St. (46 lbs/night). That's the actual name of the B&B. The owners were great and served a wonderful breakfast. I thought the location was very convenient for touring all the villages in the Cotswald. Any questions, please e-mail me at [email protected].

MIkeStump

I would recommend Broadlands Guest House in Burton on the Water. It is in a quiet area about a 5 minute walk from the town center. It is a modern B&B that includes breakfast. Phone number is 44 (0) 1451 822022.

If you stay in Burton, or even if you don't, make sure and see both Upper & Lower Slaughter. There is a footpath through the fields between them. You might find the Chedworth Roman Villa on the road between Cirencester and Burton, near Fossebridge, interesting. You can find info on the Villa by doing a Google search for "chedworth ruins".

Cirencester has a Roman Museum, a cathedral, and one of many nice downtown shopping areas.

If you are into antiques Stow-on-the-Wold has some good shops. For more affordable antiques try Lechlade north of Swindon.