The Cotswolds Tour 2023
Please email us at seymourtravels@europe.com if you would like to book a place on one of these unique small group tours
10 Day Cotswolds Tour Itinerary 2023
April 21 - April 30
This tour will be based in one comfortable location (9 nights) in the heart of the Cotswolds.
Day 1 Welcome to the Cotswolds. We’ll meet at our hotel at 4pm for a briefing and refreshments. We’ll have time get to know each other over dinner together in our hotel restaurant this evening.
Day 2 This morning will be spent exploring the splendid Hidcote Manor Garden (a top ten Great British Garden), created by an American horticulturist. We’ll then travel on to Chipping Campden for a walking tour of this historic town – important to the Arts and Crafts movement. You’ll be free for lunch in one of its many pubs, restaurants, or cafes before we move on to Dovers Hill where we’ll talk about the importance of field systems and what they tell us about the landscape, both Roman and Mediaeval. We’ll return to our hotel via Broadway Tower, the Cotswold’s highest ‘castle’ and a favourite haunt of William Morris.
Day 3 We’ll start with a visit to Hook Norton Brewery where we’ll tour this family owned Victorian tower brewery and enjoy a tasting. We’ll also meet the shire horses that still deliver beer to local pubs. Let’s enjoy a pub lunch in Great Tew. After lunch we’ll walk to the Rollright Stones and look into Britain’s prehistory, trying to understand these mysterious sentinels that dot the English landscape. Heading back to our hotel through Adlestrop we may meet the ‘welcome cat’?! Dinner and drinks together tonight.
Day 4 After breakfast we’ll meet and head out into the Cotswold countryside for a beautiful walk through the villages and lanes of this extraordinary area. Free for lunch in Moreton-in-Marsh then on to the village of Blockley where Father Brown is filmed. In Blockley we’ll wander its ancient streets and talk about how its architecture can reflect its history.
Day 5 Today we can visit the small town of Winchcombe and take a walk to the site of a Roman Villa where there is still a fragment of mosaic lying hidden in the woods. We’ll discuss the Roman occupation of this area and how it still relates to people today. After a picnic lunch we shall take a beautiful walk of about 6 miles to visit Sudeley Castle where Katherine Parr is buried … remember? Henry’s wife!
Day 6 After breakfast we’ll cross the border into Warwickshire and spend some time in Stratford on Avon. Visiting Shakespeare’s birthplace and grave we can talk about his great plays and the Elizabethan and Tudor periods. You’ll then have some free time to get lunch and soak up the atmosphere before moving on to the Cotswolds Distillery to sample their gin and whiskies … of course!
Day 7 We head south to Cirencester, known as the capital of The Cotswolds. In Roman times it was called Corinium and was the second largest town in Britain for a while. We can visit the Roman museum and tour the cathedral-like church. The architecture of the town is a clue as to how prosperous it was during the boom of the mediaeval wool trade, and it sets the scene for a visit to Filkins woollen mill to see how that wool was used, and talk to today’s weavers who use the same methods as they did 600 years ago. In the afternoon we’ll visit Chedworth Roman Villa, one of the grandest in Britain.
Day 8 Bring a camera.… Another garden is on our agenda this morning. It will be unique and it will be beautiful! Owlpen Manor is one of Prince Charles’ favourite places and is the home of Sir Nicholas Mander and his family. We’ll have lunch and then move on to Chavenage, another Cotswold Manor - you’d know it as the home of Ross Poldark in the popular tv series. We’ll also pay a visit to the impressive Gloucester Cathedral and its stunningly beautiful cloisters.
Day 9 Put your walking shoes on. First we’ll take a steam train from Broadway and will then hop off at Hailes Halt from where we can walk to see two unusual Saxon Churches and a romantic ruined abbey. We’ll visit a fruit farm and shop for some lunch. After lunch, feeling invigorated and refreshed, we’ll learn about the legend of St Kenelm and hike to his sacred well. Walking total 5 miles through gorgeous countryside. We’ll finish the day with a fabulous evening meal together.
Day 10 This is our day of departure and after breakfast we will help you with your transportation requirements.