FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions about Go Cotswolds

Do you have questions about Go Cotswolds or one of our tours? You may find the answer here. If not, please send us a message via our contact form or e-mail info@gocotswolds.co.uk and we’ll be happy to help! We aim to respond within 48 hours.

  • Accessibility: Are your tours suitable for people with disabilities?
  • Cancellations: What is your cancellation policy?
  • Children: Are your tours suitable for children?
  • Cotswolds: What is/are the Cotswolds?
  • COVID-19: What are your COVID-19 policies and procedures?
  • Discount codes: Do you have any active discount codes?
  • Food and drink: Is lunch included in the tour?
  • Gift vouchers: I have a gift voucher code but it doesn’t work – what do I do?
  • Luggage: Can I bring my luggage on a Go Cotswolds tour?
  • Minimum numbers: Is there a minimum number of passengers required for the tour to take place?
  • Pets: Can I bring my dog?
  • Pick-up/drop-off: Can you pick me up at one pick-up point and drop me off at another?
  • Tips: Are tips included? Should I tip my guide?
  • Timings: What time does the tour start/end?
  • Trains: How do I join a tour by train?
  • Wait list: How do I join a wait list for a tour that is fully booked?

What is your cancellation policy?

Note: the policies below apply only to bookings made directly with Go Cotswolds at www.gocotswolds.co.uk. If you book using a third-party agent such as Tripadvisor, Viator, Get Your Guide or one of their partners, please refer to the cancellation policy of the agency you used.

If we have to cancel

There may be times when we are forced to cancel one or more of our tours. Examples might be regional or national health restrictions that mean we cannot run our business, if a member of our team becomes ill, or if our vehicle breaks down.

If we have to cancel your tour or journey, we will contact you at the earliest opportunity and offer you:

  • A transfer to a future available date, or
  • A gift voucher to the value of your purchase (so you can rebook a future available date at your convenience), or
  • A full refund

If you need to cancel

If, for any reason, you need to cancel your place on a small-group tour, please let us know, giving us at least 24 hours notice. In line with our usual Terms and Conditions, we will offer you:

  • A transfer to a future available date, or
  • A gift voucher to the value of your purchase (so you can rebook a future available date at your convenience), or
  • A refund

No-shows or cancellations with less than 24 hours notice given will not be eligible for a refund. We are more than happy to provide any receipts or documentation you may require to support a travel insurance claim.

To cancel or amend a private tour or private vehicle hire booking, a 14-day notice period is required, and a £50 cancellation fee (per day, for multi-day hires) applies. [Back to top]

Are your tours suitable for children?

As parents/guardians, you should consider whether your child will enjoy the day and/or affect the enjoyment of other passengers.

  • Cotswolds in a Day & Secret Cotswolds tour: Children aged 3-15 are welcome on these tours, but you must purchase a child ticket for them, and they must sit in their own seat – we do not allow children to be held or to sit on an adult’s lap. We’re really sorry, we do not allow children under 3 on our small group tours. Please ask us before booking if you have any questions.
  • Cotswolds Walks and Villages tour: Children aged 3-15 must have a child ticket and be seated in their own seat, as described above. However, since this tour involves countryside walks of varying distances, we do not advise this tour for children under the age of 8. It is not suitable for buggies/prams/strollers. We’re really sorry, we do not allow children under 3 on our small group tours. Please ask us before booking if you have any questions. [Back to top]
  • Private tours: Children of all ages are welcome on our private tours, though must be accompanied by an adult. For private tours only, we will allow children under the age of 3, and they may be held on an adult’s lap as long as the maximum number of passengers is not exceeded (16). However, we strongly prefer that children under the age of 3 are seated in a child’s car seat, which you should provide. We do not provide children’s car seats. All passengers over the age of 3 must be seated in their own seat.

What is/are the Cotswolds?

The Cotswolds (singular) is the largest designated ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ (AONB) in England. Covering an area of around 800 square miles (~2000 square kilometres) and including approximately 150 small towns and villages (“the Cotswolds”, plural), it encompasses roughly the area between Stratford-upon-Avon to the north, Cheltenham to the west, Oxford to the east and Bath to the south. Famed for the honey-coloured Cotswold stone from which many of the region’s buildings are made, the Cotswolds is also characterised by its rich history, traditions, and beautiful countryside landscape. Find out more by joining one of our tours! [Back to top]

What are your COVID-19 policies and procedures?

COVID-19 restrictions have ended in England. We operate at our full capacity of up to 16 people per vehicle, and it is your choice to wear a face covering, or not. We continue to review our risk assessment in line with Government advice.

Click here to read our full Covid-19 procedures and policies. [Back to top]

Are your tours suitable for people with disabilities?

We can accommodate people with most disabilities, including visual impairment and mobility issues. However, we regret that our minibuses are not wheelchair accessible, so our tours are not suitable for wheelchair users who are unable to get in and out of a wheelchair. Please see our Access Statement for more information, and if you have any questions, please just ask us.

Our Cotswolds Walks & Villages tour is not suitable for wheelchair users, or people with mobility issues. While the terrain is fairly flat and not difficult for most people, you will need to be able to climb over stiles (wooden or stone steps in a fence or wall), and cattle grids (metal railings laid over a pit intended to prevent cattle escaping from farmers’ fields). Please ask before booking if you have any questions. [Back to top]

Do you have any discount codes?

Our tours are already such great value that we rarely publish discount codes. If and when we do, we’ll list them on this web page: Find a Go Cotswolds discount code, and if you subscribe to our newsletter, you’ll be the first to know about any offers and promotions.

We don’t offer concession rates for seniors or students. [Back to top]

Is lunch included in the tour?

No. To keep our tours affordable, and to give you the freedom to choose how to spend your free time during the tour, food and drinks are not included in the price of the tour.

On our Cotswolds in a Day tour, around lunchtime, we spend around 1 hour 10 minutes in the market town of Stow-on-the-Wold. For the Secret Cotswolds tour and Cotswolds Walks & Villages tour, we spend approximately 1 hour 15 minutes in the village of Broadway. Stow-on-the-Wold and Broadway each have numerous dining options, from take-away and sandwiches to pub meals and fine dining. On each of these tours, there are plenty of opportunities to purchase drinks and snacks at other times, too.

At the lunch stop, if you want to have enough time to explore properly, as well as eat lunch, we suggest you choose a grab-and-go option or a quicker service café meal (we’ll give you some great recommendations on the day!). You can even bring your own picnic. If you prefer to enjoy a pub or restaurant meal, then be aware that this will not leave you with much time to explore the location as well.

For private tours, we usually do not include food or drink, though we are happy to make recommendations and reservations if required. For groups of more than 6, you will usually need to pre-book, pre-order, and sometimes pay a non-refundable deposit too.

We encourage you to bring your own refillable water bottle or coffee cup. Many of the cafes in the Cotswolds offer a small discount if you bring your own coffee cup, and most shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants will be more than happy to fill your water bottle for free, if you ask. [Back to top]

I have a gift voucher code but it doesn’t work – what do I do?

During COVID-19 lockdown, we spent some time upgrading our website and booking system. During this process, it appears that some of the voucher codes we issued were lost – oops! But don’t worry! Please contact us quoting your voucher code number and we can reinstate it for you.

If you have a gift voucher for our Brewery, Pub Lunch & The Cotswolds tour, please note that this tour has now been discontinued. You are welcome to use the voucher as payment towards any of our other small-group tours. Please contact us if you have any questions about this. [Back to top]

Can I bring my luggage on a Go Cotswolds tour?

Yes! Our minibuses have a luggage compartment, so we can usually accommodate luggage, including large suitcases, foldable wheelchairs, walkers and strollers. Please let us know if you are bringing a LOT of luggage though!

Small handbags, coats and other small personal items may be kept inside the minibus, either at your feet or on the overhead shelf. All luggage and personal items are your responsibility and Go Cotswolds cannot be held responsible for any loss, theft or damage. [Back to top]

Is there a minimum number of passengers required for the tour to take place?

We love direct bookings! So, if you book direct at www.gocotswolds.co.uk, then we will honour your booking – even if you’re the only person booked on that tour. We might ask if you can move to a different date, but if you can’t, no problem, your tour will go ahead.

However, we cannot offer this guarantee if you book through a third-party agent, such as Tripadvisor, Viator or Get Your Guide (but why would you want to do that, when it’s always better to book at gocotswolds.co.uk?!). [Back to top]

Can I bring my dog?

With the exception of guide/assistance dogs, we do not allow dogs or other pets on our vehicles. This is for the safety, comfort and enjoyment of our other guests and staff. [Back to top]

Can you pick me up at one pick-up point and drop me off at another?

Yes! For our small group tours, we offer free collection from Stratford-upon-Avon and Moreton-in-Marsh. We are more than happy to pick you up at one of these locations, and drop you off at another. If you need to bring luggage, no problem! We have a large luggage compartment to store your bags during the tour. [Back to top]

Are tips included? Should I tip my guide?

Tips and gratuities are not included in the price of your tour.

As we say here in the UK, tips are “always appreciated, but never expected”. At Go Cotswolds, we pay our guides well and consider them part of our family business, so they don’t rely on tips to make a living. Our guides won’t be offended if you don’t tip, but if you enjoyed your tour, then of course a tip to show your appreciation will always be welcomed!

If you would like to tip your guide but don’t have any cash, you can ‘buy a coffee’ or two online by clicking this link here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/gocotswolds. If you would like your tip to go to a specific person, then please mention their name in your message, otherwise tips will be shared between the members of our small team.

Please note, when you book one of our tours on our website, you will have the option to add a donation to the Caring for the Cotswolds scheme. This is a charitable donation, which we match-fund and send to the Cotswolds National Landscape to fund conservation and heritage projects in the Cotswolds. It is not a tip or gratuity. [Back to top]

What time does the tour start/end?

Our Cotswolds in a Day, Secret Cotswolds and Cotswolds Walks & Villages tours all start at 08.50 at Stratford-upon-Avon, and 09.30 at Moreton-in-Marsh.

Our tours end at approximately 17.00 at Moreton-in-Marsh, and at approximately 17.30 at Stratford-upon-Avon.

Although we often arrive at Moreton-in-Marsh in time for the train departing just before 17.00, we cannot guarantee to return by these times. There are many factors that might cause us to be delayed, including traffic, weather and late passengers. Likewise, if there is very little traffic and the tour has flowed smoothly, we may arrive at Moreton-in-Marsh a little early – we’ll always give you as much time at each stop as possible, so please don’t be disappointed!

If you are travelling by train after the tour, we recommend you book a flexible train ticket that allows you to take any return train, and/or plan to depart from Moreton-in-Marsh after 17.00, or Stratford-upon-Avon after 17.30. [Back to top]

How do I join a tour by train?

If there are known problems with the rail line, such as station closures or diversions, we will update this page with advice. For information on rail strikes, please see this page. Otherwise….

From Birmingham: take a train from Birmingham Snow Hill or Birmingham Moor Street to Stratford-upon-Avon train station (note: NOT Stratford-upon-Avon Parkway station). Our pick up point at Shakespeare’s Birthplace Coach Terminal is less than a 10 minute walk from Stratford-upon-Avon train station (click here for walking directions on Google Maps). Please ensure you take a train that gives you enough time to walk from the station to the Coach Terminal and be ready to depart from the Coach Terminal by 08.50.

From London: take a direct train from London Paddington station to Moreton-in-Marsh station.

From Reading: take a direct train from Reading station to Moreton-in-Marsh station.

From Oxford: take a direct train from Oxford station to Moreton-in-Marsh station.

Our pick up point is right outside Moreton-in-Marsh station, and it will only take 1-2 minutes to walk from the train to the car park out front, which is where your guide will meet you.

To plan journeys from other UK train stations, or check train times and fares, please use National Rail Enquiries.

To find out how to reach London Paddington station from your location in central London, use the Transport for London Journey Planner.

To purchase advance train tickets, we recommend The Trainline*. [Back to top]

How do I join a wait list for a tour that is fully booked?

  1. Go to www.gocotswolds.co.uk, select your tour and click the green ‘Book Now’ button
  2. On the next screen, select the number of adult/child tickets you require, then enter your name, email address and telephone number. Choose the sold-out date on our calendar and select a time slot.
  3. Click the ‘Join wait list’ button.

If we receive any cancellations or open up extra availability for this tour, then you will receive an automatic email notification with an invitation to book on a first-come first-served basis.[Back to top]

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