Private tour to the Cotswolds 5 days.
The Cotswolds Green rolling
hills. Ancient tracks. Stately homes. Slow down. Golden-stone villages and
market towns. The new Cotswold Way National Trail. Meadows and woodland. Famous
cottage scenes. Whether its browsing the antique or craft shops or ambling
along the cobbled pedestrian areas, there are many things to do in the romantic
Cotswolds. Karen Brown says: The Cotswolds ...covers famous attractions and idyllic countryside nooks and crannies. In Shakespeare's day this was sheep country and the center of England's wool industry, and was the by-passed by the factories and cities of the Industrial Revolution. Now tourists flock to the Cotswolds and yet the region remains remarkably unspoiled: In fact, it appears to thrive on the attention.
Our tour covers some of our favorite Cotswolds spots.
Day 1 Oxford/Cotswolds
Start your tour in central London or a London area airport. Travel through the English countryside to Oxford, home to the colleges, and the filming location for Harry Potter scenes. Continue to the Cotswolds, a region of one sleepy village after another clad in the local soft-gray limestone or creamy-golden ironstone, where mellow stone walls, manor houses, and churches cluster along river banks, perch on steep-sided hills, or scatter independently in a pocket of a pretty valley. Experience quaint villages, stunning architecture, and delicious food and ales with our knowledgeable driver/guide. Towns like Broadway line your route.
Day 2 The famous gardens are adjacent to the hotel. and Westonbirt Gardens and Arboretum are close by. The Abbey Gardens are the home of ‘THE NAKED GARDENERS’ Ian & Barbara Pollard (dressed for visitors except on pre-arranged ‘clothes optional days’ With over 10,000 different plants this is a ‘must see’ garden for ideas, yet a visit is calming and soothing. There is a special atmosphere, especially in the river gardens and probably the best flower display throughout the seasons that you could find. One visitor recently remarked that, “This is a garden that gives you a hug from the moment you enter and which you leave, slowly, with a smile on your face.” Westonbirt, The National Arboretum is one of the most spectacular tree gardens in the world. An historical collection of over 3,000 different trees and shrub species many of which are rare or endangered in their native lands. Covering six hundred acres, the arboretum is an inspiring place to relax, get back to nature and indulge your senses.
BOOK THIS TODAY! CALL LYNOTT TOURS 9AM-5PM MONDAY-FRIDAY AT 1-800-221-2474
Day 3 Devon & Cornwall The fictional village in Doc Martin is actually filmed in Port Isaac, overlooking the bay in Devon. Twelfth-century charm, a mix of higgly piggly buildings and shops combine for some beautiful scenery, tiny laneways, fishermen tending to their crab and lobster pots are all reminders of its fictional counterpart, Portwenn. Continue to Bodmin Moor, a granite moorland in northeastern Cornwall. Dramatic tors rise above the megalithic monuments, hut circles and cairns, and the Bronze Age stone circles and stone rows.
Day 4 Lacock & Castle Combe- The mellow stone villages of Lacock (Hogwarts School in Harry Potter), Castle Combe and Bradford on Avon have a charm all their own. Lacock Village, a charming rural village untouched by modern development, dating back to the 13th-century, remains largely unchanged. It has many limewashed, half-timbered and stone houses. During the Middle Ages Lacock became a prosperous and thriving town through its wool industry. The village was well placed for communications, sited as it was on the 'cloth road' from London and the River Avon.
Castle Combe has been called 'The Prettiest Village in England' and with good reason. Visitors have been coming to enjoy its charms for at least a century, and the small street leading from the Market Cross down to the By Brook is a picturesque today as is ever was. Originally it was a British hill fort which became occupied by the Romans due to its proximity to The Fosse Way. After the Romans, came the Normans, who built the fort up into a Castle. By the Middle Ages the village in the valley had become an important centre for the wool industry. The spinsters and weavers lived in the cottages (hence names such as "Weaver’s House") and the river, still known as By Brook, provided the power to run the mills. In more recent times the village has played host to many filming activities, the most famous of these being ‘Doctor Doolittle’ filmed in and around the village in 1966.
The ancient stone circles and long barrows of Avebury are not far away and there is great shopping within thirty minutes at Bath and Swindon Designer Outlet. Avebury is a world-famous stone circle at the heart of a prehistoric landscape. Archaeological finds are displayed in on-site museum. It is a World Heritage Site - One of Europe's largest prehistoric stone circles. Say goodby this evening to your driver guide back at the airport or the center of London
Price Includes:
- Deluxe private car/minicoach transportation
- Driver/guide throughout
- First-class accommodations for 4 nights; room with private bath
- 4 breakfasts (B)
- All taxes and service charges
- Sightseeing admissions at added cost
- Special Features: Scenic highlights
BOOK THIS TODAY! CALL LYNOTT TOURS 9AM-5PM
MONDAY-FRIDAY AT 1-800-221-2474
Questions? Call Lynott Tours at 1 (800) 221-2474 USA Canada; 01 516 248 2042 ELSEWHERE Please
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