The Cotswold Tour
Description
Johnnie your local driver and tour guide, has lived and worked in The Cotswolds for three decades. As we navigate the picturesque countryside, Johnnie, with his passion for the Cotswolds and love of local history will provide an informative and interesting commentary. Visitors will be left with cherished memories of this timeless English countryside. Our tours showcase the beauty of the area while minimising time spent in the car and with this in mind, we have carefully chosen the routes and destinations. We aim to show you as much as possible whilst ensuring you have a relaxed and enjoyable experience and time to savour the Cotswolds. There will be plenty of photo opportunities, breaks for a bite to eat, a cream tea, or a pint in a cosy pub, as well as a chance to explore local shops. This is a private tour and will include only you and your driver. You will not share the car with anyone else.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We drive from Moreton-in-Marsh via Bourton-on-the-Hill to Blockley, a beautiful village where many of the buildings date to when it was the centre of a silk spinning industry. It is also famous for being a the location of a popular BBC series; Father Brown.
We drive through Broad Campden, a village know for it's abundance of thatched cottages.
We stop at Chipping Campden, a town famous for its importance in the Cotswold wool trade. It will include a visit to the town's wool church and other historic buildings. Travellers can wander down the high street and visit it's cafés and independent shops.
We take a scenic route to Broadway Tower, where we park in the visitors centre. Travellers then walk to the tower to take in the view.
We drive on to beautiful Snowhill, one of the most photographed villages in the Cotswolds, where we stop to wander and take in the view.
We then drive from Snowhill to Broadway, passing some picturesque roadside cottages. We might stop to visit Church of St Aldhelm and St Eadburgha, dating from the 13th Century. Broadway has many independent shops, cafés and pubs, so this is a perfect opportunity to have some lunch and do some shopping.
After leaving Broadway, we pass through the lovely Cotswold villages of Longborough, Lower Swell, Upper Slaughter and others on our way to our next stop at Lower Slaughter.
We stop at Lower Slaughter to explore this famous village with its watermill, stream and picturesque cottages.
We Leave Lower Slaughter to arrive at the nearby Town of Bourton-on-the-Water. This is famous for the River Windrush which flows through the centre of the village and is crossed by five footbridges. This town is very popular with tourists and has many attractions.
We then drive on to the Town of Stow-on-the-Wold, the highest town in the Cotswolds. This again has many independent shops and cafés in its large town square..
We then drive from Stow-on-the-Wold back to Moreton-in-Marsh Train Station, or the final location agreed with the travellers. This will be the end of the tour.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
For guests coming from London to be met at Moreton-in-Marsh Train Station, the train from Paddington London arrives at 10.18 am. The tour will start after that time.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(95)
Johnnie thank you so much for a wonderful and informative tour of the Cotswolds. I’m still smiling and looking at all the pictures from our trip there, dreaming up when we can visit again. It honestly was a great experience, a 10/10. We truly are so grateful that we chose your company, you’re doing a great job!! We have so many great memories that we will talk about for years to come!
Visit the Cotswolds for 4 days and 3 nights. We stayed at two manor houses, Castle Combe and Moreton-in-Marsh, and on the second day we asked Johnnie to take us on a private tour of the South Cotswolds. I had them picked up at the first manor house, packed up in my car and drove to the second after a day in the South Cotswolds. Travelling between the two manor houses was a big challenge because we don't drive our own cars, but they were very helpful as part of the private tour. When I told Johnnie that I had booked a North Cotswolds bus tour from Moreton-in-Marsh on the third day, she confirmed my interests and preferences in great detail and completely re-arranged my itinerary to avoid overlapping with the bus tour. We visited the world heritage town of Bath, which is an individual tour on a regular bus tour, Lacock, which was used to film the Harry Potter films and the Downton Abbey TV drama, and The Burford Garden, a gardening supply store with a large and lovely selection of products. I was very pleased to be introduced to 21 enchanting villages, including a visit only to the train window, along a path that the bus tour wouldn't take. Friendly Johnnie had visited Japan on a trip and was very happy that we were travelers from Japan. Throughout the tour, he explained Bath, the Cotswolds, and British history and culture in English, which is easy for Japanese to hear, and taught us about the influence of the Roman Empire, Christianity, Freemasonry, and more. Not only did we explore the beautiful scenery, but we were also able to learn about the historical background and history of how Bath developed and why the Cotswolds still have beautiful medieval streets, which filled our intellectual curiosity. Next time I take my family to the Cotswolds I would love to take advantage of Johnnie's private tour again. Thank you very much, Johnnie.
I just returned from a wonderful vacation in the Cotswolds with my daughter, and our day with Johnnie from The Cotswolds Tour Co. was truly the highlight of our trip. From the very beginning, communication was excellent. Johnnie was always responsive, easy to work with, and took the time to understand exactly what we wanted to experience. We shared a few ideas about the villages we hoped to see and how much we wanted to fit into the day, and he created the perfect itinerary. Johnnie is incredibly knowledgeable about the Cotswolds—its history, culture, hidden gems, and fascinating stories. He brought every stop to life with interesting facts and local insights, making the entire experience both educational and enjoyable. We never felt rushed, yet we were able to see so much. What really set Johnnie apart was his genuine passion for the area and his thoughtful, personable approach. He made our first visit to the Cotswolds feel truly magical and unforgettable. I honestly can’t say enough good things about our experience. If you’re considering a private tour of the Cotswolds, I wholeheartedly recommend Johnnie and The Cotswolds Tour Co. Without a doubt, it was the best part of our vacation, and we will treasure the memories for years to come.
We were a group of friends from Mallorca who have been over to visit the Cotswolds for a week. We contracted, being a group, the “Cotswolds Tour &Travel Company” for a minibus. The experience has been excelent from the start to the finish. The drivers were brlliant, Craig has been with us Nearly all the time, but thanks also to Colin and Mike. If I don’t mention the guides, Rob , Keith and last but not least David P. it would be disgraceful. There very profesional, friendly and always willing to help, looking for the best routes places to stop, etc. very human and made our whole trip 5 ***** As dar as the Cotswolds Travel Company, I hope they realice the great asset that they have with these employees. We will mention this trip to all our friends.
I'm glad you enjoyed the Cotswolds. Unfortunately you have given a review to the wrong tour company! Many thanks, Johnnie.
The first private tour we have done and it was so worth it. Johnnie has lived in the area for many years so we left the itinerary up to him. He took us to many of the less touristy places and passionately shared his knowledge of the areas with us. We saw so much but found the day very relaxing. We highly recommend Johnnie and if another opportunity arises to return to The Cotswolds will definitely do another tour with him.
Johnnie was so knowledgeable and pivoted between subjects easily based on our interests. Amazing day!
We had an absolutely wonderful day in the Cotswolds thanks to our guide Johnnie, and I genuinely can’t recommend him highly enough. Johnnie struck the perfect balance between fun and informative and he kept us entertained throughout the day while sharing a level of knowledge about the area that you simply can’t get from a guidebook or a self-guided wander. His passion for the Cotswolds was obvious, and that enthusiasm was completely infectious. The honest truth is that the day we had wouldn’t have been possible on our own. Johnnie took us to places we never would have found, shared stories that brought the area to life, and made the whole experience feel personal rather than like a standard tour. If you’re visiting the Cotswolds and on the fence about booking a guide don’t hesitate. Book Johnnie. It was one of the highlights of our trip.
Johnnie was a wonderful tour guide for our day in the Cotswolds. He had a tough customer with our jet-lagged 10-year-old daughter and managed beautifully with humor and kindness. Our family of four took the train from London and met Johnnie at the station to start our drive. We enjoyed the gorgeous scenery and the well-planned stops for short walks and photo ops. Johnnie kept us all engaged with the history of the area combined with juicy stories of local characters and film and TV locations. A super nice guy, spotless car, and a wealth of local info. This was one of the highlights of our trip for me. He also booked our lunch at a very nice pub and dropped us off and waited to take us back to the train. And sent us a follow-up email list of places we visited and shows to watch for places that were film locations.
What a fabulous day we had! Johnnie is a wonderful guide and taught us so much about the Cotswolds. He met us at the train station right as we arrived and spent the whole day taking us from town to town. We never felt rushed or like we ran out of things to talk about. Johnnie arranged lunch for us at the Fox in Oddington and built in time for us to get out and explore a bit in some of the towns. I cannot recommend this tour enough! If you are planning to be in the Cotswolds, I highly recommend The Cotswold Tour Co.
We had an AMAZING time touring with Johnnie! From pickup to drop-off, he was warm, gracious, and incredibly knowledgeable, bringing each stop to life with insights on history, geography, and pop culture. What made it special was how personalized it felt—once Johnnie learned our interests, he tailored the tour to match, making the whole day unforgettable. Our experience was the highlight of a truly fabulous week in England! To top it off, he even emailed us a list of all the places we visited. If you’re considering a tour, don’t hesitate—Johnnie and The Cotswold Tour Co. are THE BEST!
