Cotswolds Day Trip from Stratford: Quiet Villages & Stone Circle

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/21

Duration8h

GroupUp to 16

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Drive the Cotswolds' quieter roads and find villages most tourists never reach

You're collected from either Stratford-upon-Avon or Moreton-in-Marsh and driven through quiet Cotswold countryside to five villages and a 4,000-year-old stone circle. The tour covers admission to the Rollright Stones, provides a souvenir booklet with maps and photos, and includes a local guide who knows the back roads and the stories behind them. You get eight hours of stops and driving without arranging transport or timing yourself — the minibus returns you by early evening.

Step-by-step itinerary

The Experience

You're picked up at 8:50 from Shakespeare's Birthplace Coach Terminal in Stratford-upon-Avon, or at 9:30 from Moreton-in-Marsh rail station if you've taken the train in. The minibus is spacious, white with green and purple Go Cotswolds branding — you won't miss it. From there, the driver heads into the Cotswolds proper, and the first 15 minutes are just countryside rolling past the windows. No motorway, no crowds. The group stays under 16 people, which means you're not herding through a coach full of strangers.

The Rollright Stones come first — the Cotswolds' own standing stone circle, smaller than Stonehenge but older and far less mobbed. The admission is a £2 donation per person, which the tour covers for you. You get out, walk around the stones, and the guide shares the local myths and legends while you take in the panoramic views across the farmland. After that, it's a 40-minute scenic drive through the countryside made famous by Clarkson's Farm — you pass through the farmland but don't stop at the farm shop itself (the queues are hours long). Instead, you stop in Burford, a vibrant market town where you can photograph the classic Cotswold cottages, grab a homemade cake, and wander the high street for a bit.

Then comes Guiting Power, which the tour calls the real secret — a remote, unspoilt village where you can sit in the local pub or grab one of David Beckham's favourite sausage rolls from the local shop. It's the kind of place that feels like it hasn't changed much in decades. Broadway comes next, the "Jewel in the Cotswolds Crown," with art galleries and independent shops. Finally, Stanton, which is regularly voted one of the most beautiful villages in the Cotswolds — quiet, charming, and the kind of place you'd want to sit on a bench and just be for a while. The whole day is 8 hours total, including all the driving between stops. You're back at Moreton-in-Marsh by 5pm, or Stratford by 5:30pm. If you started in Stratford and want to stay on in the Cotswolds, the minibus has plenty of luggage space, so you can drop off in Moreton-in-Marsh instead and pick up your bag later.

What’s included

Your day includes pickup from Shakespeare's Birthplace Coach Terminal in Stratford-upon-Avon at 8:50am or Moreton-in-Marsh rail station at 9:30am, admission to the Rollright Stones with the donation covered, a souvenir booklet with maps and photos, and eight hours of travel in a comfortable 16-seater Mercedes minibus with a friendly local guide who shares stories and history along the way. Luggage space is available on board.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Go Cotswolds - Guided Tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see the Cotswolds without fighting crowds at the famous spots — the small group size and the focus on quieter villages mean you get the real countryside instead of the postcard version, and the fixed schedule takes the planning off your hands.