We have an upcoming trip to London and I'd like to do a day trip in the Cotswalds. So I'm now asking the same question I recently asked about French trains for another trip. Can I book one ticket to a destination and hop on and off to see other places on the same line enroute? To be clear, on a single day I would like to hop from one town to another along a single route getting off at 2 or 3 towns and continuing on after a short "look around" visit on the next train through?. Can I do that by purchasing a round trip ticket to the furthest destination? Via another post I learned that that is possible on French trains. I hope that it is likewise possible on the British system.

From the National Rail site:

Anytime fares are fully flexible tickets, with no restrictions on when you can travel. Perfect for people who need complete flexibility.

You can buy Anytime tickets any time before you travel and you can use your ticket to travel on any train. With an Anytime ticket you can also break your journey at stations along the route of travel.

. . . And you will pay a premium for that sort of ticket.

Yes. An anytime ticket is usually about 3x the cheapest fare.

Thanks. I will check the ticketing and see whether the convenience justifies the cost. Glad the option is there.