Walk the Cotswolds

Meet your leader at Oxford Railway Station and start your morning with a walking tour of the Oxford University Colleges where 28 UK Prime Ministers and 69 Nobel laureates were educated. Following lunch in Oxford, we will loop around Port Meadow following the River Thames, before getting out on the water with an afternoon of punting from the Cherwell boathouse to the Victoria Arms pub for Pimm’s or a pint.  Tonight we’ll stay in the thriving market town of Moreton-in-Marsh.

After breakfast, we will transfer to the charming town of Chipping Campden for an amble up the high street to admire the fabulous architecture and picturesque shops before learning about the famous history of this medieval wool trading centre from the Market Hall in the centre of town. Joining the Cotswolds Way, we will hike up to Dover’s Hill, a natural amphitheatre 229 metres (754 feet) high, with beautiful views of the surrounding countryside where you might spot a couple of Cotswold Lions (native sheep). We will then travel on to Broadway Tower for lunch, before walking into town for afternoon tea at a Broadway deli.   (B)

After breakfast, catch the train from Moreton-in-Marsh to Long Hanborough for a walk to the famous site of Blenheim Palace. Blenheim is home to the Duke of Marlborough and his family and also where Sir Winston Churchill was born (somewhat unexpectedly thanks to a last-minute visit by his father and heavily pregnant mother). After exploring the magnificent gardens set within this 2000 acre estate, we will head indoors to see the palace’s architectural splendour and take a virtual trip back in time as your guide brings 300 years of history to life. (B)

Today we will visit some of the world’s prettiest and most charming villages. After breakfast, we will take a transfer to Stow-on-the-Wold to explore stunning townhouses, quaint shops, and art galleries before walking on to Bourton-on-the-Water, nicknamed The Little Venice of the Cotswolds due to its rich culture and graceful bridges. From here, we will track towards Upper and Lower Slaughter, traditional twin towns just off the Fosse Way. The Slaughters get their name from the olde English word for wetland, however today these villages are far from the ‘muddy place’ you’d expect if you took their name literally. (B)

After breakfast, we will catch the train to Charlbury and make our way towards Chadlington, chatting to locals and learning about what it’s like to live and work in this region as we travel. Along the way, we will stop at Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm shop for lunch – a place serving local, seasonal, no-nonsense food - before continuing our countryside adventure to The Chequers for an afternoon pint, tea, and cake. Then we will jump on the train at Kingham and travel back to Moreton-in-Marsh where we will spend the night.   (B)

Your Cotswolds adventure comes to an end after breakfast. If you would like to spend more time in the Cotswolds, we'll be happy to book additional accommodation for you (subject to availability). (B)