Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
England: Oxford, the Cotswolds, Bath, the Lake District and York
10 days from London: two nights in Oxford for the colleges and the Cotswold villages, Avebury, Stonehenge and two nights in Bath, three in the Lake District and two in York, with a train at each end.
10 days · Round trip from London · up to 12 guests
Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain, visited on a timed entry on day 3 Photo: garethwiscombe, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stonehenge2007_07_30.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 10 days, 9 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from London
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
Most days are 2 to 4 hours on foot on town pavements, cobbles, field paths and lakeshore tracks, with stiles and short climbs in the Cotswolds and the Lakes. The longest walk is the optional climb of Catbells on day 7, about 5 km with 360 m of ascent; every longer walk has an easy option, and the minibus can meet you partway.
- Meals included
- 9 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 2 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 1,105 (estimated price)
- Season
- April to October
Highlights
Why this trip
- A chauffeured punt on the Cherwell and Christ Church's Great Hall on your first afternoon in Oxford
- Bourton-on-the-Water at 9:30 am, then the field path to Lower Slaughter and lunch in Stow-on-the-Wold
- The Rollright Stones and Avebury's great stone circle, then Stonehenge on a timed entry
- The Roman Baths at the 9 am opening, before the coach parties reach Bath
- Three nights in Ambleside: Beatrix Potter's Hill Top, a Windermere cruise and Wordsworth's Dove Cottage
- Derwentwater by launch, with Catbells for walkers and Friars' Crag for everyone else
- Wensleydale and Fountains Abbey on the road to York, then the Shambles before the shops open
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 1,105 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
London to Oxford
London Paddington by train to Oxford
- Welcome dinner in Oxford
- Stay in Oxford
- By train
We meet your See Sight Tours guide at London Paddington between about 9 and 10 am (the exact time and meeting point come with your final itinerary) and take a direct train to Oxford, about an hour through the Thames valley.
Afternoon
Our minibus meets the train and takes the bags to the hotel while we walk into the centre for lunch on your own. In the afternoon your guide leads a walk through the university city: Broad Street and the Sheldonian Theatre, the Bridge of Sighs, Radcliffe Square with the round Radcliffe Camera, and the Bodleian quadrangle. We go inside Christ Church to see Tom Quad, the cathedral and the Great Hall, the model for the dining hall in the Harry Potter films. From April to September we end the afternoon on the water, in chauffeured punts from Magdalen Bridge along the Cherwell; in other months we walk Christ Church Meadow instead.
Evening
Then we sit down together to a welcome dinner in the centre.
Included
- Standard-class train from London Paddington to Oxford with your guide
- Bags taken from Oxford station to the hotel by minibus
- Guided walk of central Oxford: the Sheldonian Theatre, the Bridge of Sighs, Radcliffe Square and the Bodleian quadrangle
- Christ Church: Tom Quad, the cathedral and the Great Hall
- Chauffeured punt on the Cherwell (April to September)
- Welcome dinner in Oxford
Optional experiences
- The Ashmolean Museum (free entry) in the free time at lunch
Free time: Lunch on your own in central Oxford
Activity: About 3 hours on foot on pavements and college flagstones, with some stairs at Christ Church. Christ Church closes parts of the college for university events; we confirm the visit with your final itinerary.
Cotswold villages
Oxford to Bourton-on-the-Water, Lower Slaughter, Stow-on-the-Wold, Chipping Campden and the Rollright Stones, then back to Oxford
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Oxford
- Drive about 2.5 h
We leave Oxford at 8:30 and drive about an hour west to Bourton-on-the-Water, arriving around 9:30, before the day coaches, while the River Windrush and its low stone bridges are still quiet. From Bourton a field path of about 2 km follows the meadows to Lower Slaughter, where the River Eye runs past honey-coloured cottages to an old mill; the minibus meets us there.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal at a pub in Stow-on-the-Wold, the market town on top of the hill, with time afterwards to walk its square. In the afternoon we drive north to Chipping Campden, whose curving High Street of wool merchants' houses has hardly changed in three centuries, with the arched Market Hall of 1627 at its centre and the tall tower of St James's wool church at the far end.
Evening
On the way back to Oxford we stop at the Rollright Stones, a Bronze Age circle on a ridge, before a free evening in the city.
Included
- Bourton-on-the-Water early, before the day coaches
- Field path walk from Bourton-on-the-Water to Lower Slaughter
- Sit-down pub lunch in Stow-on-the-Wold
- Guided walk of Chipping Campden: the High Street, the Market Hall and St James's Church
- The Rollright Stones
Easier option: Ride the minibus from Bourton-on-the-Water to Lower Slaughter instead of walking.
More active option: Walk on from Lower Slaughter to Upper Slaughter, about 2 km more on field paths, and meet the minibus there.
Free time: Evening free in Oxford
Activity: About 2 km on a field path with gates and some mud after rain; the rest is village streets.
Burford, Bibury, Avebury and Stonehenge
Oxford to Burford and Bibury, then Avebury, Stonehenge and Bath
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Bath
- Drive about 4 h
Morning
We check out after breakfast and head west into the southern Cotswolds. Burford comes first, a short walk down its sloping High Street to the bridge over the Windrush. Bibury follows mid-morning, before the lunchtime peak, for Arlington Row, a 14th-century wool store turned into weavers' cottages in the 17th century, and the trout-filled River Coln.
Afternoon
We leave the Cotswolds for the chalk downs of Wiltshire and a sit-down pub lunch in Avebury, a village built partly inside a great henge whose stone circle is the largest in Britain; your guide walks you among the stones, which you can touch. Stonehenge is about 50 minutes south, across Salisbury Plain through Shrewton. Our timed entry is mid-afternoon: the visitor centre's exhibition first, then out to the circle, its great sarsens raised around 2500 BC. Stonehenge and Avebury share a UNESCO listing from 1986. That is about four hours of driving in all, but in five legs, none much over an hour, each ending in a walk, a lunch or a visit. We reach Bath, our home for two nights, at about 6 pm.
Included
- Burford High Street
- Bibury and Arlington Row
- Sit-down pub lunch in Avebury
- Guided walk among the Avebury stones
- Stonehenge with a timed entry and the visitor centre exhibition
Easier option: Ride the shuttle bus both ways between the Stonehenge visitor centre and the stones.
More active option: Walk out to Stonehenge from the visitor centre over the downs, about 2.5 km, and ride the shuttle back.
Free time: Evening free in Bath
Activity: About 4 hours of driving, split into five legs by Burford, Bibury, lunch at Avebury and the Stonehenge visit. About 3 hours on foot over the day, on grass and gravel paths; the Avebury stones stand in sheep fields.
Bath
A day in Bath on foot
- Breakfast
- Stay in Bath
Morning
We are at the Roman Baths when they open at 9 am, ahead of the coach parties that fill the walkways by late morning. Hot water still rises from the spring into the Great Bath, and the museum below walks you through the temple of Sulis Minerva and the bathing rooms the Romans built around it. Your guide then leads a walk through the Georgian city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987: past the Abbey and the Pump Room, across Pulteney Bridge with its shops built over the Avon, and up to the Circus and the Royal Crescent, the curve of thirty houses finished in 1774.
Evening
The guided morning ends around 12:30, and the afternoon and evening are yours: soak in the rooftop pool of Thermae Bath Spa, see a restored Georgian house at No. 1 Royal Crescent, climb the Abbey tower, or walk the National Trust's Bath Skyline path above the city. Your guide can book a table for dinner.
Included
- The Roman Baths at opening
- Guided walk of Georgian Bath: the Abbey, the Pump Room, Pulteney Bridge, the Circus and the Royal Crescent
Optional experiences
- Thermae Bath Spa
- No. 1 Royal Crescent
- Bath Abbey tower tour
Easier option: Spend the afternoon at Thermae Bath Spa or in a café on Abbey Green.
More active option: Walk the Bath Skyline, a waymarked National Trust loop of about 10 km through meadows and woods above the city.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Bath
Activity: About 3 hours on foot in the morning, with a steady climb from the Abbey to the Royal Crescent.
North by way of Chester
Bath to Chester, then north to Ambleside in the Lake District
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Ambleside
- Drive about 5 h
This is the trip's one long road day, about 415 km and five hours of driving, because it carries us from the south of England to the north. The train would mean two changes with bags, so we break the minibus journey with about three hours in Chester instead. We leave Bath at 8:30, with a coffee stop on the M5, and reach Chester before noon. Your guide walks the group along part of the city walls, the most complete in Britain, first built by the Romans when the city was the fortress of Deva, then down into the Rows, two-tier medieval galleries of shops, and past the Eastgate Clock.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in the centre. In mid-afternoon we drive north on the M6 into Cumbria and the Lake District, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2017, arriving in Ambleside at the head of Windermere at about 5:30 pm.
Evening
The evening is free in the village.
Included
- Guided walk on Chester's city walls and through the Rows
- Sit-down lunch in Chester
- Drive into the Lake District to Ambleside
Easier option: Skip the walls and spend the Chester stop at the cathedral or in the Rows.
Free time: Evening free in Ambleside
Activity: The longest drive of the trip, broken by a coffee stop and about 3 hours in Chester. About 1.5 hours on foot on the walls, with steps up and down.
Beatrix Potter country and Windermere
Ambleside to Hill Top, Hawkshead and Tarn Hows, then Bowness and back to Ambleside by boat
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Ambleside
- Drive about 1 h
We cross to the quiet west side of Windermere for the first timed entry of the day at Hill Top, the 17th-century farmhouse Beatrix Potter bought in 1905 with the earnings from The Tale of Peter Rabbit; the rooms and garden appear in her books, and the house is small, so the first slot is the calmest.
Afternoon
Hawkshead is a few minutes on, a village of whitewashed houses and narrow lanes where we sit down to lunch; the Beatrix Potter Gallery is here if you want more. In the early afternoon we drive up to Tarn Hows and walk the level path around the tarn, about 3 km with views to the Langdale Pikes and Coniston Old Man. Then we drive round to Bowness and board a Windermere cruise north up the lake to Waterhead, a short walk from our hotel in Ambleside.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- Hill Top, Beatrix Potter's house, on the first timed entry of the day
- Sit-down lunch in Hawkshead
- Walk around Tarn Hows
- Windermere cruise from Bowness to Waterhead (Ambleside)
Optional experiences
- The Beatrix Potter Gallery in Hawkshead
Easier option: Stay in Hawkshead for the gallery and a café while the group walks Tarn Hows; the minibus collects you on the way to Bowness.
More active option: Walk up to Tarn Hows from Hawkshead, about 4 km on lanes and paths with a steady climb, and join the group at the tarn.
Free time: Evening free in Ambleside
Activity: About 2 hours on foot on good paths; Hill Top has steep stairs inside.
Grasmere, Castlerigg and Derwentwater
Ambleside to Grasmere, Castlerigg Stone Circle and Keswick, then back past Thirlmere
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Ambleside
- Drive about 1.5 h
Grasmere is first, a few minutes north, where William Wordsworth lived at Dove Cottage from 1799 to 1808 and wrote much of his best-known poetry; we visit the cottage and its hillside garden, then St Oswald's churchyard, where he is buried, and the small shop by the lychgate that has sold Grasmere gingerbread for generations. Over Dunmail Raise and past Thirlmere we reach Castlerigg Stone Circle, raised around 3000 BC in a ring of fells, with Blencathra and Helvellyn on the skyline.
Afternoon
Below it lies Keswick, where lunch is your choice. In the afternoon the Keswick launch crosses Derwentwater. Walkers step off at Hawes End to climb Catbells with the guide; everyone else rides the full circuit of the lake and walks out to Friars' Crag, the point Ruskin loved, for the view up Borrowdale.
Evening
Dinner tonight is at a Lakeland inn, together.
Included
- Dove Cottage and garden, Grasmere
- St Oswald's churchyard and Wordsworth's grave
- Castlerigg Stone Circle
- Derwentwater launch from Keswick
- Dinner at a Lakeland inn
Easier option: Ride the launch around the whole lake and walk the short level path to Friars' Crag.
More active option: Climb Catbells (451 m) from Hawes End with your guide, about 5 km and 360 m of ascent, with a rocky scramble near the top, and come down to the launch.
Free time: Lunch on your own in Keswick
Activity: Catbells is steep and rocky near the summit and takes about 2.5 hours; the easy option is level lakeshore walking.
Through the Dales to Fountains Abbey and York
Ambleside to Sedbergh, Hawes and Aysgarth, then Fountains Abbey and York
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in York
- Drive about 4 h
We leave the Lakes at 8:30 and cross east into the Yorkshire Dales by Sedbergh and the long green valley of Wensleydale, with stone barns and dry-stone walls running up the fellsides. A coffee stop in Hawes, a market town at the head of the dale, is followed by Aysgarth, where the River Ure drops over three wide limestone steps; a woodland path links the falls.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal at a pub in Wensleydale. In the afternoon we reach Fountains Abbey, one of the largest monastic ruins in England, founded by Cistercian monks in 1132, and walk on into the Georgian water garden of Studley Royal, with its moon ponds and temples; the two are a UNESCO World Heritage Site together.
Evening
York is under an hour away, and we arrive at about 5:30 pm, with the evening free inside the city walls.
Included
- Hawes in Wensleydale
- Aysgarth Falls
- Sit-down pub lunch in Wensleydale
- Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden
Easier option: See the Upper Falls at Aysgarth from the viewpoint by the bridge, and ride the visitor shuttle between Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal.
More active option: Walk the full riverside path to the Lower Falls at Aysgarth, about 2 km there and back.
Free time: Evening free in York
Activity: About 3.75 hours of driving, split by Hawes, Aysgarth, lunch and Fountains Abbey. About 2.5 hours on foot over the day, on woodland paths and level grass.
York
A day in York on foot
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in York
We start at about 9 am in the Shambles, the narrow medieval street of overhanging timber-framed houses, while it is still quiet and before the shops open. From there your guide climbs onto the city walls at Bootham Bar and follows them round to Monk Bar, with the Minster's towers above the rooftops. Inside York Minster, completed in 1472 after more than 250 years of building, you see the nave, the chapter house and the Great East Window, a wall of early 15th-century stained glass about the size of a tennis court.
Afternoon
The guided morning ends around 12:30 and the afternoon is free: the National Railway Museum (free entry), Jorvik Viking Centre on the site of the Viking town, Clifford's Tower, or the full 3.4 km circuit of the walls.
Evening
In the evening we sit down together for a farewell dinner in the city.
Included
- The Shambles early, before the shops open
- Guided walk on the city walls from Bootham Bar to Monk Bar
- York Minster with your guide
- Farewell dinner in York
Optional experiences
- Jorvik Viking Centre
- Clifford's Tower
- The National Railway Museum (free entry)
More active option: Walk the whole 3.4 km circuit of the walls in the afternoon.
Free time: Afternoon free in York
Activity: About 3 hours on foot, with steps up to the walls, narrow wall paths with a parapet on one side, and Minster floors.
York to London
York by train to London King's Cross
- Breakfast
- By train
Morning
After breakfast the minibus takes you and your bags the short distance to York station, just outside the city walls, and your guide sees the group onto a direct train to London King's Cross.
Afternoon
The journey takes about two hours down the East Coast Main Line, through the flat farmland of Lincolnshire and past the towers of Peterborough Cathedral, and you arrive in central London around midday. From King's Cross St Pancras the Piccadilly line runs direct to Heathrow in about an hour, Thameslink trains from St Pancras reach Gatwick in about an hour, and St Pancras International for Eurostar is next door. If you are flying home today, book a flight leaving after about 5 pm from Heathrow or Gatwick. If you would rather stay on in London, or carry on north to Edinburgh by train from York and join our Scotland trip, ask us and we can book extra nights and tickets for you.
Included
- Transfer with your bags to York station
- Standard-class train from York to London King's Cross
Activity: Book a flight from Heathrow or Gatwick leaving after about 5 pm.
- Londonstart
- Oxford2 nights
- Bath2 nights
- Ambleside3 nights
- York2 nights
- Londonend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: April and May bring lambs in the Cotswold and Lakeland fields and long evenings; June to August are the warmest and busiest months; September and October are quieter, with autumn colour in the Lakes and the Dales. Rain is likely at some point in any month, so each day has an indoor alternative.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- First-time visitors who want England beyond London without driving on the left
- Travellers who like to walk a village rather than look at it from a coach window
- People who want two or three nights in each place and a free afternoon in each base
- A mix of history, gardens, literature and lakes
Not for you if you want
- Step-free access: Avebury, the Lake District paths, Chester's and York's walls and some historic houses mean steps and uneven ground
- Travellers who want Scotland or Wales on the same trip (see our Scotland trip)
- Serious fell walkers looking for a full hiking week
- Anyone who prefers one hotel for the whole stay
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
9 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Oxford2 nights
- Bath2 nights
- Ambleside3 nights
- York2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 9 nights: 2 in Oxford, 2 in Bath, 3 in Ambleside in the Lake District and 2 in York
- Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with private bathrooms, walkable to each town centre; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Standard-class train from London Paddington to Oxford on day 1
- A private minibus and professional driver from Oxford station on day 1 to York station on day 10, sized for 7 to 12 guests, so your bags travel by road
- Windermere cruise from Bowness to Ambleside
- Derwentwater launch from Keswick
- Standard-class train from York to London King's Cross on day 10
- All parking fees for included stops
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip, from London Paddington to the York train, leading every walk and visit
- Local guides where a site requires them
Activities
- Guided walk of central Oxford
- Christ Church, Oxford: Tom Quad, the cathedral and the Great Hall
- Chauffeured punt on the Cherwell, Oxford (April to September)
- Bourton-on-the-Water, Lower Slaughter and Stow-on-the-Wold
- Chipping Campden
- The Rollright Stones
- Burford and Bibury
- Avebury stone circle
- Stonehenge with a timed entry
- The Roman Baths, Bath
- Guided walk of Georgian Bath
- Guided walk of Chester's walls and the Rows
- Hill Top, Near Sawrey
- Tarn Hows
- Dove Cottage, Grasmere
- Castlerigg Stone Circle
- Aysgarth Falls, Wensleydale
- Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden
- Guided walk of York's walls and the Shambles
- York Minster
Meals
- 9 breakfasts
- 5 lunches: Stow-on-the-Wold (day 2), Avebury (day 3), Chester (day 5), Hawkshead (day 6) and Wensleydale (day 8)
- 3 dinners: a welcome dinner in Oxford, a Lakeland inn dinner (day 7) and a farewell dinner in York
Not included
- International flights to and from London
- The UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) or any visa
- Travel insurance
- Hotel nights in London before and after the trip
- Meals not listed, including lunches on days 1, 4, 7 and 9
- Drinks
- Tips
- Optional activities such as Thermae Bath Spa, No. 1 Royal Crescent, the Beatrix Potter Gallery and Jorvik Viking Centre
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 1,105 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the England trip price include?
Nine nights in central hotels, 9 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 3 dinners, both trains (London to Oxford and York to London), our own minibus and driver in between, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, and every visit in the day plan, including Stonehenge, the Roman Baths, Christ Church, Hill Top, Dove Cottage, two lake boats, Fountains Abbey and York Minster.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. That fits one minibus, which can use the village lanes and car parks in the Cotswolds and the Lakes that a coach cannot, and everyone can hear the guide in a college quad or on the walls.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from London Paddington to the York train and leads every walk and visit, with a professional driver at the wheel of the minibus. Where a site uses its own guides, they join us there. We name your guide when we confirm your dates.
How fit do I need to be?
Moderately. Expect 2 to 4 hours a day on foot on pavements, cobbles, field paths and lakeshore tracks, with stiles, steps and short climbs. The hardest walk, Catbells, is optional; every longer walk has an easy option, and the minibus can meet you partway.
I am travelling solo. What does a single room cost?
A room of your own is from CAD 1,105 more than the twin-share price, shown up front before you book. Solo travellers get the same room standard, the same seat in the minibus and the same table at every included meal. Ask us if you would like to share a room with another solo guest.
When is the best time to go?
April to October. Spring brings lambs and long evenings, summer is warmest but busiest, and September and October are quieter with autumn colour in the Lakes and Dales. We avoid the late-May bank holiday and the August school holidays where we can, when villages and hotels are at their fullest.
How does booking work?
Choose a start date and send a request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken until we do. The small group starts from CAD 6,510 per person sharing a room, with taxes included.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The trip also runs as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 11,720 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, trains and entries without a guide.
Do I need a visa for England?
Canadian and US citizens do not need a visa for a tourist visit, but do need a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), applied for online before you fly. It is not included in the price. Other passports may need a visa; check before you book and we will help.
How long are the drives?
Most driving days are 1 to about 4 hours, split into legs of an hour or so by village stops, walks and lunch. Day 5, Bath to the Lake District, is the exception at about five hours and 415 km, because it crosses England from south to north; we break it with about three hours in Chester and a sit-down lunch.
What if it rains in the Lake District?
It probably will at some point; the Lakes are the wettest part of England. Hill Top, Dove Cottage and both lake boats run in rain, and your guide swaps the order of days or picks a sheltered walk when the weather is poor. Bring a waterproof jacket and shoes with grip.
Does this trip include Scotland or Cornwall?
No, it stays in England so the days are not spent on long drives. York has direct trains to Edinburgh, so you can join our Scotland trip to the Highlands and Skye afterwards, and our Cornwall and Devon trip covers the far South West. Ask us and we will line up the dates.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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