Cotswold itinerary without a car from Moreton-in-Marsh (3+ days)

Being on a direct train line from London and Oxford means the market town of Moreton-in-Marsh is a popular base for people wanting to visit the Cotswolds without a car. But what do you do when you get there? This Cotswold itinerary without a car from Moreton-in-Marsh shows you how to see some of the highlights of the North Cotswolds by bus, train and on foot – in three or more days.

Days one, two and three of this itinerary focus on the most popular Cotswold towns and villages which are easy to reach by public transport from Moreton-in-Marsh.

Day one covers Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water and The Slaughters. Day two visits Chipping Campden and Broadway. And day three focuses on Bibury and Cirencester. All are accessible by bus, but we’ve also added walking options if you want to explore on foot.

And if you’re staying in the area longer, we’ve also included options for day four and beyond, including other destinations you can reach by train and bus, walks and guided tours.

Note: Several of the buses listed don’t run on Sundays, so if you’re visiting the Cotswolds over a weekend you may need to change the order suggested below around.

Day 1: Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water and The Slaughters

[This can be done any day of the week including Sundays]

Start the day by taking the Pulhams 801 bus to Stow-on-the-Wold, departing from Moreton-in-Marsh railway station at 09.45 and arriving at Stow Library at 10.05.

Spend a couple of hours exploring Stow-on-the-Wold – admire the golden stone buildings in the Market Square, visit St Edward’s Church with its Yew Tree Door, and browse the town’s art and antique shops. There are also some nice cafés, including Coach House Coffee and Huffkins.

Walk option: From Stow you can walk to Bourton-on-the-Water via Lower Slaughter. It’s 4.2 miles and takes around 1.5–2 hours. So if you left Stow around 12pm it should give you time to visit both of the Slaughters and arrive into Bourton around 3pm.

Next get back on the Pulhams 801 at 12.05 for the short bus journey to Slaughter Pike, arriving at 12.11. Slaughter Pike [map here] is a 10-minute walk from Lower Slaughter itself – you will need to cross over the busy A429 and then walk down Copsehill Road to reach the village.

Lower Slaughter is fairly small but full of charm, with no building work taking place since 1906. You can take a stroll along the river to the Old Mill (which is currently closed but does have a coffee kiosk), visit St Mary’s Church and admire the historic buildings along Copsehill Road.

You can also add on a visit to neighbouring Upper Slaughter. It’s a mile away, with the walk taking around 20 minutes each way, starting behind the Old Mill and following the river.

If you want to stop for lunch there are a few options in The Slaughters – The Slaughters Country Inn in Lower Slaughter is more casual or there are high-end restaurants at both The Slaughters Manor House in Lower Slaughter and the Lords of the Manor hotel in Upper Slaughter.

Walk option: From Lower Slaughter it’s a flat, gentle 1.5-mile walk to Bourton-on-the-Water, which takes around 45 minutes (you can see a map of the route here).

If you don’t want to walk, return to Slaughter Pike to pick up the Pulhams 801 bus to Bourton-on-the-Water. The bus departs at 14.11 (or the next bus is at 15.31 if you wanted to stop for lunch and travel to Bourton later) and takes 11 minutes, stopping by the Edinburgh Woollen Mill.

You have the rest of the day to explore Bourton-on-the-Water. There’s lots to do here, including the Cotswold Motoring and Toy Museum (which is right by the bus stop), the Model Village at the Old New Inn, Cotswold Perfumery, Birdland Park and Gardens, and the Dragonfly Maze.

There are also lots of pubs and restaurants in Bourton if you fancy an early dinner. Some of our favourites are Smiths of Bourton for burgers and loaded fries, The Mousetrap Inn for upscale pub food and L’Anatra for stone-baked pizzas and classic Italian dishes.

Finally, catch the Pulhams 801 bus back to Moreton-in-Marsh railway station. The last bus departs from Bourton at 19.15 (17.15 on Sundays) and the journey takes 30 minutes.

Day 2: Chipping Campden and Broadway

[This can be only be done on Monday–Saturday as the Stagecoach 1/2 doesn’t run on Sundays]

Start by catching the Stagecoach 1 bus from Moreton-in-Marsh railway station, which departs at 09.23 and arrives at Chipping Campden Town Hall at 10.11.

Spend the morning in Chipping Campden. You can learn more about its links with the Arts and Crafts Movement at the Court Barn Museum and shop for modern crafts at the Old Silk Mill. There are also beautiful buildings on the High Street, the Market House and St James’ Church.

When you get hungry, the Bantam Tea Rooms and Campden Coffee are good spots for coffee and cake. The Eight Bells Inn is a cosy traditional pub with hearty meals. Or Michael’s Mediterranean serves brunch and lunch dishes like salads, moussakas and Greek sharing platters.

Then get back on the Stagecoach 1 bus at 13.45. It departs from The Noel Arms (except on Saturdays when it’s from the Town Hall) and arrives at The Lygon Arms in Broadway at 14.05.

You have the rest of the day to explore the village of Broadway. There are a couple of interesting museums – the Broadway Museum and Art Gallery and the Gordon Russell Design Museum. Broadway is also known for its shopping, with lots of independent boutique stores.

Walk option: If you’d like to visit the hilltop Broadway Tower, you can get there on our 4.4-mile circular walk, which takes around two hours (plus time to visit the tower).

Broadway has plenty of places to eat and drink too. Our picks include the colourful Broadway Deli (look for the truck), the Swan Inn pub and Russell’s for award-winning fish and chips.

Then take the Stagecoach 1A bus back to Moreton-in-Marsh railway station. The last bus departs from The Lygon Arms in Broadway at 18.10 and the journey takes 30 minutes.

Day 3: Bibury and Cirencester

Start by catching the Pulhams 801 bus to Bourton-on-the-Water, departing from Moreton train station at 08.45 and arriving at Bourton Newsagent at 09.25. Then you have time for a coffee or a pastry from Bakery on the Water before catching the Pulhams 855 bus to Bibury. The bus leaves from the same stop in Bourton at 10.00 and arrives in The Square in Bibury at 10.35.

Beautiful Bibury is one of the Cotswolds’ most visited spots, so be prepared for crowds. It doesn’t have lots of things to do so you don’t need a huge amount of time. But you can photograph the cottages on Arlington Row, walk around the Rack Isle Water Meadows and visit the Trout Farm.

There are also a few options for an early lunch, with The Twig, Eleven Bibury and Trout Farm cafés, as well as the upscale Swan Brasserie and the more relaxed Catherine Wheel pub.

Walk option: If you want to get away from the crowds and explore the countryside around Bibury, you could do a 6.7-mile circular walk to Coln St Aldywns, which takes around three hours, and then catch the 14.35 or 15.35 bus to Cirencester.

Next get back on the Pulhams 855 bus towards Cirencester at 13.35, which arrives at The Forum in Cirencester at 13.55. Then you have the rest of the afternoon to explore Cirencester.

If you’re visiting on a Monday or Friday, you should be just in time to catch the end of the Charter Market, which takes place just outside the Church of St John the Baptist.

You can also learn about the town’s days as an important Roman settlement at the Corinium Museum and remains of Cirencester Amphitheatre. Shop for local crafts and gifts at New Brewery Arts. Or if the sun’s shining there are walks through the Abbey Grounds and Cirencester Park.

The last Pulhams 855 bus back to Bourton-on-the-Water departs from Cirencester Forum at 18.00, arriving at the Edinburgh Wool Shop in Bourton at 18.55. Then the Pulhams 801 departs Bourton at 19.15 and arrives back at Moreton-in-Marsh railway station at 19.45.

Day 4 onwards

If you’re staying longer, there are several different options in our Cotswold itinerary without a car from Moreton-in-Marsh you can choose from depending on what interests you. Don’t forget to allow some time to explore Moreton itself, and visit the market if you’re there on a Tuesday.

Option 1: More destinations by bus/train

There are several other Cotswold towns and villages which you can visit by bus or train from Moreton as well as those included in days one to three. These can all easily be done in a day.

The Stagecoach 1/2 bus connects Moreton with Blockley (which fans of TV series Father Brown might know as Kembleford) and Stratford-upon-Avon. You can also use it to visit Batsford Arboretum, Sezincote House, Bourton House Garden and Bourton-on-the-Hill (except Sundays).

The Pulhams 801 bus runs from Moreton to Cheltenham and Chipping Norton (daily). You can also get to Stratford-upon-Avon on the Stagecoach 51 bus (except Sundays).

Or you can visit Northleach, Asthall (for Jeremy Clarkson’s Farmer’s Dog pub) and Minster Lovell on board a vintage bus on Heritage Service 11. This seasonal service also stops in Stow and Bourton and run four times a day in each direction at weekends from May to September.

There are also daily trains from Moreton to foodie favourite Kingham (though note the station is a 25-minute walk south of the village), Charlbury and the university city of Oxford.

Option 2: The Robin

If you’re interested in visiting gardens or smaller villages near Moreton-in-Marsh but don’t want to walk, another option is to use The Robin. This is a bookable, on-demand minibus service which runs from 7am–7pm Monday to Saturday and can be booked up to two weeks ahead.

You can make bookings through their website, app and on the phone – find full details in our guide. And it costs a maximum of £3 one way (£2.50 for children), like a regular bus.

Moreton is part of The Robin’s North Cotswolds area and you can use it to visit villages within the region like Snowshill, Longborough, Bourton-on-the-Hill, Guiting Power and Daylesford, as well as stately homes Sezincote House, Chastleton House, Stanway House and Snowshill Manor.

Option 3: Walks

Walking is a great way to see the Cotswold countryside away from the crowds, with several routes starting in Moreton. It’s 35 minutes along the Monarch’s Way to Batsford Arboretum. Or you could visit Blockley (6.9 miles circular) or Longborough and Bourton-on-the-Hill (7 miles circular).

You can also get the train to Kingham and do a circular walk to the Daylesford Organic estate for lunch (5.9 miles). Or take the Pulhams 801 bus to Bourton-on-the-Water which is the starting point for circular walks to Wyck Rissington (4.6 miles) and Naunton (10.2 miles).

Option 4: Day tours

If you want to visit places like Castle Combe which are difficult to get to by public transport from Moreton, you can take a Go Cotswolds tour. Here’s a brief overview (not all run every day) – they do repeat destinations from this itinerary, so you may need to adjust your plans for other days:

• Cotswolds Tour:* Dover’s Hill, Chipping Campden, Snowshill, Stow-on-the-Wold, Bibury and Bourton-on-the-Water.
• Secret Cotswolds:* Rollright Stones, Burford, Broadway, Stanton and Guiting Power.
• Bath and Southern Cotswolds Tour:* Tetbury, Castle Combe and Bath.
• Cotswolds Walks and Villages Guided Tour:* Walks to the Broadway Tower, Broadway village, a walk through the Windrush Valley and Burford.

Do you have questions about exploring the Cotswolds without a car? Join our Facebook group or follow us on Instagram for public transport news, tips and advice.

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