Looking for a Cotswolds tour from Southampton?
I’ll be honest: taking a Cotswolds tour from Southampton isn’t the easiest day trip.
But, if you’ve arrived in Southampton by cruise ship, you’re short on time, and the Cotswolds is a ‘must-see’ on your bucket list, then it is possible! If you have more than one day, even better!
From seaside to countryside
If you’re taking a cruise to Europe, then you’ll probably arrive in England at the port of Southampton.
Located on the southern coast of England, Southampton is a busy city with a rich maritime history. The Mayflower docked here for a time before sailing pilgrims to the New World. It was also from Southampton that the fated Titanic set sail on its doomed voyage, on which 500 Southampton residents met their untimely end. Today, it’s a busy port that hosts some of the largest cruise ships in the world.
Many cruise stops at Southampton are mercilessly short, so you may be wondering what you can do in the UK during your brief time here. Of course, your cruise liner will offer a number of package tours, but the more adventurous among you may want to create your own excursion. Perhaps the glorious Cotswolds villages and countryside are on your bucket list of must-sees in the UK?
A Go Cotswolds tour is a fantastic option. Follow our steps to discover how to take a Go Cotswolds tour by train from Southampton, so you can make the most of your time in this charming region.
Step 1: Book your tour of the Cotswolds from Southampton
First, book your tour. Our website offers easy online booking for several different small group days tours:
Use the links above to read about each itinerary, and click the green Book Now button to start the booking process!
If you’re travelling in a larger group, say around 6-16 people, then you could also check out our private tour options. You can book a private version of our Cotswolds in a Day tour on our website here, or contact us to discuss a custom private tour itinerary. Our distance from Southampton means we’re not likely to be able to offer you a pick up/drop off from Southampton, though.
Step 2: Plan your journey to the Cotswolds tour from Southampton
Once you’ve booked your tour, it’s time to plan your journey. The easiest way to reach the Cotswolds from Southampton is by train. We recommend The Trainline website* to plan UK train travel – it’s pretty user friendly, and our past tour guests have reported that it’s easy to use if you have a non-UK bank account or payment card.
You’ll need to take a train from Southampton Central station to Reading, then change at Reading to a train which will take you all the way to Moreton-in-Marsh. The journey takes around 2 hours.
Our Cotswolds in a Day, Secret Cotswolds and Cotswolds Walks & Villages tours all depart from right outside Moreton-in-Marsh station at 09.30. So, you’ll need to make sure you take a train which arrives before this. The train arriving at 09.17 is perfect.
If you choose to take our Bath & Stonehenge tour, this starts a little earlier, at 09.00. So for this tour, you’ll need to take a train which arrives before 09.00.
Step 3: Join the tour
Since we are based in Stratford-upon-Avon, we collect our first passengers up from Stratford-upon-Avon, then travel to Moreton-in-Marsh to collect our remaining guests.
When you arrive at Moreton-in-Marsh station, you may already see one of our big, recognisable Mercedes minibuses waiting for you in the car park. If it’s not there yet, wait in the car park, in front of the ticket office, and your guide will be there soon!
They’ll greet you and welcome you on board, and then your tour of the Cotswolds will begin!
Step 4: Return to Southampton
After your tour, you’ll be dropped off back at Moreton-in-Marsh train station. If you’re heading straight back to Southampton after the tour, then you can take a train back to Southampton Central via Reading. Be sure to check train times and plan your journey in advance to ensure you don’t miss your train.
Our Cotswolds in a Day, Secret Cotswolds and Cotswolds Walks & Villages tours conclude by 17.00. Often, we return around 16.45, in which case you may be able to catch the 16.54 train from Moreton-in-Marsh to Reading, and then take a train from Reading to Southampton. However, we can never guarantee this, so we recommend you purchase a flexible ‘anytime’ ticket, which will allow you to take any return train.
If you prefer to take advantage of the cheaper, but non-flexible ‘advance single’ tickets, then we recommend you plan to depart after 17.00.
Our Bath & Stonehenge tour returns to Moreton-in-Marsh by 18.15, so if you have a flexible ticket then you may be able to catch the 18.19 train to Southampton via Reading. If you have a non-flexible ticket, then we recommend you book the 19.10 train instead.
Why not stay a night or two in Moreton-in-Marsh?
As you can see, taking a Go Cotswolds tour from Southampton is definitely possible – and several of our tours guests have done this! However, if you’re going to do it as a day trip, it will be a very long day with lots of travelling.
If you have time in your schedule, why not spend a night or two in Moreton-in-Marsh? It’s a lovely, pretty Cotswold market town, with several great accommodation providers and restaurants to choose from! If you need help picking a place to stay, check out our webpage here, which has some recommendations.
If you stay a night or two in Moreton-in-Marsh, you may even like to take two or more of our tours on consecutive days, to really make the most of your short time in the Cotswolds!
