Frequently Asked Questions

We will pick you up, at no extra cost, from the following locations:

• Anywhere in Stratford-upon-Avon
• Leamington Spa rail station
• Moreton-in-Marsh rail station
• Chipping Campden bus stop (outside the library)

If you would like to be picked up from somewhere that is not on this list, please contact us before making your booking. We will try to accommodate your requests, but it is not always possible, or may incur a surcharge.

Your pick-up time depends on the time of year, your pick-up location and the other guests joining us on the day. Once you have booked your tickets we will contact you with your pick up time. Our Stratford-upon-Avon pick ups generally take place between 9.00am and 9.20am and our train station departure times are usually as follows:

• Leamington Spa - 8.40am (Wednesdays & Fridays), 9.00am (Sundays)
• Stratford-upon-Avon - 9.00am (Wednesdays & Fridays only)
• Moreton-in-Marsh - 9.45am (Wednesdays & Fridays), 10.00am (Sundays)

But, as mentioned above, we will contact you with your specific pick up time when you book. If you are arriving from outside of the area to join the tour we do try and be flexible to meet train times but this is not always possible and pick-up times are always subject to change.

At the end of the tour, we will drop you off at the same place we picked you up. We can also drop you off anywhere along the tour route, at Moreton-in-Marsh station, or at any of our free pick-up locations (see FAQ above) if you prefer.

If you would like to be dropped off somewhere outside of our normal radius, please contact us before making your booking. We will try to accommodate your requests, but it is not always possible, or may incur a surcharge.

The tour lasts approximately 7-8 hours – departing Stratford-upon-Avon at approximately 9.30am returning at approximately 5pm.

Our day tour of the Cotswolds visits a selection of beautiful towns, villages and beauty spots in what we think is the best part of the Cotswolds! We stop at Dover’s Hill, Chipping Campden, Broadway Tower, Stow-on-the-Wold, Bibury and Bourton-on-the-Water. We also visit a secret off-the-beaten-track Cotswolds village, but you’ll have to join us on a tour to find out about this one!

Yes you do! This is a big part of our tours. Our job is to point you in the direction of the best bits of the Cotswolds so you can go and experience them for yourselves, spending as little time in the minibus as possible! We spend about 20-25 minutes At Dover’s Hill, Broadway Tower, Bibury and the secret Cotswolds village where your driver/guide will stay with you and tell you a few things about these locations. At Bourton-on-the-Water you have approximately 30 minutes of free time to walk around, and at Chipping Campden and Stow-on-the-Wold, where you have over an hour in each town, your driver/guide will give you a map with a list of recommended things that you might like to see and do.

No. The journeys between destinations are quite short so your driver/guide will provide history, facts, stories and folklore at the various stops throughout the day instead. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving safely, and gives you the opportunity to soak up the scenery and get to know your fellow Go Cotswolders between stops.

Our minibus does not have an additional luggage storage facility and we are not permitted to block the aisles or exits with luggage. As such all personal items you choose to bring with you will need to be stored at your feet or on your lap when the vehicle is in motion. At the various stops throughout the day you're welcome to leave any personal items on your seat on the minibus. If you wish to travel with bigger bags we do try to be as accommodating as possible and we're always happy to use unoccupied seats to store luggage if they are available. However, this cannot be guaranteed so please ask us before you book your tickets or travel to join the tour! If we are unable to carry your luggage with us on the tour we'll help to try and come up with a suitable solution for you to enable you to join the tour.

We recommend you check out the weather forecast on the morning of your tour and dress appropriately. If it is raining, a raincoat or umbrella would be advised - we do have some umbrellas on board the minibus in case of unexpected showers! Contrary to popular belief, we do sometimes get some sun in England, so if it's sunny then make sure to bring sunscreen! Comfortable footwear is recommended as the tour involves some walking both on pavements and grass, but you won't need special hiking/walking boots.

No. So that we can keep the cost of the tour low, we do not provide lunch or refreshments. We make several stops throughout the day where there are shops, cafes and restaurants where you can purchase drinks, snacks and meals. You are also welcome to bring your own food and drink, we just ask that you don't bring hot food and drinks on board the minibus.

Yes, of course! Lunch and refreshments are not included in the price of the tour, so you may either purchase snacks or meals during one of our stops, or bring your own food and drink with you for a picnic. We only ask that you don't carry or consume hot food and drinks on board the minibus (it can be tricky to clean up spills, plus the smell can make some people feel unwell!), and to take all your litter with you or put it in a litter bin.

A pub lunch IS included in the price of our Purity Brewery & Cotswolds Pub Tour, but you're also welcome to bring or purchase other snacks. We highly recommend visiting the Purity Brewery shop!

There are public toilets (with baby changing facilities) available in Chipping Campden, Stow-on-the-Wold and Bourton-on-the-Water. These are well signposted, but please ask your driver/guide for directions if you need them. We arrive in Chipping Campden approximately one hour after leaving Stratford-upon-Avon, Stow-on-the-Wold approximately 90 minutes after leaving Chipping Campden and Bourton-on-the-Water is approximately 90 minutes before we arrive back in Stratford-upon-Avon. Please note that you need a 20p piece to use the public toilet in Stow-on-the-Wold. If you purchase food or drinks from a cafe or restaurant you can also use their toilet.

On our Purity Brewery & Cotswolds Pub Tour, toilets are available at Purity Brewery, and public and pub toilets are available at each of the stops on the tour.

This depends on the child! Children and babies of all ages have enjoyed a Go Cotswolds Day Tour, especially at the model village in Bourton-on-the-Water and pretending to be King of the Castle at Broadway Tower. However, we do not specifically entertain children, so you will be the best judge as to whether your child will enjoy themselves on this type of sightseeing trip.

Babies and children under the age of 3 may travel free of charge, though you must tell us at the time of booking if you will be bringing small children with you. If a seat is available on the minibus, small children may use it, but a child ticket must be purchased to guarantee the use of a seat; otherwise small children should sit on their parent/guardian's lap.

If you intend to bring a child's buggy or pram/stroller, please contact us before booking so we can advise if there will be room on the minibus. We do not have a trailer or other means of carrying lots of luggage. We usually reserve one seat for the purpose of storing a small amount of luggage or child's equipment, but this is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Baby changing facilities are available in public toilets at the towns and villages we visit, and you are more than welcome to feed your baby on board the minibus.

Please note that our Purity Brewery & Cotswolds Pub Tours are strictly for adults over the age of 18 only. Children under the age of 18 will not be permitted to travel or take part in this tour, and ID may required if you look under the age of 25.

It certainly is! In fact, this is a very popular option, you just need to plan ahead a little. Unless you have your own vehicle, in which case we will advise you to meet us in Stratford-upon-Avon, the best way is to take a train as we provide free pick-ups from Stratford-upon-Avon, Leamington Spa and Moreton-in-Marsh rail stations. For our Cotswolds Day Tour you can take a train from Birmingham to Leamington Spa or Stratford-upon-Avon rail station, from London you can take a train to either Leamington Spa, Stratford-upon-Avon or Moreton-in-Marsh and from Oxford you can catch the train to Moreton-in-Marsh. We can then drop you off where we picked you up from at the end of the tour! For more information on joining a Cotswolds tour from London, Oxford or Birmingham read our blog post www.gocotswolds.co.uk/blog/joining-a-go-cotswolds-tour-from-london-oxford-or-birmingham/

Yes we do! From the 3rd of May 2017 all of our Cotswolds Day Tours will visit the village once described by poet William Morris as 'the most beautiful in England'. The tour stops at Bibury for 20 minutes where you'll have the chance to visit Arlington Row - arguably the most famous row of cottages in the Cotswolds - and stroll alongside the river Colne. Bibury is a very pretty village but we actually think the 'secret' off-the-beaten-track Cotswolds village which we visit earlier in the day is prettier - you can decide for yourself and tell us what you think after we've visited them both on the tour!

You can find our terms and conditions by visiting www.gocotswolds.co.uk/terms.

Yes, because this tour is all about sampling some of the wonderful local alcoholic beverages our region has to offer, the Purity Brewery and Cotswolds Pub Tour is strictly for adults over the age of 18 only. Children under 18 will not be permitted to travel on this tour at any time.

If you are, or look, under the age of 25, we strongly recommend that you bring a piece of valid, government-issued photographic identification, which clearly shows your face and your date of birth. For UK residents, we recommend you bring either your passport or photocard driving license, and for international visitors we recommend you bring your passport. According to UK law, children under the age of 18 are not permitted to drink or buy alcohol, so many licensed premises and shops operate a 'Challenge 25' policy. This means that if a vendor thinks you are, or look, under the age of 25, they may ask you for ID and refuse to serve or sell you alcohol if you are unable to provide it.

Please note that vendors may also refuse to serve or sell alcohol to anyone over the age of 18 if they suspect you are purchasing it for someone under 18, or for someone who has been unable to provide valid ID.

Yes! The ticket price of this tour includes a delicious lunch and a drink (either a pint of Purity ale or a soft drink) at one of our favourite local pubs. There are always at least two vegetarian options on the menu, and we can also cater for other special dietary needs if you let us know in advance. Of course, you're welcome to bring or buy other snacks throughout the day as well.

It certainly is! In fact, this is a very popular option, you just need to plan ahead a little. Unless you have you're own vehicle, in which case we will advise you to meet us in Stratford-upon-Avon, the best way is to take a train. For the Purity Brewery & Cotswolds Pub Tour on Saturdays, you can take a train from London or Birmingham to Warwick Parkway rail station and we will pick you up and drop you off from there. Contact us for more information or visit our Purity Brewery and Cotswolds pub tour page.

We regret that we have no lifts or ramps so our minibus is not suitable for wheelchair users who are unable to get out of their wheelchair. However, we do have grab rails and a portable step to help people with mobility problems to get in and out of the minibus safely. If you need to bring a collapsible wheelchair, please contact us before booking to make sure we have room for it. We do not have room for non-collapsible wheelchairs. Please see our Access Statement.for more details.

Every seat on the Go Cotswolds minibus is fitted with a seatbelt and every passenger is required by law to wear it at all times when the vehicle is in motion - we have plenty of signs inside the bus to remind you!

In terms of fastening and wearing seatbelts, UK law says that:

• Children under the age of 14 are the responsibility of their accompanying adult, parent or guardian.
• Children under the age of 3 should use an appropriate child restraint, or travel on a parent/guardian's lap where restraints are not available.
• Children aged 3–11 and who are less than 1.35 metres (4 ft 5 in) should use an appropriate child restraint, or use the seatbelt provided where restraints are not available.
• Children aged 12 and 13, or younger children who are taller than 1.35 metres should use the seatbelt provided.
• Children and adults aged 14 and over are responsible for themselves and should wear the seatbelt provided.

Please note that Go Cotswolds does not provide child restraints or booster seats and is not required by law to do so. If you wish to bring your own booster seat or child restraints, then you may use them, but it's up to you to know how to use them properly!

Smoking is not allowed at any time while on board the minibus. According to UK law, adults over the age of 18 may smoke in outdoor public spaces (unless there are signs stating otherwise) and in designated outdoor smoking areas in pubs, bars and restaurants. Please be mindful of other people who may not appreciate your smoke. Always ensure your cigarette is completely extinguished before disposing of it in a litter or designated cigarette bin. Littering, including throwing cigarette butts on the floor, is an offence.

Lots of people mistakenly think that 'Cotswold', or 'The Cotswolds' is a single town or village in the English countryside. In fact, The Cotswolds is England’s largest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), a region covering over 850 square miles (1250 square km), which stretches in a southwesterly direction from just outside Stratford-upon-Avon to the city of Bath. It’s a range of rolling hills filled with over a hundred picture postcard villages made of honey-coloured Cotswolds stone that haven’t changed in hundreds of years. It’s the English countryside you see in the movies and can’t be beaten! Find out more by joining us on a tour!

Go Cotswolds tours are conducted in English only. A future project is to translate some of our literature into other languages, but currently our guide only speaks English.

You have a number of options. We recommend that you pay for your tour in advance using the secure, online payment system on our booking page.. Tickets are removed from online sale at 6pm the day before a tour, so after this time please call us to check availability. If you would prefer to pay by cash or card on the day, we are happy to reserve seats for you, but please note that this is done in good faith – if you do need to cancel, please give us at least 48 hours’ notice so we can make your seats available to other visitors.

For private hire and speciality tours please get in touch and we will be able to provide you with a quote and details of how you can pay. A non-refundable deposit is required for all group and private hire bookings. Use the contact form on our website, contact us on (+44) (0)7786 920166 or email info@gocotswolds.co.uk.

No, not for our Cotswolds Day Tours. We’re travellers ourselves and have always been frustrated by tour companies' “minimum required to operate” policies, so when we formed Go Cotswolds we said we’d always run a tour irrespective of whether we have 1 or 16 people in the minibus. As we're a small family-run business, there are a few occasions when we might not operate a tour as scheduled, but we put all of our tour dates online at least 4 months in advance which will allow you to plan your travels.

Because of the collaboration we have with Purity Brewery, our Purity Brewery & Cotswolds Pub Tours do require a minimum of 6 passengers to operate. In the event that this minimum number is not reached, we will always let you know well in advance.

Yes to all three! You can find the links to our social media profiles in the grey bar at the top of the page. We're always adding pictures, information, news and competitions to our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages so please follow us or give us a like and when you're on a tour please share your pictures with us by using the hashtag #GoCotswolds!