The Cotswolds

(16 customer reviews)

Paddington Railway Station (meet by the main ticket office - it's near Platforms 1 & 2)

Guided by Simon

Walk Times

Day Walk Type Start Time End Time
7 September 2024 Day Trip 9 am 7.30 pm Summer
28 September 2024 Day Trip 9 am 7.30 pm Summer
12 October 2024 Day Trip 9 am 7.30 pm Summer
26 October 2024 Day Trip 9 am 7.30 pm Summer Reserve Online
9 November 2024 Day Trip 9 am 7.30 pm Winter Reserve Online

N.B., Click here for the full Summer ’24 programme of out-of-town trips (we have day trips to Cambridge and to Oxford & the Cotswolds as well as the all-day trip to The Cotswolds).

THE COTSWOLDS TOUR ESSENTIALS

This is not mass tourism. There are only so many places available. Equally to the point, the tour can only go ahead if the uptake reaches the (low) minimum required number of participants.

Not surprisingly, the tour often sells out so early booking is advisable. As soon as you book you will receive a confirmation that your place has been reserved. The link you use to pay for the tour will be sent to you a few days before the tour.

The total cost is £109 per adult; £104 for Super Adults (over 65s), Loyalty Card holders and full-time students; £99 for Super Adults and Full Time Students with the Loyalty Card; £72 for children.

The charge covers everything – guide’s fee, travel costs, entrance fees – except your lunch!

N.B., the deadline for late booking – should there be places available – is mid-day on the day before the tour. Payment must be made by 6 pm that day.

LET’S GO TO THE COTSWOLDS

Short read: The achingly beautiful Cotswolds…

Good listen: here’s an interview with Guide Simon in which he goes into considerable detail about where The Cotswolds trip goes, what happens on it, why it’s special, etc.

THE COTSWOLDS – THE PRACTICALS

The Cotswolds  tour costs £109 for Adults; £104 for Super Adults (over 65s), Loyalty Card holders, and full-time students; £99 for people with the Concs. Loyalty Card; £72 for kids

This covers the guide’s fee, the train fares, the coach fares and any entrance fees. The only thing you need to pay for is your lunch.

The logic of reserving your place while you can is incontrovertible. The Cotswolds trip usually sells out. We limit the group size. 

N.B. This is a trip to the most beautiful countryside in the world. Gentle countryside that is. We walk through some of that countryside – along rural paths and footways and through meadows. Do be sure to come in footwear that’s equal to that gentle country walking. You won’t need hiking boots but you should wear comfortable walking shoes. “Let’s go for a walk” shoes. Don’t come in high heels or fashionable flimsies or flip-flops because in places there might be a spot or two of mud if there’s been a recent shower.

We go to the Cotswolds on  selected Saturdays from April 27th to November 9th

The meeting time for the Saturday Cotswolds trip is 9 am

The meeting point is by the main ticket office – it’s near Platforms 1 & 2 – of Paddington Railway Station.

NB The tour gets back to London at around 7.20 pm

Simon holds up a sign that says LONDON WALKS.

AND AS FOR THE GUIDING

RURAL ENGLAND, VILLAGE ENGLAND AT ITS BEST

Medium read: We take you places where you’ll want to stay. The Cotswolds of thatched roofs and honey-coloured stone and cottages wreathed in wisteria and honeysuckle. The Cotswolds of stone bridges and old mills and millponds. The Cotswolds of storybook villages and matchless flower gardens. The Cotswolds of… well, of rural England at its best. 

Long read: High-end, extremely high-quality tours. That’s what we do. The catch – you’re going to like the catch – is we do them at a very reasonable price.* If you’re thinking of going to The Cotswolds and you’ve found your way to this page you’ve drawn to an inside straight and hit it.

To get this into perspective, run a couple of comparisons. Sure, there are other ways of getting to The Cotswolds. You can hire a driver guide. Cost you hundreds of pounds and you’ll have less time in The Cotswolds because battling through London traffic and pounding along the motorway takes a lot longer than going by train. You can hire a car and drive up there yourself. Same time constraints and it’ll cost you a whole lot more than going with us. Car rentals aren’t cheap. And that’s not to mention the toll on your nerves that goes with the territory of driving in unfamiliar places. If it were a steeplechase – Simon’s savvy and years of experience over against you behind the wheel of a rental car and being completely unfamiliar with the course – well, I know which horse I’d back.

And as for coach tours to the Cotswolds – well, you might save £5 to £10 but it’s a textbook example of a false economy. Going by rail is much faster and much more comfortable than going by coach. Battling through London traffic and grinding out the miles on the motorway – well, your £5 to £10 “saved” is going to cost you precious hours in The Cotswolds. It’s no saving at all. Divide the cost by the number of hours you get in The Cotswolds you’ll find that the per-hour cost of going on a coach tour is a whole lot more than the per-hour cost of going with us.

Nobody else does it the way we do it. They can’t. They’re locked into their expensive “infrastructure” – their coaches, their cars, etc. Low-information tourist hordes don’t do it the way we do it. They would if they were lucky enough to find us. But they don’t find us. We’re not on their radar. Their loss. But you’re not them. You’re not low-information tourists, you’re savvy, discerning independents. You have found us. You’ve won. You’re going to have the best possible trip to The Cotswolds. Good going.

*The key is our low fixed costs – i.e., running London Walks off our kitchen table. That translates into extremely high-quality tours at a very reasonable price.

IT’S FASTLY SUPERIOR – WE GO BY TRAIN

Bored by traffic? Board the train. At Paddington Railway Station (see above).

HOW’S IT WORK? WHAT’S THE ITINERARY?

When our train gets us to The Cotswolds we’re met by the local coach Simon has  chartered for us. We do four villages and lots of countryside. So you’ll see a great deal of Cotswolds countryside and Cotswolds village life. We’re of course only in the coach while we’re seeing some Cotswolds countryside, going from one village to another. When we get to our villages we get out and walk. And that’s when the magic really kicks in.

Anything else? Yes, attention to detail. The small things that make a big difference. When we’re in the villages the driver stays with the coach. You can leave your gear in the coach with complete confidence that it’ll be ok. I said we use the local coach to village hop – but two of the villages – Upper Slaughter and Lower Slaughter – are very close together. Some of you, some of us, will choose to walk from one to the other. Others won’t. That’s ok, they’ll take the coach. It works a treat.

In sum: it’s fun; it’s fascinating; it’s efficient; it’s relaxed; Simon’s the perfect host – he takes the worry out of it). It just works. It’ll be one of the best – one of the most memorable – days of your life. Memories make us rich.

THE COTSWOLDS TRIP IS A BRIDGE TO WONDERFUL MEMORIES

BEARS REPEATING, IT’S VERY AFFORDABLE

About a tenth of what it would cost you to go by driver-guide.

LONDON WALKS PRIVATE WALKS

If you can’t make one of the regularly scheduled, just-turn-up, The Cotswolds it can always be booked as a private tour. If you go private you can have the The Cotswolds walk – or any other London Walk – on a day and at a time that suits your convenience. We’ll tailor it to your requirements. Ring Fiona or Mary on 020 7624 3978 or email us at [email protected] and we’ll set it up and make it happen for you. A private London Walk – they’re good value for an individual or couple and sensational value for a group – makes an ideal group or educational or birthday party or office (team-building) or club outing.

GIVE THE GIFT OF LONDON WALKS

A private London Walk makes a fab gift – be it a birthday or anniversary or Christmas present or whatever. Merchandise schmerchandise (gift wrapped or not) – but giving someone an experience, now that’s special. Memories make us rich.

LONDON WALKS – STREETS AHEAD!

Don’t just take it from us.

OTHER TOURS YOU MAY LIKE

16 reviews for The Cotswolds

  1. Harley Coombes

    My wife and I had a great day out in spite of my unexpected knee injury. Our guide the intrepid Simon ensured I was looked after the entire time and all 22 of us had a wonderful day in the English historic countryside. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. I always enjoy the day trips and this was right up there at the very top with the right combination of train, coach and free time. Everything flowed and yet so much was covered
    Thanks Simon and London Walks!

  2. Walter Bolliger

    The Cotswolds Tour is a fabulous and memorable tour and highly recommended. It combines sublime nature and ancient history during a most enjoyable walk in picturesque villages and along meandering creeks. Simon, our guide, was just amazing. He is an amalgamation of scholar, comedian, nature lover, motivator and old buddy. Simon elevated the Cotswolds experience to an even higher and unforgettable level. Thank you Simon for your unrivaled enthusiasm

  3. Ray

    Simon was amazing. He was entertaining, informative and kept was moving at the right pace to complete the tour on time. Best part of my trip by far. Thanks Simon

  4. Nancy

    I did this tour with Simon and it was incredibly well done. Simon was fantastic: knowledgeable, entertaining and organized. We would highly recommend this tour and especially any tours done by Simon.

  5. Desi Pritchard

    This is a wonderful tour. Simon is fun and tells a great story. I loved the area and just the right amount of walking and tour bus. I have recommended many London walks and they have all been amazing. It’s one of the first things I book when I travel to London!

  6. Deborah Nelson

    I did this tour with my sister a few years ago, and the description of the day is absolutely accurate. I am hoping when I return to London this May that we can go again, as I am bringing a friend who has never been abroad. I have recommended both this trip and the one that combines with Oxford to several friends and not one has been disappointed.

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