Travelling by train from London Paddington or Reading on 1-8th February 2026? Here’s some important rail travel info for you!

If you’re staying in London and want to take a day trip to the Cotswolds, then we think taking a train to join a Go Cotswolds tour is the best way to go!

Though there are Cotswolds tours which depart directly from London, a lot of your tour (around 4-5 hours of it) will be spent simply driving from London to the Cotswolds and back again. This reduces the amount of time you’ll have IN the Cotswolds, restricts you to only exploring the villages that are nearer to London, and limits the number of places you can explore in a day!

It’s quicker to get to the Cotswolds by train than by road (just 90 mins from London Paddington, 1 hour from Reading). It’s also more environmentally friendly, very relaxing, and wonderfully scenic, passing through beautiful English countryside, not ugly motorways and congested city roads.

There’s a ‘BUT’ coming…!

It’s usually quicker to get to the Cotswolds by train – but if you’re planning a tour with us, from London or Reading, on February 1-8, 2026, there’s some rail travel info you should know…

A rail replacement bus service will operate between Didcot Parkway and Oxford stations – this may affect Go Cotswolds passengers travelling from London Paddington or Reading

Usually, you can take one direct train from London Paddington or Reading and arrive in Moreton-in-Marsh in time for our tour departure time – easy peasy!

However, between February 1st and 8th, part of the rail line between Didcot Parkway and Oxford will be closed. This is because of major engineering works to replace a bridge which crosses the rail line.

If you’re travelling to Moreton-in-Marsh from London Paddington or Reading:

• You’ll need to get off the train at Didcot Parkway and take a rail replacement bus service to Oxford
• At Oxford, you can resume your journey to Moreton-in-Marsh by train.

The rail replacement bus is much slower than the train would be, so please allow at least 1 hour of extra time for your journey to Moreton-in-Marsh.

If you can, we recommend spending the night before your tour in Moreton-in-Marsh (or Stratford-upon-Avon, as we can also pick you up there), rather than attempting to travel from London on the morning of your tour.

Trains from Oxford are unaffected

Trains are running from Oxford to Moreton-in-Marsh as normal, so if you’re joining a tour with us from Oxford, there’s no need to worry.

Our Cancellation Policy

Our standard cancellation policy is in place (see below). If you have booked a tour direct with us and you would like to transfer your booking to another date, or cancel and receive a refund, then please contact us at least 24 hours before the tour departure.

Get Your Guide/Tripadvisor/Viator/other third-party customers: please refer to your agent’s cancellation policy. The policy below applies only to bookings made direct with Go Cotswolds at www.gocotswolds.co.uk.

If we have to cancel

Very rarely, we may need to cancel a tour or journey you have booked with us. Examples of such occasions might be if a member of our team becomes ill, one of our vehicles breaks down, or if there is dangerous weather (such as heavy snow or very high winds).

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 you need to cancel your place on a small-group tour, then please let us know as soon as possible and at least 24 hours before the start of your tour. 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 full refund

To cancel or amend a private tour or private vehicle hire booking, please give us 14 days notice. Due to the additional administration involved in a private tour, and higher payment service provider fees, there is a £50 cancellation fee (per day, for multi-day hires).

For our full terms and conditions, please click here.