Cotswolds Day Tour from Oxford: Broadway Tower & Stone Villages

A Local's Route Through the Cotswolds: Seven Villages, One Driver, All Day

You spend the day in a private car with Johnnie, your driver, visiting seven villages and Broadway Tower across the Cotswolds. The route includes time to explore Chipping Campden's wool church and high street, walk to Broadway Tower for the view, photograph Snowhill and Lower Slaughter, and stop for lunch or a cream tea wherever you choose. Bottled water is provided, and the flexible stops mean you're not watching the clock. You're watching the countryside.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Cotswold villages and towns

• Drive from Moreton-in-Marsh to Blockley
• Pass through Broad Campden village
• Visit Chipping Campden wool church and shops
• Walk to Broadway Tower viewpoint
• Stop and wander in Snowhill village
• Drive to Broadway for lunch and shopping
• Pass through Longborough and nearby villages
• Explore Lower Slaughter village and watermill
• Visit Bourton-on-the-Water and footbridges
• Drive to Stow-on-the-Wold town square
• Return to Moreton-in-Marsh or agreed location

The Experience

Johnnie's been driving these lanes for thirty years, and it shows the moment you leave Moreton-in-Marsh. The car winds through Bourton-on-the-Hill toward Blockley, a village that looks like someone froze it in the 1700s when silk spinning kept the place alive. He points out the old mill buildings without needing to check a script, mentions the BBC series that filmed here, and you realize this isn't a recited tour. It's someone talking about where he lives. The route is designed to keep you moving without feeling rushed, which matters because the Cotswolds rewards lingering.

By mid-morning you're in Chipping Campden, where the wool trade built everything you see. The high street is lined with independent shops and cafés, and there's time to wander into the wool church and actually look at it instead of photographing the entrance. Then comes the climb to Broadway Tower. You park at the visitor center and walk up to the tower itself, where the view spreads out across the countryside in a way that photographs never quite capture. After that, Snowhill appears almost too perfect, the kind of village people drive an hour out of their way to find, and then you're in Broadway itself with its 13th-century church and more shops and pubs than you'd expect in a place this small.

The afternoon takes you through the villages most people miss (Longborough, Lower Swell, Upper Slaughter) before stopping at Lower Slaughter, where a stream runs past cottages and an old watermill. It's the kind of place where you understand why the Cotswolds became what it is. Then Bourton-on-the-Water, famous for the River Windrush cutting through the center with five footbridges, and finally Stow-on-the-Wold, the highest town in the region, with its large square full of independent shops and cafés. The day ends back at Moreton-in-Marsh station or wherever you've arranged, and you've seen the Cotswolds the way someone who actually knows it would show you.

What’s included

• Your day includes a private car with local driver Johnnie, bottled water, and stops at Blockley, Chipping Campden, Broadway Tower, Snowhill, Broadway, Lower Slaughter, Bourton-on-the-Water, and Stow-on-the-Wold.
• You have time to explore each village, visit shops and cafés, and stop for lunch or a cream tea.
• Entry fees to attractions and meals are separate.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by The Cotswold Tour Co.

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see the Cotswolds without driving yourself or following a fixed schedule: Johnnie's thirty years in the region means you get the route a local would take, and the private car lets you linger in villages instead of keeping pace with a group.

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Top questions

How long is the Cotswolds tour?

The tour runs a full day. Exact duration depends on where you start and end, but it covers seven villages and multiple stops from morning through late afternoon.

Is this tour private or shared?

It's private. You and your group travel alone with Johnnie in the car: no other travelers are added.

What's included in the tour?

Bottled water is provided. Entry to Broadway Tower and other attractions, meals, and shopping are at your own cost, but the route is designed with stops where you can eat, visit pubs, or browse shops.

Can I choose where to stop or how long to stay?

Yes. The itinerary shows the main villages and attractions, but Johnnie works with you on timing and can adjust stops based on your interests.

Is there time for lunch?

Yes. Broadway and Bourton-on-the-Water both have cafés, pubs, and restaurants, and the tour includes breaks for a meal or cream tea.

Can I visit Broadway Tower?

You stop at Broadway Tower and walk to it from the visitor center. Entry to the tower itself is separate and at your own cost.

Is this tour suitable for children?

Yes. Infants can travel in a pram or stroller, and small children can sit on an adult's lap. The tour is suitable for all fitness levels, though there is walking at each village stop.

Where does the tour start and end?

It typically starts and ends at Moreton-in-Marsh train station, but you can arrange a different start or end point.