Let's go touring…
The Cotswolds
Ride along the ancient highways and byways
Our Cotswolds Weekend guided motorcycle tour is designed to be whatever you wish it to be. It could be your season opener, or it could also be your last trip of the year. You may want to meet some familiar faces from the previous tours again. Or you might just fancy a few days away, closer to home. If you are coming from overseas, this guided motorcycle tour is a perfect way to extend your European holiday and explore England too.
This corner of England possesses a deeply rural charm. It might only be a little more than fifty miles, as the crow flies, from central London. But arriving in the Cotswolds feels like stepping back in time.
We could comfortably ride this guided motorcycle tour in a day. But we’ll enjoy it more if we stretch it into two days having plenty of stop-offs along the way.
We’ll spend this enjoyable weekend winding through the scenic landscapes visiting small country towns and pretty chocolate box villages. Our route on this guided motorcycle tour covers the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, as well as Warwickshire and Worcestershire. Will ride along the scenic highways and byways, meandering through rolling hills dotted with historical monuments and stately homes.
This breathtaking region gives a great choice of stunning biking routes with ever-changing views.
From the ancient straight-as-an-arrow Roman roads to the narrow and twisty country lanes – all set amongst the beautiful Cotswold countryside.
Furthermore, this guided motorcycle tour also includes visits to some of England’s most beautiful villages and towns. The picturesque village of Bibury, a market town of Burford and the model village of Bourton-on-the-Water, as well as the charming town of Broadway is just to name a few. These glorious places look as if they have strayed into the 21st century from another era giving this tour a sentiment of charm and nostalgia.
After working up our appetites with great rides each day, we’ll return to our hotel to reflect on daily events over a delicious evening meal.
A well known 20th-century writer, JB Priestly, once wrote: “The Cotswolds is the most English of all English countryside”. And fortunately, that statement is still as relevant now as it was then. The beauty of Cotswolds becomes more evident with each twist of the throttle and each passing mile.
For more day-to-day information about the Cotswolds Weekend guided motorcycle tour, please spend some time studying the below itinerary.
Regarding an extended version of the Cotswolds Weekend guided motorcycle tour, please use this link: Four Corners of Great Britain self-guided motorcycle tour.
If you require a motorcycle rental for the Cotswolds Weekend guided motorcycle tour please get in touch with our partner, RoadTrip.
Please visit our Facebook page for up-to-date information regarding the Cotswolds Weekend guided motorcycle tour.
Tour highlights:
- Traditional Cotswolds Inn
- Picturesque village of Bibury
- Trouble House Café
- Lunch somewhere
- Market town of Burford
- Beautiful village of Broadway
- Model village of Bourton on the Water
- Cotswold Motoring & Toy Museum
When we go:
Countries:
Motorcycle rental:
Day by day tour itinerary
Today, our Cotswolds Weekend guided motorcycle tour begins. So, make sure you get up nice and early, do your morning exercises, feed the cat, walk the dog, have breakfast, read the paper, check your emails, make yourself pretty, load the bike and depart to meet the rest of the group.
We shall meet at our comfortable hotel situated in the heart of the Cotswolds about a mid-late afternoon. If you prefer to arrive at the hotel earlier to settle in, the check-in usually starts at 14.00ish.
We’ll meet for a pre-dinner drink at about 18.00. This will give us enough time before the evening meal to meet some old faces, make new acquaintances, exchange the necessary pleasantries, set the world to rights and of course, analyze the c..p out of the next day’s riding itinerary.
The rest of the evening is your free time to use whichever way it pleases you.
Today, after all-night fasting, we’ll replenish our energy stores with a hearty, highly calorific full English breakfast. Our circular ride will take us around some of the most beautiful parts of the Cotswolds. We’ll meander along some great biking roads surrounded by rolling green hills dotted with sheep towards our scheduled destinations. Please note – parking availability might affect where we stop for breaks, refreshments and lunch.
Our first stop will be-should be-could be-maybe is Moreton-in-Marsh. It is one of many beautiful market towns in the Cotswolds and one of the most popular biking destinations. The high street is lined with many elegant eighteenth-century inns and houses, including the famous Redesdale Market Hall.
From Moreton-in-Marsh, we’ll ride a section of the straight-as-an-arrow Roman road – Fosse Way, and also some not so straight-as-an-arrow, perhaps Anglo-Saxon highways and byways towards our next port of call. Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town with more than 800 years of history, dating back to the times of Mercia, Viking invasions, Tudors and of course the man himself, Shakespeare – the Renaissance Man, the Comedy Man, the Tragedy Man, the … Ice Cream Man.
As we start looping it around, our route will take us to the heart of the Cotswolds. In this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty peacefully lies the idyllic historic village of Broadway. The village is a stunning collage of centuries-old honey-coloured cottages, limestone period buildings, and chestnut trees lining the high street’s grass-fringed verges. Here we should be able to park our bikes without much hassle and have lunch in one of many traditional eateries.
Continuing our ride, we’ll arrive at Burford. It is often referred to as the ‘Gateway to the Cotswolds’ and yet another Cotswolds town justifiably called one of the most picturesque towns in England. With its medieval bridge, old stone houses and attractive Tudor and Georgian frontages, it is a great place to stroll along the high street and take some great photos. As beautiful as it might be, parking in Burford is often quite challenging. So we’ll play it by air and see how we get on.
The last destination before returning to our hotel is the much-photographed village of Shilton. With the tempting-but-no-to-be-attempted-on-motorcycle ford across ‘The Shill’ brook, the open village green and pretty stone cottages, Shilton offers a truly Cotswold-ish experience. Afternoon tea and scones at the Rosse & Crown will provide a beautiful setting and a beautiful finale to the beautiful ride. From here, you’ll return to the hotel. We’ll pop quickly home to feed the cat, meet you back at the hotel, and join you for an evening meal.
Group evening meal will be served at 19.30… sharp…ish!
After breakfast, we’ll check out from our hotel and take a relaxing ride towards Wiltshire and the southern entrance to the Cotswolds. Here, on top of the hill encircled by the River Avon, proudly sits the “Queen of Hilltop Towns” – Malmesbury. It is said that Malmesbury is the oldest continually inhabited town in England, dating back in history over 1000 years. Amongst many other historic buildings, Malmesbury is also home to Old Bell – England’s oldest hotel. According to the shires’ history parchments, the hotel has been offering bed and board to pilgrims and travellers since 1220. The town is a pleasant place to stroll around, take some photos and have a coffee before continuing with our journey.
Next, our ride will take us to the historic, charming and typically Cotswolds-ish village of Bibury. The pretty High Street and the river banks are lined with horse chestnut trees and include a mixture of period houses and picturesque honey-coloured Cotswold stone cottages. The cottages of Arlington Row are often referred to as the most photographed and beautiful cottages in England. Even more so when they are “photobombed” by a bunch of bikers with big bikes and even bigger appetites. If we are still feeling a bit peckish and we are not too early, the Swan Hotel has a lovely garden and serves a great range of mid-morning cakes and teas.
Our next and the last destination on this tour is Bourton-on-the-Water. The town is regularly voted one of the prettiest in England, often referred to as the Venice of the Cotswolds. Here we can visit the Cotswold Motoring Museum and take a fascinating journey through the time and history of 20th-century motoring. The collection of rare vehicles and classic memorabilia will give us a nostalgic glimpse into life on the road the way it used to be.
After this, we’ll have one last drink in a café by the river, say our farewells and depart home. We hope that you enjoy this fantastic mini-tour as much as us organising and guiding it.
Thank you for RidingWithUs, and we hope to hear from you soon again.
What's included?
Price
- Rider and pillion £295 pp
- Solo rider sharing twin room £295 pp
- Solo rider single room £495
Includes
- 2 nights b&b accommodation
- 2 evening meals
- GPX routes
- Trip check list
- Daily itinerary
- Suggested tourist attractions
- Emergency services numbers
Excludes
- Meals other than those specified
- Admission charges
- Toll charges
- Petrol
- Hotel parking
What our customers say
“Thank you ever so much for another great tour. I look forward seeing you again on the next one.”
Mike
UK, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019