flyme2themoon

your input is appreciated whether we should take organized tour to see as much of the cotswold area OR do it ourselves. renting a car and driving is not an option for us, we've never driven right hand style and not comfortable trying it for the first time in this vacation. there will be 3 of us, all adults. we have always travelled independently vs joing organized tours.

we arrive in scotland in late sept. and will fly one way to london. the plan is to spend 3.5 days in scotland then be in london from sunday to sunday in early october and would like to spend 2 days outside of london. 1 day in bath and 1 day in the cotswold area. we still have some flexibility with the EDI-LHR leg since we havent bought the plane tickets yet. given the short amount of time we have and the desire to see as much as possible in the cotswold and bath areas, should we: 1) join an orginized tour OR 2) take the train or bus to cotswold and take a taxi to drive us around the diff towns that are not too far from each other OR 3) take a bus to bath and cotswold ( maybe use MIM as transp hub in cotswold ) then just do everything independently using a combination of local buses and taxis from town to town and just see as many towns as we can fit into a day of sightseeing before heading back to london.

the day in bath is prob less complex since we wont be hopping to different towns. maybe do bath for half a day and do oxford or another town that is conveniently lined up before heading back to london.

our wishlist includes the following places: oxford, salisbury, cirencester. but ok too if this is unrealistic.

thanks in advance for all your suggestions.

flyme2themoon

I meant bath and maybe stonehenge, wells and avebury ( not oxford )

qwovadis

http://www.viator.com/tours/London/L...-the-Cotswolds

best bet for me too hard to get around if you do not

have a car you will learn lots more and see the best stuff

with a guide... have done it both ways.. if you can rent a car

overnite in Bath which is also awesome self-guiding.

Happy Travels or do a 2 day tour to Bath Oxford Cotswolds...

qwovadis

www.londontown.com also good local tour hotel info for this

ron

In your circumstances, I would take the train to Bath, spend one day in Bath, the other taking the Mad Max tour of the Cotswolds, http://www.madmaxtours.co.uk/index.p...d=48&Itemid=61

janisj

ron's is about the only option that makes sense.

>><i>maybe do bath for half a day and do oxford or another town that is conveniently lined up before heading back to london. . . . I meant bath and maybe stonehenge, wells and avebury ( not oxford )</i><<

Half a day in Bath won't give you enough time in Bath and won't give you any real time in the other places.

You don't need/want a car IN Bath - but from Bath to the Cotswolds you really would want a car (are you very sure that out of three adults none are brave enough to drive??)

If you honestly won't drive, Mad Max is your best bet.

(BTW - 'Cotswold' isn't a place. The region is 'the Cotswolds'. "Cotswold", w/o the "s" can be an adjective like 'a Cotswold Village", or "Cotswold stone", etc. But the place is <i>the Cotswolds</i>.)

flyme2themoon

thanks to you all for the suggestions. our itinerary is now looking like this:

Days 1 - 4 EDI

Day 5 (Sunday ) - fly from EDI to LHR

Day 5 pm - London

Days 6 - 7 London

Day 8 - Bus tour to Salibury, Stonehenge, Avebury and
Bath. ditch the tour bus and overnight in Bath
(if Bath is the last stop before returning to London)

Day 9 - from Bath, bus tour to the Cotswolds

Day 10 - from Bath, stop in Oxford on the way back to London
( by public bus or train )

Day 11 - London

Day 12 - fly home


But then, should we just base ourselves in london and take several day tours ( Mad Max ) to Bath and Cotswolds? this would give us a more "settled" feel and maybe more cost effective too? ( not sure about the latter )

flyme2themoon

janis, regarding driving on the right: none of us have the daring-do to drive. for me, i have not done it before and it just feels really awkward, i might not remember to be on the correct side and end up in a minor/major accident sp. on the roundabouts and when turning. i don't know, i just dont want to have any "incident" while on vacation. my 2 companions i think feel the same way. are we being a bunch of chicken?

janisj

"<i>are we being a bunch of chicken?</i>"

yes

Driving in the countryside is easy. The cities are difficult, but one doesn't need to drive in cities. Hundreds of thousands Americans, Canadians, everyone from the European continent, etc drive on holiday every year.

The trains and buses just aren't very convenient for what you want to see.

For instance Bath to Oxford by train takes 90 minutes and at least one change of trains. Driving takes about the same-- difference being you don't have to drive directly to Oxford.You can meander through Cotswold villages and take as much time as you want. Can't do that by public transport.

If you REALLY don't want to drive, I'd take a Mad Max tour beginning and ending in Bath. Guided tours out of London are generally very expensive.

flyme2themoon

janis, lol. you certainly are a confidence booster. any tips and words of wisdom for first time right side drivers?
AND i totally agree, sightseeing is more fun and convenient when you're driving your own car; we've always done it that way with no incidents - in provence, in bavarian germany, cross country between austria, lichstentein, switzerland, and many other places. there's something about right side driving that spooks us out. but maybe we can be talked into it. the desire to gallivant and see alot is powerful

bellini

Unless I am VERY much mistaken we drive on the left hand side of the road here in the UK !!!!

Mimar

Also Heathrow is west of London. You could go directly to Heathrow by bus from Bath or Oxford. I too would like to see you spend more time in Bath. There's quite a bit to see there.

BTW, will they allow you to bring your luggage on the Salisbury/Stonehenge/etc. tour? Is there enough room for luggage?

flyme2themoon

great point Mimar about bringing our luggage with us to the bus tour. i understand it's not really a big tour bus they use, but more of a van that prob seats 8-10 people. i will have to call the tour organizer if there's room for small luggage, should we decide on taking bus tours instead of driving. btw, thanks for your great tip in my other post on driving in england.

Bowsprit

bellini, perhaps what was meant was: Drivers in the UK stay on the L side of the road and R side of the car.