Walking and Cycling the Cotswolds: Advice wanted

Hello everyone,

I am looking for advice on my stay in the cotswolds (end of July/beginning of August). My wife and I will be staying there for 5-6 days. So I thought of walking some parts of the Cotswolds Way (sort of) and cycle from quiet village to quiet village (with a tandem).

This is what I have planned so far:

• A walk from Broadway to Stanton and back
• A walk from Winchcombe to Bellas Knap and Sudeley castle
• Cycling from Chipping Campden to Moreton-In-Marsh and Guiting Power
• Cycling from Cirencester to Biburry

We will be staying with a tent on a camping, probably somewhere between Winchcombe and Chipping Campden.

On our way to the Cotswolds we will have visited Oxford and Blenheim Palace. On our way back home we will stay for one night in Bath.

Now the things I want to ask:

• Is the North an interesting area of the cotswolds? Or do I have to go more to the south for better sights?

• Instead of doing circular walks, I was also thinking of following the cotswold way more strictly. Maybe by taking a bus back to the start of the walk when i’ve reached the end of it. I would like to have a map with all the bus services in the area, so i can match them with cotswold way. But it’s hard to find, does anyone know if such a map exists and where i can get it?

• Is it common to hire a tandem in England (as it is in the Netherlands for example)? Or are tandem bycicles hard to find?

• Any other sights, activities, routes, villages, ... I should consider?

Thanks for your advice.

Just a quick note
It would be most inadvisable to use a tandem on the country roads in England and I doubt if you could hire one, they are as rare as rocking horse dung.
Cyclists suffer a higher accident rate than any other road user and country roads are the most dangerous for all users
I live in the Chilterns just South of Oxford and would say that the walk is by far the best option - there is of course the equally lovely Chiltern Way.

Just a quick note - the best way from London to Oxford is on the bus known as the Oxford Tube which operates a 24/7 service from Victoria with pickupos in Marble Arch and Shepherds Bush- during the day the frequency is 5 per hour.
There are also direct bus services to Oxford from Heathrow and Gatwick every 30 minutes.

Have a great, warm, dry and safe trip.

#1 is clearly not a cyclist himself, and thus take his offering with a pinch of salt. Country roads are much the best roads to ride a bicycle or tandem on in England, they are the joy of cycling in England. It's the main roads that are best kept off if you are a cyclist. For English cycling advice from English cyclists, you may want to post on http://forum.ctc.org.uk/index.php

But you should be aware that the Cotswolds offers very hilly cycling. If you don't like cycling tandems up and down lots of little steep hills, you may prefer to be on singles.

It is fairly uncommon to hire tandems in England and you may have difficulty finding one in the exact location you want. But if anyone knows these people do
http://www.tandem-club.org.uk/
And look they have a page on hiring tandems listing hirers:
http://tandem-club.org.uk/files/public_html/nf2002/tandemhire.htm
mentioning 4 sources in Glos and 3 in Oxon.

Bus maps - if they exist anywhere they'll be on county council websites, so check gloucestershire and oxfordshire council websites. Unfortunately local subsidised bus services tend not to cross county boundaries very much, precisely because they are funded by the counties, so they aren't as convenient to the tourist as they might be.

I think some of the nicest bits of the Cotswolds are towards the north.

#2 is absolutely correct insofar as I am no longer a cyclist, but in my youth was a proud owner of an Ephgrave - it even had 10 gears no less.

But what I have posted is absolutely correct ref the safety of roads and bicycles - ironically narrow country roads are statistically the most dangerous and one sees this here in the Chilterns at weekends when many cyclists enjoy this lovely environment (it's easy to get here from London)

All I am saying is just be a little cautious particularly on a Summer's weekend..

Cycle touring in Britain is enjoyed by very many people, who particularly seek out cycling on our dense network of quiet, small country backroads which are such a delight for cycle touring. Graham is correct to remind us of the dangers of rural main roads which are particularly dangerous to cyclists, especially junctions thereon. So be particularly careful when crossing fast, busy road and try to avoid riding on them altogether. When in the Cotswolds, particularly avoid cycling on the A40, A46, A417, A419, and similar roads. Make sure you have maps at a scale of 1:50 000 or 1:25 000 so that you can properly navigate on the quiet backroads. Graham is correct to remind us of the follies of occasional cyclists who through ignorance foolishly end up cycling on dangerous busy roads in areas like the Chilterns (where I live too), when they could have found safer quiet ways instead.

Thanks Both.

We will be using the routes suggested by the Cotswold District Council

Downloadable maps indicate a network of safe quiet country lanes, which interconnect not only with the market towns and surrounding villages, such as Chipping Campden, Moreton-in-Marsh, Bourton-on-the-Water and Stow-on-the-Wold, but railway stations as well as Visitor Attractions. They give families and non-frequent cyclists, a clearer idea of how to get around the Cotswolds by bicycle.

I'll also buy an OS explorer map of the region and make sure we won't hit the busy roads :).

Instead of doing circular walks, I was also thinking of following the cotswold way more strictly. Maybe by taking a bus back to the start of the walk when i’ve reached the end of it

A good idea - but if practical it can be better to take a bus to the far end and walk back.

That takes away any time pressure - particularly as many of the services are infrequent.