Cotswold Explorer

You start your unforgettable Cotswold journey from central Oxford, driving to Burford through Minster Lovell, with its attractive thatched houses and ruined Hall.

We then continue to Burford, the ‘Gateway to the Cotswolds’ via the beautiful villages of Asthall and Swinbrook (home to the Mitford sisters). In Burford you can enjoy browsing around the small shops and cafes in the pretty High Street.

Our drive then takes us through some beautiful countryside and some of the old quarrying villages of the North Cotswolds to Bourton-on-the-Water, the ‘Venice of the Cotswolds’. Bourton has many cafes and small souvenir shops to explore and there is also the picturesque River Windrush with its series of quaint stone bridges.

Another picturesque route brings us to the charming and unspoilt Worcestershire town of Broadway. We stop here for lunch, where you can lunch in a rustic pub or trendy café and enjoy window-shopping in the small shops and art galleries.

After lunch we drive up the scarp slope to the enchanting village of Snowshill, a popular movie location, with its beautiful stone cottages and views of the Cotswold Hills.

Passing the quirky Broadway Tower, we head next to the delightful market town of Chipping Campden, the centre of the Arts and Crafts Movement in the Cotswolds. Here, once again you can browse in the shops or visit the impressive ‘wool church’.

Our next stop is in the charming town of Stow-on-the-Wold with its quaint antiques shops and boutiques. Fans of the author J R R Tolkien will want to visit St Edwards Church with its unusual wooden door, which is said to have inspired him in his writing.

Our  return route to Oxford passes through the lovely towns of Chipping Norton and  Woodstock, the location of Blenheim Palace (birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill).

You start your unforgettable Cotswold journey from central Oxford, driving to Burford (the Gateway to the Cotswolds) through Minster Lovell, with its attractive thatched houses and ruined Hall. We then continue to Burford, the Gateway to the Cotswolds via the beautiful villages of Asthall and Swinbrook (home to the Mitford sisters).

Continuing through the former quarrying villages of Taynton and Great Barrington we arrive in Bourton-on-the-Water, the Venice of the Cotswolds – with its delightful bridges over the River Windrush – where you will make a stop for lunch.

After lunch we take a scenic drive to the enchanting village of Snowshill with its beautiful stone cottages and views of the Cotswold Hills. From Snowshill we head past the lavender fields and Broadway Tower to the delightful market town of Chipping Campden, the centre of the Arts and Crafts Movement in the Cotswolds. Here, you can browse in the quaint shops or visit the impressive ‘wool church’.

You return to Oxford, following a beautiful route which offers stunning views through the charming villages of Broad Campden and Blockley, with their thatched cottages. We pass through the busy market town of Moreton-in-Marsh, with its art galleries and antiques shops and then return to Oxford via Chipping Norton and Woodstock, the site of Blenheim Palace (birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill).