Day 1: Morning departure from North Wales and travel to our hotel in Chipping Norton for a 4-night stay. Upon arrival take time to settle in and relax before your evening meal.
Day 2: Today we follow in the footsteps of the Bard with a visit to Stratford-upon-Avon. Enjoy a few hours at leisure to explore the town. There’s plenty to do, discover more about Shakespeare’s life with a visit to his birthplace in the centre of town which provides an insight into what shaped the great man. Visit Anne Hathaway’s Cottage or his final resting place at Holy Trinity Church.
Day 3: Today we travel to Oxford, City of Spires, famous the world over with its exquisite architecture. Enjoy time at leisure in this majestic university city. There are numerous attractions to visit including museums or the Oxford Botanic Garden. Alternatively, join the coach for a visit to Blenheim Palace, the magnificent home of the Dukes of Marlborough and the birthplace and resting place of Sir Winston Churchill (admission extra). On our return we take a scenic drive through the Oxfordshire Cotswolds to enjoy the picturesque landscape and villages.
Day 4: After breakfast, we take one of the classic English tours around the villages and small market towns of the Gloucestershire Cotswolds. The area, which is centred on the Cotswold Hills, is best known for the famous Cotswold stone. We visit Stow-on-the-Wold, perhaps the best known of the small Cotswolds towns, it is the highest of the Cotswold towns standing exposed on 800 feet high Stow Hill at a junction of seven major roads, including the Roman Fosse Way. Take time to visit the Stow-on-the-Wold Farmers Market, which runs on the 2nd Thursday of each month. Another highlight is the ‘Little Venice’ of the Cotswolds, Bourton-on-the-Water, which is regularly voted one of the prettiest villages in England, with gently flowing River Windrush running through the centre of the village and crossed by attractive little bridges.
Day 5: We depart our hotel and return to the Gloucestershire Cotswolds to the village of Broadway, often referred to as the ‘Jewel of the Cotswolds’. The pretty tree-lined High Street includes a mixture of period houses and picturesque honey-coloured Cotswold stone cottages. After some time at leisure, we make the return journey to North Wales.