Gloucestershire Travel Forum

Hi all,
I will be visiting a cousin going to school at Oxford. I was wanting to take a few days and visit the cotswolds and the small villages... I will not have a car, but could get one?
What does everybody recommend.. Can public transportation get you everywhere you need in the small villages...

Are you stuck after 5 p.m. in some of the villages... Does anybody have a recommendation as to which town is a good basecamp to explore the other towns?

I see that Gloucester and Cheltenham may be the bigger cities.. Can I get to the other towns from here? I would prefer not to drive..

Thanks for the information

http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=12255

Public transport in the UK is expensive and not especially good, so you are right to have some questions. You most probably will be 'stuck' after 5-6pm in many villages, and not all will have a daily bus service. To be honest, a car would be best for exploration but there is no point in spending money hiring one (petrol is over 1GBP per litre) if your visit will be spoiult by the stress of driving.

Gloucester is quite some distance from the Cotswolds. Cheltenham is nearer, but I think it would be better to consider staying somewhere more central such as Stow-on-the-Wold, Broadway, Bourton-on-the-Water (lovely) etc.

Have a look at the local bus timetables here: http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=12503

and on here for a downloadable PDF guide (click the 'Exploring the Cotswolds using Public Transport' link):

http://www.cotswoldsaonb.com/page.asp?pageID=16

Thanks for those links.. Those are very helpful..

All,
I think I have an itinerary.. can someone see if this is feasible?

I think I have hit upon a plan. I thought that I would run it past you and Katie. I would arrive in Oxford Friday morning March 21. We would leave on a bus at 1245 (no.853) arriving at Northleach at 1345. From there we would transfer at 1420 (no.855) and arrive in Cirencester at 1440. We would spend the night there and leave the next afternoon at 1545 (no.855) and arrive in Northleach at 1605. From there we would transfer at 1630 (no.855) and arrive in Oxford at 1740. What do you think?

Would you check these schedules to make sure that I am reading this stuff right? I know that we need a place reserved and that I will have to pay up front so I don't want to make any mistakes.

You don't need a place reserved on a public bus, nor on a train (though this might mean you have to stand). Nor on a long-distance coach, come to that (though it is sensible to do so, because you can't stand on these). You just pay the driver when you get on the bus.

Remember to allow enough connection time for any potential traffic delays/buses being late etc.

I took a hiking tour of the Cotswolds last summer. I occasionally cheated and took a bus part of the way. They are very easy to use - the schedule was posted at the stops and the buses were prompt. Northleach is a lovely little town. We stayed at the Wheatsheaf - http://www.wheatsheaf.cotswoldinns.com/find.html and loved it. The rooms were small but very comfortable and the restaurant was amazing. If you wanted to hike to the next town they could probably arrange for a luggage transfer. Northleach is on the MacMillan Way. We hiked from there from the touristy Stow-On-The-Wold (10 miles) and the next day we went to Cirencester (12 miles). The trail is wonderful - they have ancient right-of-way laws so the trail goes down rich people's driveways, across cow pastures, through forests, etc. I highly recommend a day of hiking while you're there.

Another very nice town was Tetbury. We stayed at the Royal Oak, which was pretty fun. Tetbury has a few upscale restaurants - Prince Charles has a place nearby - not to harp on the MacMillan Way, but we got to walk right past the back of his estate.

I would avoid Stow-On-The-Wold and Bourton-On-Water if I were you. They are both charming, but full of tour buses and souvenir shops.