This iconic trip includes the World Heritage sites of Stonehenge, Bath and Blenheim Palace and a stunning journey from Oxford to Stratford on Avon through the Cotswolds. Starting in the historic university city of Oxford you visit many of the best loved villages and valleys that have made the Cotswolds so memorable. See Chipping Campden, the Slaughters, Bibury, and Tetbury as you ride through the Windrush and Coln valleys. Stay overnight in Stratford on Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare and if you wish enjoy one of his plays at the theatre. Absorb the Roman influence in Cirencester, the film backdrop of Lacock and the engineering feat of the Kennet and Avon Canal. In just 10 days, this tour encapsulates so many of England's historic landmarks - no mean feat!



Holiday details

Price

Classic

from £2,760 per person

Luxury

from £3,885 per person

Based on two people sharing a room

What’s included?

Personal guided tour of Stonehenge and a transfer to Salisbury station at the end of your trip. Dinner on your last night.  See what’s included as standard

Duration

9 nights

Start & Finish

Luxury tour starts Wednesdays, classic tour starts Saturdays from Oxford. Finishes Salisbury station

Hotels

Classic

Accommodation includes small hotels, three inns, and a tea room

Luxury

3, 4 and 5 star hotels, two country pubs, two boutique hotels and a National Trust village inn

Holiday type

Self-guided

This tour is priced without a guide and you are free to explore on your own.  If you would like a guide for part or all of your trip, we are happy to provide a knowledgeable, local guide

Activity level

Not so gentle cycling. More info...

Electric bikes

Available

Mileage

8 days of cycling 25 - 41 miles (40 - 66 km) per day

Terrain

Country lanes; up and down rolling hills

Traffic-free

25%, with relatively low traffic on the rest

Options

  • Additional nights in Oxford
  • Extend your holiday and return to Oxford by taking our grand tour
  • For a gentler version of this tour, look at Shakespeare country and the Cotswolds, A Cotswold ride to Bath or Valleys of the Cotswolds




Itinerary day-by-day


Classic

  1. 1. Day one

    Oxford

    Arrive in Oxford and check into your hotel located in the heart of the city. Enjoy the treasures of this beautiful city and stroll through the lovely colleges of the University with their magnificent architecture and gardens. Take in the museums, galleries and libraries galore, and perhaps a concert or play. Discover the little tea rooms and fine restaurants, the unique shops and back streets and the river backwaters dotted with punters and rowing eights.

  2. 2. Day two

    Oxford to an Oxfordshire village

    Your host will meet you at your hotel, brief you and transfer you to our bike base before your cycling journey begins. You leave Oxford on a traffic free route as you head towards the Cotswold village of Woodstock. Here is the world heritage site of Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Winston Churchill and now home to the 12th Duke of Marlborough. Back in the saddle, you can then explore classic Cotswolds country - twisting lanes leading through pretty villages; tiny bridges crossing gurgling rivers; ancient woodlands and wonderful views. Your welcoming inn tonight overlooks a village green.

    34 miles (55 km)

  3. 3. Day three

    An Oxfordshire village to Stratford Upon Avon

    Today's route leads you through a string of Cotswold stone hamlets and villages and to the market town of Moreton-in-Marsh where the Roman Fosse Way now defines the high street. There are plenty of cosy pubs for a lunch stop and the renowned gardens of Hidcote and Kiftsgate for inspiration. From here its a freewheel down the scarp slope of the Cotswolds and along an old railway track into Stratford Upon Avon. This famous old market town, needs little introduction as the birthplace of William Shakespeare and you can visit all the bard's houses in Stratford if you wish to pedal on. Your overnight stay is in the heart of the town with all its half timbered buildings.

    30 miles (48 km)

  4. 4. Day four

    Stratford Upon Avon to Chipping Campden

    Enjoy the level ride this morning to the chocolate box village of Broadway perhaps allowing a detour to the medieval and cosy Fleece Inn. This afternoon is truly wonderful even though you encounter the main hill of the tour as you ride through sheep clad hills to the delightful village of Snowshill. Here you can visit the manor house and the stunning fields of lavendar whilst looking forward to a refreshment stop near the Broadway Tower with breathtaking views over 12 counties on a clear day. The gem of the Cotswolds, the 14th Century honey coloured stone buildings of Chipping Campden is where you will stay the night.

    25 or 38 miles (40 or 61 km)

  5. 5. Day five

    Chipping Campden to Burford

    You will experience the classic wolds and valleys of the Cotswolds area today taking in a string of notable towns and villages. Visit Stow on the Wold, known for its antique shops now and as a woolen town formerly before discovering the idyllic hamlets of the Slaughters and joining the Windrush valley at Bourton on Water. This valley leads you through unspoilt villages to Burford, one of England's prettiest small medieval towns with beautiful Cotswold architecture and a high street to savour. Stay overnight here and explore the Windrush water meadows if you wish.

    32 miles (51 km)

  6. 6. Day six

    Burford to Ewen

    Pedal through a timeless landscape today that is utterly charming. Rejoin the Windrush river and pause for a coffee in Northleach. Then explore the tiny Coln river; it bears a Roman villa at Chedworth and a series of tiny crossings before arriving in Bibury, famous for its weaver's cottages. The Cotswold capital of Cirencester features next - important since Roman times and still a delight today. Your overnight stay is in the peaceful hamlet of Ewen a few miles further on where the inn dates back to the 16th Century.

    41 miles (66 km)

  7. 7. Day seven

    Ewen to Lacock

    Still in the idyllic Cotswold landscape of quiet lanes, pretty farms and peaceful villages, there are some interesting places to stop by today. At Highgrove you can take a thirst quencher or coffee at Prince Charles's farm whilst in Tetbury there's plenty to explore in this lovely old wool market town. If trees are your thing you can make a short detour to the world renowned and spectacular National Arboretum at Westonbirt. There is also a wonderful pottery and close by a stunning private garden where we may be able to arrange a visit. The most remarkable find of the day maybe Lacock where you will spend the next two nights. Dating back to the 13th Century, this charming rural village with a medieval abbey remains untouched by modern development.

    41 miles (66 km)

  8. 8. Day eight

    Lacock to Bath and back

    This is a great ride to the world heritage site of Bath known for its Georgian architecture and its Roman connections. Discover the Roman baths, a fine collection of museums, cobbled courtyards, historic tea rooms and the abbey. Leave Bath along a magnificent canal and take in yet another characterful town at Bradford on Avon. Here there is a short climb as you head back to Lacock. Truly a day to remember!

    39 miles (63 km)

  9. 9. Day nine

    Lacock to a Wiltshire village

    Your last day of cycling leads you away from the Cotswolds and takes in the dramatic flight of canal locks at Caen Hill. Wide vistas and a rural landscape follow before giving way to the cosy hamlets and villages of the picturesque Avon valley. This peaceful scene leads you to within ear shot of Stonehenge and your final night's stay.

    32 miles (51 km)

  10. 10. Day ten

    Tour Stonehenge and Depart

    This morning your personal guide will collect you from your accommodation and give you a tour of the world heritage site at Stonehenge. A prehistoric monument without parallel, its site and surroundings pose a number of questions. What a dramatic end to your historic ride through England! We will bid you farewell by transferring you to Salisbury station.

Luxury

  1. 1. Day one

    Oxford

    Arrive in Oxford and check into your hotel located in the heart of the city. Enjoy the treasures of this beautiful city on foot and stroll through the lovely colleges of the University with their magnificent architecture and gardens. Take in the museums, galleries and libraries galore, and perhaps a concert or play. Discover the little tea rooms and fine restaurants, the unique shops and back streets and the river backwaters dotted with punters and rowing eights.

  2. 2. Day two

    Oxford to an Oxfordshire village

    Your host will meet you at your hotel, brief you and transfer you to our bike base before your cycling journey begins. You leave Oxford on a traffic free route as you head towards the Cotswold village of Woodstock. Here is the world heritage site of Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Winston Churchill and now home to the 12th Duke of Marlborough. Back in the saddle, you can then explore classic Cotswolds country - twisting lanes leading through pretty villages; tiny bridges crossing gurgling rivers; ancient woodlands and wonderful views. Your welcoming inn tonight overlooks a village green.

    34 miles (55 km)

  3. 3. Day three

    An Oxfordshire village to Stratford Upon Avon

    Today's route leads you through a string of Cotswold stone hamlets and villages and to the market town of Moreton-in-Marsh where the Roman Fosse Way now defines the high street. There are plenty of cosy pubs for a lunch stop and the renowned gardens of Hidcote and Kiftsgate for inspiration. From here its a freewheel down the scarp slope of the Cotswolds and along an old railway track into Stratford Upon Avon. This famous old market town, needs little introduction as the birthplace of William Shakespeare and you can visit all the bard's houses in Stratford if you wish to pedal on. Your overnight stay is in the heart of the town with all its half timbered buildings.

    30 miles (48 km)

  4. 4. Day four

    Stratford Upon Avon to Chipping Campden

    Enjoy the level ride this morning to the chocolate box village of Broadway perhaps allowing a detour to the medieval and cosy Fleece Inn. This afternoon is truly wonderful even though you encounter the main hill of the tour as you ride through sheep clad hills to the delightful village of Snowshill. Here you can visit the manor house and the stunning fields of lavendar whilst looking forward to a refreshment stop near the Broadway Tower with breathtaking views over 12 counties on a clear day. The gem of the Cotswolds, the 14th Century honey coloured stone buildings of Chipping Campden is where you will stay the night.

    25 or 38 miles (40 or 61 km)

  5. 5. Day five

    Chipping Campden to Burford

    You will experience the classic wolds and valleys of the Cotswolds area today taking in a string of notable towns and villages. Visit Stow on the Wold, known for its antique shops now and as a woolen town formerly before discovering the idyllic hamlets of the Slaughters and joining the Windrush valley at Bourton on Water. This valley leads you through unspoilt villages to Burford, one of England's prettiest small medieval towns with beautiful Cotswold architecture and a high street to savour. Stay overnight here and explore the Windrush water meadows if you wish.

    32 miles (51 km)

  6. 6. Day six

    Burford to Cirencester

    Pedal through a timeless landscape today that is utterly charming. Rejoin the Windrush river and pause for a coffee in Northleach. Then explore the tiny Coln river; it bears a Roman villa at Chedworth and a series of tiny crossings before arriving in Bibury, famous for its weaver's cottages. The Cotswold capital of Cirencester features next - important since Roman times and still a delight today. Your overnight stay is in an elegant Boutique Hotel in the heart of this historic town.

    36 miles (58 km)

  7. 7. Day seven

    Cirencester to Lacock

    Still in the idyllic Cotswold landscape of quiet lanes, pretty farms and peaceful villages, there are some interesting places to stop by today. At Highgrove you can take a thirst quencher or coffee at Prince Charles's farm whilst in Tetbury there's plenty to explore in this lovely old wool market town. If trees are your thing you can make a short detour to the world renowned and spectacular National Arboretum at Westonbirt. There is also a wonderful pottery and close by a stunning private garden where we may be able to arrange a visit. The most remarkable find of the day maybe Lacock where you will spend the next two nights. Dating back to the 13th Century, this charming rural village with a medieval abbey remains untouched by modern development.

    38 miles (61 km)

  8. 8. Day eight

    Lacock to Bath and back

    This is a great ride to the world heritage site of Bath known for its Georgian architecture and its Roman connections. Discover the Roman baths, a fine collection of museums, cobbled courtyards, historic tea rooms and the abbey. Leave Bath along a magnificent canal and take in yet another characterful town at Bradford on Avon. Here there is a short climb as you head back to Lacock. Truly a day to remember!

    39 miles (63 km)

  9. 9. Day nine

    Lacock to East Chisenbury

    Your last day of cycling leads you away from the Cotswolds and takes in the dramatic flight of canal locks at Caen Hill. Wide vistas and a rural landscape follow before giving way to the cosy hamlets and villages of the picturesque Avon valley. This peaceful scene leads you to within ear shot of Stonehenge and your final night's stay in a thatched village inn serving a wonderful dinner

    28 miles (45 km)

  10. 10. Day ten

    Tour Stonehenge and Depart

    This morning your personal guide will collect you from your accommodation and give you a tour of the world heritage site at Stonehenge. A prehistoric monument without parallel, its site and surroundings pose a number of questions. What a dramatic end to your historic ride through England! We will bid you farewell by transferring you to Salisbury station.