Cotswold Villages, Oxford & Country Pub Lunch to London & Heathrow

• Door to Door service
• Services of expert, friendly guide
• Lunch included in a traditional Cotswolds pub
• If your ship is late, we will wait !

After meeting your friendly driver and expert guide in Southampton, please take your seats on our luxury coach as we depart northwards into the delightful and much loved Cotswold region of England, famous for its honey coloured stone villages and leafy valleys. Your local guide has a wealth of information about this beautiful part of the world. Learn of the wool trade and how it played an important role in the shaping of the history of the area, and hear how the regions decline as a cloth producer saw the Cotswolds become a sleepy backwater, frozen in time.

Our first stop is in the delightful village of Northleach, known for its stunning architecture and captivating history. Here you can view the Church of St Peter and St Paul known as the 'Cathedral of the Cotswolds'. We then drive along meandering lanes and rolling hills to the beautiful village of Burford where the ancient stone cottages seem to cascade down to the River Windrush. After a guided walk through the town, and a chance to see the ancient church of St John the Baptist we will enter an old tavern built in 1402. Here, we will enjoy a delicious lunch amongst the old stone floors and wood fires.

We then continue to Oxford where our time begins with an hour's walking tour of this world famous University city with your professional guide. Founded in 1167, Oxford is England's oldest university. On the walking tour, we'll walk past some of the most famous university buildings, cloisters and quadrangles, explore the back streets and wander across cobblestone squares, all the while standing in the shadows of the famous 'dreaming spires'. Our guided walking tour will take you into the heart of this land of hallowed academia, where you'll have a chance to see the Bodleian Library, the Radcliffe Camera, Sheldonian Theatre and selected colleges. Some of the university colleges our tour will take us past include Christ Church, Merton, Oriel, Corpus Christi, Magdalen, University, Queens, All Souls, Hertford, Trinity, Balliol and St John's. The University has 38 independent, autonomous colleges and we will also pass alongside many others on your tour. We end our visit to Oxford with some free time, a chance for you to explore at your own leisure before heading eastwards to take us to Heathrow airport and London to be dropped at your designated hotel or airport terminal.

What happens if my ship is late getting into port?
In the unlikely event your ship is delayed into port, we will delay our departure time accordingly (applicable only to the listed ships we service, and for late arrivals still scheduled for the same day). However, due to the timed entries at some of the attractions on these tours, in these circumstances we can not guarantee the itinerary will be completed as detailed. If attraction entries can not be changed to accommodate the late departure, some locations may have to be dropped. We do guarantee that transportation will be provided for you, whether this is for a shortened version of the day trip, or as a direct transfer to your hotel; we will ensure you are collected from the port (providing your ship is still arriving on the same scheduled day). For all delayed ship arrivals we will aim to leave at the latest one hour after docking (earlier if possible).

Will you wait for me if I am late in disembarking?

If your cruise ship docks on schedule and disembarkation begins as normal, we cannot be held responsible, in the unlikely event you are unable to disembark in time to meet your transfer. This is a shared transfer and we cannot delay departure from the port for customers who are late in disembarking. It is your responsibility to check the departure time for your transfer, and ensure you are at the meeting point at the appropriate time. 

How much luggage can I bring?

Each person is allowed a maximum of 2 items of hold luggage (75x51x28 cm - 23kg each) and 1 item of carry on luggage (55x40x20 cm - 10kg each).

Limits on luggage are worked out based on the space available in the vehicle in which you will be travelling. If you bring extra luggage it will not fit in the vehicle. In this instance you will be responsible for arranging separate transportation for your luggage to your cruise ship, which could result in a stressful start to your holiday! And no one wants that!

Should you wish to bring any mobility aids (wheelchairs or walkers) you MUST contact us in advance to let us know. We will require full dimensions and weight. These items must be able to be folded and stored in the luggage hold and will be counted as 1 item of your hold luggage.

If the luggage you wish to take on your cruise exceeds these limits, please do consider our private taxi option instead where you can select a private vehicle to accommodate your personal luggage requirements.

How much walking will be involved in this tour?

As you exit the cruise terminal you will meet your guide and there will be a typical walk of about 100 yards to the vehicle.

The three locations that we visit will involve light to moderate walking.

We aim to drop off directly outside your chosen accommodation however sometimes due to traffic conditions or parking restrictions we may drop off nearby. The vehicle will park as close as is safely and legally possible.

How long will my journey take?

Departing the port at 08:30am the journey to Northleach will take approximately 2.5 hours. After departing Northleach for Burford the journey will take approximately 20 minutes. From the Cotswolds village of Burford, the journey to Oxford will take approximately 45 minutes. From here to Heathrow it will take approximately 1.5 hours and to central London 2 hours. 

Will I make it to Heathrow Airport in time to catch my flight?

In the UK we advise arriving at the airport at least 3 hours prior to your flight departure time. As a general guide, we would not recommend our shared service for anyone departing Heathrow before 20:00PM. 

I would like to join this tour but you do not service the ship I am travelling on. What can I do?

Our transfers from the port are available to passengers on other ships not listed, when dates and arrival times coincide with the ships we do service. You will need to make your own way to the ship we are servicing on that date. Please note on your booking the ship you are arriving on, and we can then advise which ship you will need to make your way to. Please note you will need to arrive at our meeting point by 08:00am to meet your guide/driver. Our tours and transfers depart at 08:30am. 

You will need to take a taxi from your ship to our meeting point which should take no longer than 10 minutes. There will be taxis waiting outside of your cruise ship however to avoid queuing we recommend pre booking a taxi in advance. Our office will be happy to provide the details of a local supplier. The average fare will be £6-7.    

My flight departs from Gatwick – can you drop me off there?

Unfortunately Gatwick is not in London and not in our drop off zone. We advise passengers use Victoria Station in central London as their drop off point as there are regular, cost effective transport options available from here directly to Gatwick. You can check out these options at: