This last trip to the United Kingdom and Ireland I went on four day tours. Last trip I did day excursions through the Disney Cruise Line. This time I sought out local tour companies to see what each had to offer. Essentially a day tour is based in a city, operated by a tour company, and for that day you go where the tour goes.
In Bath there's a touring company called Mad Max Tours. They have five itineraries, and Bath is the central location where all these tours start and end. There's options of visiting the Stonehenge and several other close sites. My Mom and I wanted to see the Heart of the Cotswolds. When you go on the tour you get a guide and are bused around on a 16 seat coach.
We visited Castle Combe, Bibury and its Arlington Row, Bourton-on-the-Water, Stow-on-the-Wold, Malmesbury, Tetbury, and a drive through the countryside.
The Costwolds are charming. Romantic. The scenery filled with beautiful trees, rivers, villages, and picturesque homes. This is where you can find quaint English cottages.
Castle Combe is a charming little village. We visited early morning and walked up and down the street. There's not much to do, unless you'd love a quiet place to relax and read a book. Still worth a stop just to see the homes as there's a wonderful charm and feel to Castle Combe.
Bibury is a cute little village. There's restaurants, small gift shops, the post office is in a gift shop (that's how small Bibury is), a river, and Arlington Row (a particular row of homes that are quintessential Costswolds).
Bourton-on-the-Water: a rural village with a large river and bridges. Beautiful. This was my second visit here as my first was a couple years ago. My first visit had beautiful weather. This last visit had pouring rain. Not quaint, romantic rain. This rain fell in buckets, so my Mom and I sought refuge in gift shops, as there are plenty. Rain seemed to follow us that day, coming in spurts followed by sunshine and white clouds. So I've seen Bourton-on-the-Water in two ways. Sun is better, always, but the Cotswolds are still nice in the rain.
Stow-on-the-Wold is more of a central market town. We went right to the center where there's a lot of restaurants and shops. I wandered through an art gallery and an old book shop, followed by a quick stop buying sweets. This was where we were supposed to get lunch, but my Mom and I decided it was better walking around and getting a big dinner back in Bath. Food is nice, but I didn't want to spend the hour and a half in a pub getting food. I wish we had more time here.
Malmesbury is a small town, and here we walked through the church lawns looking over gravestones, passed through the market cross, and down the street. Didn't get to see much. Had enough time to stop in a shop where I got Cath Kidston hand cream (the grapefruit and ginger is divine), and then to a pastry place to get cookies.
Tetbury is another town with a market center, cottages on the outskirts, and beautiful countryside.
I loved the Cotswolds. I don't know how I'd feel living there, but a visit is always nice, and I loved seeing a contrast perspective of what the Cotswolds have to offer. We only got a taste. Here a quick stop. There a quick stop. And there's other noteworthy towns and villages we didn't see. There's only so much you can do in a day. Still, I loved seeing the Cotswolds in sun and rain.
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