Oxford, Cotswolds, Bath, Lacock and Stonehenge
TOUR NOT AVAILABLE IN 2022 OR 2023
England's Green and Pleasant Land - Oxford, Cotswolds, Bath, Lacock & Stonehenge
Small Group Promise - No more than 16 clients per driver/guide
News Update - This tour is not currently available for individuals, but we are happy to organsie a bespoke tour/price for groups of 4 or more people. Email [email protected] for details
Join us for a great weekend in England's green and pleasant land visiting the University city of Oxford, the delightful Cotswolds, the Roman Spa town of Bath and ancient and mysterious Stonehenge. Some of the very best sights England has to offer.
DAY 1
We drive straight up from London to Oxford in little over an hour to be met by our local guide for an eye open tour of the ivy clad colleges and academic halls of this world renowned University, founded back in 1167. With plenty of free time to follow you'll start the weekend off perfectly emerged in history and architecture before we drive off into the Cotswold Hills to visit pretty stone and thatch roof villages and follow meandering streams. Here we take the narrow back roads and visit charming Stow-on-the-Wold for lunch then through the delightful twin villages of Upper and Lower Slaughter, along the enchanting Coln Valley then to Bibury, once described as England's prettiest village.Our day ends at our overnight hotel accommodation with a chance to spend an evening with your fellow travellers at a local pub.
DAY 2
After breakfast on our second day we make the short journey to Bath. An ancient Roman Spa founded as Aqua Sulis in the first century, it's constant hot waters made it an important religious centre as well as a resort. The city was beautifully reinvented in the 18th century when it became the place to see and be seen in Georgian society. The new city grew up at this time and we visit
the squares, circuses and terraces all built in honey coloured stone over 200 years ago as well as a tour of the Roman baths.
Afterwards, we drive over to the beautiful village of Lacock for our lunch stop. A perfectly preserved collection of 17th century cottages, used in several films including Cranfield, Moll Flanders, Pride and Prejudice and Harry Potter. After lunch we have time to wander around the village and visit it's 14th century Tithe Barn and the little village 'lock up' to keep unruly locals out of trouble!
Our final stop of the day is mysterious Stonehenge. Built over 5,000 years ago and forever an enigma, we learn of the possible building methods and it's likely purpose as we explore the Neolithic landscape of Ancient Wessex. We learn of what is known and what may never be known as we end our weekend at this most iconic site.
This tour includes:
- Guided tour of Oxford
- Visit to Burford
- Visit to Stow-on-the-Wold - pretty Cotswolds market village
- Visit to Upper and Lower Slaughter
- Visit to Bibury – described as the most beautiful village in England!!!
- Bath – fully guided city tour plus entrance to the Roman Baths with audio guide
- Visit to Lacock and Castle Combe
- Entrance to Stonehenge with audio guided tour
- 3* Hotel accommodation in twin/double ensuite room with full English buffet breakfast
- Travel by luxury minibus
Please note that tours over public holidays (peak season dates) cost £10 per person than tours on other dates. Our booking system will automatically generate the correct price.
Your Accommodation
- 3* Jury's Inn Swindon, Fleming Way, Swindon.
- Your accommodation is included in the price of your tour on a bed and breakfast basis. The price you pay is based on 2 people sharing a twin or double bedded room. Triple rooms are available (one double bed and one single bed), and the hotel also has a small number of rooms available to accommodate a family of four in quad rooms (two double beds).
- Jurys Inn Swindon rooms include a large soft bed, well-lit work area, en-suite bathroom with complimentary toiletries, Wi-Fi internet access, and flat screen TV.
- If you would like a single room for 1 person we offer an upgrade for just £35 extra.
- Single travellers can avoid paying a single supplement by sharing a twin room (one room with 2 single beds) with another person (of the same sex) from the tour group. We arrange this service automatically, unless you select the single upgrade option when you are making your booking.
- We always try to get your preferred room choice. if you need further help, please contact our office staff by phone or email.
- The hotel has a stylish bar, costa coffee bar and restaurant.
Departure Information
- 06.00 AM From outside Ramsgate railway station
- 06.30 AM From outside Canterbury East railway station
- 07.00 AM From, outside Cambridge Police Station, Parkside - Click here for map
- 08.30 AM From International Students' House, 229 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5PN - Click here for map
- 10.00 AM From outside Mortons Cafe (near Tourist Information Centre), Broad Street, Oxford - See information below for returning back to Oxford.
If you are joining this tour in London, the meeting point is in the car park (just outside reception). ISH is directly opposite Great Portland Street tube station but also a very easy walk from Warren Street, Regent's Park and Baker Street tube stations.
This tour normally ends by 6pm in London. If you are travelling onwards to Cambridge, Ramsgate or Canterbury, the final arrival time will vary, as the feeder service that we provide links in with our other tours. If we are unable to transfer you by our own transportation, we will provide free rail or coach transfers to Cambridge, Canterbury or Ramsgate. In the event that public transport (rail or coach) does not offer a practical and convenient service, International Friends will provide travel by taxi, minibus or coach.
If you are joining this tour in Oxford, the tour will end in London and you will need to make your own way back to Oxford. Bus services operate from every 10 minutes and cost between £7 and £14 single - click here to see coach services back to Oxford by Oxford Tube. We recommend booking onward travel arrangements back to Oxford after 7pm.
If you intend to travel to our central London meeting point by public transport, you can plan your journey in advance on the Transport for London website - click here
This is without question the best value tour available to this region, combining the Cotswolds, Bath and Stonehenge over a leisurely 2 days. This tour is driven and guided by a friendly driver who is very familar with the area its many back-roads. This means that you will venture off the beaten track to see and enjoy some of the area's most beautiful places. Your transport for this tour is in a spacious luxury 16 seat minibus with large windows and the ability to travel down some the narrow lanes which are not normally used by large coaches. We promise you a first-class experience and memories that you will treasure for many years!
Please note that as this tour is normally heavily subscribed, it may be necessary to make your reservation well in advance, especially if you are booking flights to or from the UK to coincide with a specific tour date.
For more information on the Cotswolds, Bath and Stonehenge, take a look at the official website links below:
The Cotswolds District, Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water, Bath, The Roman Baths, Stonehenge
What other people have recently commented about this tour:
I had simply an amazing time. Thank you Martin and Paul for providing us with such an enjoyable trip. I haven't had such a relaxing yet fun-filled trip like this for a long time. I will definitely recommend the trip to my friends. Thanks again for a great weekend - sorry about the hand writing - my hands are freezing :)