The Cotswold may be at the heart of British Countryside but its an extremely easy plan via car or public transport.
Public Transport – Train
Cotswold is at the heart of the British Rail Network with mainline trains connecting from London, The Midlands and the north and South West of England.
There are regular services to the area:
- Between London Paddington and Cheltenham via Swindon, Kemble, Stroud, Stonehouse and Gloucester
- Between London Paddington and Moreton in Marsh
- Between Cardiff and Cheltenham via Gloucester
- Between Birmingham and Bristol via tewkesbury, Cheltenham, Gloucester and Dursley.
- For detailed information for travel tickets and pricing you can have a look at the following options:
https://www.nationalrail.co.uk
By Bus:
The National Express network runs excellent bus travel throughout England. You can often find discounted fares and travel passes, if you look out for them in advance. The main route to Gloucestershire & the Cotswolds from London starts at Victoria Coach Station, which is extremely central.
The main bus stations in Gloucestershire & the Cotswolds are at Cheltenham, Gloucester and Stroud.
Traveling within the Cotswold from town to another is also simple with excellent bus connectivity including Railbus services linking Cotswold and Malvern’s line trains.
For further information you may visit- http://www.traveline.info or Gloucestershire County Council transport and travel pages http://www.easytraveling.org.uk/gcc/
By Road:
Due to its location, the Cotswold can be reached by road via excellent connectivity from the M4, M5 and M40 providing access from London, Birmingham and national motorway network.
Typical travel journey’s can be expected as:
- London – 2 hours to 2.5 hours
- Bristol – 45 minutes to 1 hour
- Birmingham – 55 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes
- Cardiff – 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes
- Manchester – 2 hours 40 minutes to 3 hours
By Air:
For international travelers, Bristol and Birmingham airports are within close proximity of 1 to 1.5 hour drive. From london, the closest airport would be Heathrow.
AA Route Planner
Coach trips are also hugely popular and something that can be looked as options if you are keen to visit just for a day or two.