Sometimes things just are NOT possible. There are not enough hours in the day to get to 8 or 9 different places - even if one is willing to travel well into the night.

Even if one spent four days on this - one is still just getting a superficial view of a bunch of places - can't imagine that anyone is thinking they will learn anything substantial about the people or their way of life. IMHO one needs to stay at least several weeks in one place - if not months - to do so.

We took three days to do what you're suggesting, and we didn't stop in Stanton or Snowshill or try to include Castle Combe. Unless you're willing to give this at least one more day, I don't think it's possible.

You can read my trip report, if you like, to get an idea of how long we took doing the things you want to do. http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...b-may-2007.cfm

Lee Ann

I find myself in some agreement with flanneruk.

I don't drive in the UK any more, but if I were going to drive again the country lanes of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire would be amongst the least threatening places to drive.

I would rent locally rather than driving up from London. Most market towns have a garage that will rent a car for a day or two and it really is the only way to see what the OP wants to see. And it still can't be done in the amount of time she wants to spend doing it.

It depends on your experience. If you are used to driving on highways and major two way streets with multiple lanes in each direction - a very narrow, winding road in the countryside can be very intimidating. And if you are used to roads with wide lanes and broad shoulders a very narrow road with ditches in each side can be downright scary if you come up against a vehicle in the opposite direction.

Not sure why the OP doesn't want to drive - but as an American who has driven often in europe - the major roads are perfectly familiar and easy to drive - but very small local roads can make me uncomfortable - since this is simply something we don't have in our area.

In fact, driving one local road we cam around a turn and nearly hit a couple of lambs in the middle of the road. They had somehow squeezed under s fence and we couldn't get past them since they kept jumping around. We tried to herd them back under the fence to their mothers - but they seem to have the IQ of kumquats and just didn't get it. Luckily the farmer came along and his dog chased them back where they belonged. But we spend about 15 minutes trying to figure out how to get down the lane without hitting them.

Couldn't agree more about experience/comfort on the roads. The lanes are indeed very narrow and have no shoulders and someone has to back up when two vehicles meet. Not generally a problem because there aren't very many vehicles to meet, much better than roundabouts at high speed or mysterious stoppages on the M4.

But rereading OP, I see that they are a group of five, so they would not be doing this in a small car. So suggestions withdrawn. She can't do what she wants to do without a van and driver.

I was often late for school back in the day because my bus would get behind a farmer driving his sheep down the road between the barns in the village and the field where they were to graze. All traffic moved at the ace of the sheep, twice a day.