The West & Cotswolds
Experience the pre-historic grandeur of Stonehenge, the Georgian splendour of Bath, combined with picture-postcard Cotswold villages. 3 days / 2 nights
Tour Highlights
Visiting: Wiltshire, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire
Towns & Cities: Bath, Burford, the Slaughters, Bourton-on-the Water, Stow-on-the-Wold, Broadway, Chipping Campden, Oxford
Key Attractions
Stonehenge
Roman Baths
Blenheim Palace
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Outline Itinerary
Day 1
Start the day early and travel south west to one of the most important ancient monuments in the world and UNESCO Heritage Site, Stonehenge. The structure is almost 5,000 years old. Whatever its intended purpose, the structure is a masterpiece of engineering built by a sophisticated people. One can only wonder at the mystery of this remarkable monument. We question the purpose of construction and the force of nature behind the timeless grandeur.
From ancient Stonehenge continue northwards, where we encounter the Georgian elegance that is the city of Bath. Bath is an architectural masterpiece, one of Europe's most beautiful and elegant cities. The building of Bath was a result of one of those moments in history when individual self interest, community interest, idealism and commerce, wonder and taste, love and money all point in the same direction. Tour the ancient Roman Baths and visit the 1,000 year old Bath Abbey. We then begin our tour of the historic city centre including visiting one of the most beautiful streets in England, The Royal Crescent and the Circus.
Day 2
Centred on the gentle slopes of the Cotswold Hills, the Cotswolds extends through Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. This beautiful area is famous for its tranquil villages, which are largely built from the locally quarried warm, honey coloured limestone. In an area once given over almost entirely to sheep farming, many of the fine manor houses and churches owe their existence to the generosity of wealthy 14th and 15th century yeoman farmers and wool merchants. Water is never far from sight in the Cotswolds, where numerous sparkling streams and rivers wind through the valleys and alongside village streets.
Our suggested route, offers the very best the Cotswolds has to offer and without doubt will leave you with a host of unforgettable memories. Starting at the “Gateway of the Cotswolds”, Burford, a charming old wool town full of gabled cottages and cobbled streets. We then take a slow meandering tour through some of the most beautiful landscape this country has to offer, through such charming villages as The Slaughters, Bourton-on- the Water before making our way to Stow-on-the-Wold for lunch at a fine country tavern. Of course there is time to enjoy some shopping at the eclectic mix of boutiques and perhaps purchase a rare antique to take home with you.
After lunch, we tour Broadway the most beautiful village this region boasts and a tour through Chipping Campden and time for afternoon tea and cake before reaching your hotel.
Day 3
We start the day with a visit to Blenheim Palace. The size and scale of the Palace is truly remarkable. Designated by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site, the Palace is an oasis of history and achievement. Blenheim was the gift of Queen Anne and a grateful nation to the 1st Duke of Marlborough for his great victory at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. The Palace’s design reflects the triumphal mood from the military symbolism, the war trophies on the colonnades to the scale of the heroic Grand Bridge. England’s greatest gardener, Lancelot “Capability” Brown designed the great lake and hanging beech woods beyond, all to look so effortlessly natural. Birthplace to Sir Winston Churchill and still very much a family residence, Blenheim is perhaps our most magnificent stately home.
Stop in the nearby village of Woodstock for lunch, before your day continues in the heart of the historic city of Oxford. The home of English education for over 800 years. Tour the most beautiful of the 38 colleges that make up the University. We visit discreet gardens, ancient dining halls and chapels, and locations where some of our leading scholars spent their most informative years.
