The Cotswolds Highlights Cycling Tour

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DISTANCE

25 – 45 miles (25 – 64 km) per day

DIFFICULTY

Moderate

DURATION

5 nights

Accommodation

B&B Accommodation, Village Inns & Luxury Hostels

Price

From £1090

Cycling Tour Overview

This cycling route combines the very best of the Cotswolds (including Chipping Campden, the Slaughters, Bourton-on-the-Water and Burford) with the magnificence of Blenheim Palace, the ancestral home of the Churchill family, which dominates the Oxfordshire countryside and with the celebrated and ancient university city of Oxford itself. You will stay in the best possible accommodation in Campden, Upper Slaughter and Woodstock.

Please note that you must be capable of basic bike maintenance (e.g. deal with punctures).

Highlights

  • Cycling through some of the most picturesque countryside & villages in England.
  • Carefully selected accommodation at which to stay.
  • See the magnificent Blenheim Palace.
  • Soaking up the history of the area.

Key Information

  • £1090.00 per person based on 2 people sharing.

  • Staying in B&B accommodation is also a possibility – please ask.

  • Best time to go: March – September

What’s Included

  • 5 nights luxury accommodation in standard rooms (upgrades to superior rooms possible – please ask).
  • Luggage transportation.
  • Luggage transfers between accommodations.
  • Bike hire with panniers and helmets.
  • Local back-up.

*Upgraded accommodation is available upon request, please ask for a quote.

Tour Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive Chipping Campden

Overnight Chipping Campden. Hotels to choose from COTSWOLD HOUSE or THE NOEL ARMS.

Day 2: Cycle from Chipping Campden to Upper Slaughter

Two options: a shorter route that goes via passes nearby Stow-on-the-Wold; or a longer option which will pass broadway Tower and include the lively little town of Winchcombe, and Sudeley Castle. 45 miles or 25 miles. Overnight the Lords of The Manor Hotel or The Slaughters Manor House.

Day 3: Cycle from Upper Slaughter to Woodstock

Head south towards Burford, in the county of Oxfordshire, passing a succession of charming small villages. From Burford, continue to Swinbrook, with its connections to the Mitford sisters and remarkable Fettiplace memorials in its church; the romantic ruins at Minster Lovell; and so finally to Woodstock and Blenheim Palace, ancestral home of the Churchill family and the Dukes of Marlborough. 30 miles. Overnight the Feathers, Woodstock.

Day 4: Free day

Free day to visit Blenheim or to cycle into Oxford. Overnight Woodstock.

Day 5: Cycle Woodstock to Chipping Campden

Cycle Woodstock to Chipping Campden via the bustling market town of Chipping Norton; Adlestrop, the inspiration for one of the most evocative poems (by Edward Thomas) in the English language; Moreton-in-Marsh; and Batsford with its arboretum and falconry centre. 30 miles. Overnight Chipping Campden.

Day 6: Departure

Departure after breakfast.

Map

This cycling route combines the very best of the Cotswolds.

Tour Grading

  • This is a moderately difficult cycling route. Total distance covered: up to 105 miles.

Accommodation

There are different categories of accommodation available from B&B accommodation to Village Inns to small & luxury hotels. Ensuite rooms are booked where possible, in some B&B’s a private bathroom may be necessary.

B&B accommodation is generally in guesthouses, often private residences where some of the rooms are used for guests. They are also often smaller in size than Inns or hotels. All of our selected B&Bs will give you a warm welcome with a hearty breakfast for you in the morning. Because these are often private residences, there may not be the facilities you would expect to find in dedicated accommodation establishments. And they do not generally have options for dining in the evening.

Village Inns are generally larger, they may cater for only guests or they may also be a pub which also has guest rooms. They generally tend to have more in the way of facilities and have some kind of bar or dining options and are generally larger establishments than B&B’s

Hotels are usually the biggest of the establishments that we use and are more dedicated just to accommodation than B&B’s or Inns. There is a wide variety of hotels in The Cotswolds ranging from small hotels, to hotels with restaurants, to award winning luxury hotels.

Travel Information

Arriving By Train:
The Cotswolds are at the heart of the British rail network. Direct trains travel from London Paddington to Moreton-in-Marsh frequently.

 

Arriving By Plane:
Nearest airport: Birmingham Airport (54.1km).

Other nearby airports: Bristol Airport (97.6km), London Heathrow: (164km). From London Heathrow, you can take the Heathrow Express train directly to London Paddington from where you can then take a direct train to Moreton in Marsh

We are happy to arrange private transfers to you starting accommodation, please contact us for futher details.

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Cotswold Journeys offers independent walking tours, walking holidays & hiking vacations throughout The Cotswolds. With so many picturesque villages to discover, where will you walk?