Classic Cotswolds

Start your journey in Oxford, the “City of Dreaming Spires”, home to England’s oldest university. Take a walk through the impressive college buildings that are still home to the university’s main ceremonial and educational functions. Be sure to view Magdalen Bridge and the Bodleian Library.

Continue your stroll around picturesque Oxford, visiting the beautiful Oxford Botanic Garden, the oldest botanic garden in Great Britain, before heading to Woodstock, stopping at Blenheim Palace for a tour. Currently home to the 12th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, the palace was designed by the architect Vanbrugh and was the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. A vast park, wonderfully landscaped by Capability Brown, surrounds the palace. Enjoy your drive over to the Cotswolds and settle into your hotel for the evening. 

Your guide will meet you at your hotel for a beautiful Cotswold circular walk to and around the quaint market village of Chipping Campden. During winter you can see snowdrops pushing through the grass, followed by woodland bluebells in the springtime, and then during summer the fields are carpeted with poppies. A beautiful place for a countryside walk, no matter the time of year.

Time for another circular walk - your guide will meet you at your hotel for a walk around the archetypal Cotswold village of Broadway and Broadway Tower, stopping off for afternoon tea at the historic Lygon Arms. This village is known for its delightful blend of period houses and honey-coloured Cotswold stone cottages, and the High Street flanked with horse chestnut trees. 

Today, visit the Georgian city of Bath. From its beginnings as a Roman camp in the first century AD, Bath developed through troubled centuries to emerge in the 1700s as a fashionable “spa” resort. Some of England’s best-preserved Georgian architecture is found here, together with fascinating relics of earlier eras.   Your guide will be at your disposal for half a day so you can discover all the best sights – tour the Roman Baths on a private basis, and on Monday afternoons visit Number One Royal Crescent which has been authentically restored to its Georgian appearance.  

Bath’s exceptional food and drink scene has gained the city a reputation as a delicious destination. Enjoy people-watching in cosy cafes and welcoming pubs, soaking up the atmosphere on your last full day. Later, enjoy an exclusive gin tasting at the famous Bath Gin Company to sample one of the best gins on the market. Next – dessert?  

With a heavy heart it’s time to bid farewell to Bath and the Cotswolds. The changing seasons bring with them a multitude of sweeping changes to the landscape, so a repeat visit is always on the cards.