November 11, 2025 • 37 mins
In this episode, host Tracy Collins is once again joined by Lisa Benjamin from Go Cotswolds to dive deep into Stratford-upon-Avon - the world-renowned birthplace of William Shakespeare and a destination that deserves more than just a day trip.
Together they share why Stratford is the perfect place to slow down and stay longer, from scenic riverside walks, rowing and cruises to hidden Royal Shakespeare Company gems like the free tower and museum. Discover how to make the most of your visit with insider tips on:
• Starting with the Stratford Town Walk
• Best areas to stay – from cosy B&Bs to central hotels
• Cafes, bakeries, pubs and standout local restaurants
• Getting around on foot, by bus or hop-on hop-off
• Avoiding traffic and timing your visit for markets, Mop Fair and festivals
• Quick wins for smart booking, passes and reservations
Lisa also explains why Stratford makes an ideal base for exploring the Cotswolds, with easy access to award-winning Go Cotswolds tours and routes.
🎧 Tune in for practical planning advice, local stories, and tips that help you experience the real Stratford-upon-Avon - plus get 5% off Go Cotswolds tours when you book direct at gocotswolds.co.uk
using the discount code UKTravPlan.
💬 Have a question for Lisa? Leave us a voice message via the Speakpipe link below!
⭐️ Guest - Lisa Benjamin from GoCotswolds
📝 Show Notes - Episode 175
🎧 Listen to next:
- Episode #136 – Unveiling the Cotswolds: Top Experiences and Insider Tips with Expert Lisa Benjamin
- Episode #115 – Essential Tips for Planning Your Perfect Cotswolds Adventure with Lisa Benjamin of GoCotswolds
- Episode #107 – Exploring the Cotswolds with Lisa Benjamin from GoCotswolds Tours
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- Video Reviews (available anytime) — send us your itinerary for detailed feedback.
- 1:1 Consultations - live Zoom session with Doug & Tracy.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Are you planning a trip to Stratford upon Avon?
In this episode, I'm joined byLisa from Go Cops Worlds, who
shares her insider tips on whatto do, where to stay and the
best local spots to eat anddrink.
We also chat about why Stratfordmakes the perfect base for
exploring the Cops World.
SPEAKER_01 (00:15):
Welcome to the UK Travel Planning Podcast.
Your host is the founder of theUK travel planning website,
Tracy Collins.
Each week, Tracy sharesdestination guides, travel tips
and itinerary ideas, as well asinterviews with a variety of
guests who share their knowledgeand experience of UK travel to
help you plan your perfect UKvacation.
Join us as we explore the UKfrom cosmopolitan cities to
(00:37):
quaint villages, from historiccastles to beautiful islands,
from the picturesque countrysideto seaside towns.
SPEAKER_00 (00:48):
Hi everyone and welcome to this week's edition
of the UK Travel PlannerPodcast.
Today I'm joined by a veryfamiliar guest, Lisa from Go
Cot's Wolves.
This is actually Lisa's fourthtime on the podcast, and as
always, such a treat to have herback.
Now in this episode, we'refocusing on Stratford upon Avon.
Of course, it's known the worldover as Shakespeare's
(01:09):
birthplace, but Lisa is here toshare her insider tips that go
far beyond the obvious, fromhidden corners and favourite
local food spots to where tostay and how to make the most of
your visit.
We'll also talk about whyStratford makes such a brilliant
base for exploring thecutswolds.
And don't forget, if you'reinspired to book one of Lisa's
tours, we have an exclusivediscount for listeners.
(01:30):
I'll share that at the end ofthe episode.
So let's get started and welcomeLisa back.
Hi Lisa, welcome back to thepodcast.
Hello, nice to see you again.
It's always fantastic to haveyou on, and you've been on the
podcast, I think, three timesalready.
I think this is your fourthtime, Lisa.
I think you're the person that'sbeen on the most on our podcast.
But for those listeners whohaven't listened to Lisa yet,
(01:53):
and I don't know why youhaven't, because they're great
episodes.
But if you haven't heard fromLisa before, Lisa is about to
give you a little introductionabout who she is and about her
fantastic business, GoCotswolds.
SPEAKER_02 (02:04):
Yeah, hi, um, I'm Lisa Benjamin.
Um, I am one of the owners of GoCotswolds, along with my husband
Tom.
Uh Go Cotswolds, we is a guidedtour company, so we provide fun,
friendly, small group tours ofthe Cotswolds.
We're based in Stratford uponAvon, which is the subject of
our podcast today.
Um, and we also um pick uppeople for our tours in
(02:26):
Stratford upon Avon and alsofrom Morton and Marsh, which is
a small town in the Cotswolds.
Um, we have several differenttour itineraries to show people
all around the beautifulCotswolds, different parts of
the Cotswolds, different places,uh, different sort of uh themes,
walking tours and um secretcotswolds.
Um, so yeah, we have lots ofdifferent tours and um yeah, we
(02:48):
love showing people around thispart of the world that we call
home.
SPEAKER_00 (02:51):
And you certainly do a wonderful job of it.
I've been on quite a few of yourtours and they are fantastic.
And um, I will be linking toyour uh tours in the show notes.
So if you're listening andthinking I really want to go on
one of these tours with GoCotswolds, don't worry, there
will be a link in the shownotes.
But this episode we're gonna befocusing on Stratford upon Avon.
So my mum doesn't live that farfrom Stratford, so that's also
(03:12):
quite exciting to talk aboutthat.
But um, tell us why Stratford issuch a fabulous place to visit.
SPEAKER_02 (03:20):
I absolutely love Stratford.
Um I have to confess I'm notnative to Stratford.
I was born in Kent in thesoutheast of England, but I
moved up here um with my thenboyfriend, my now husband Tom,
um, about 15 years ago.
So I've lived here a fair longtime.
Um, we actually live in a littletown called Ulster, which is
just 10 minutes, 10 or 15minutes drive from Stratford
(03:41):
upon Avon.
But yeah, visit Stratford uponAvon, you know, almost uh every
other day, and with our tours,we go there every single day.
Um, so uh yeah, we know it verywell.
It's a beautiful um riversidetown in Middle England.
Um, it's very different vibe toLondon or big cities, it's got a
(04:02):
very sort of small town feel toit, kind of a busy little town.
It's um the economy is well,basically it's a tourist town.
Um, it the tourism economy hereis very strong because uh
Stratford-upon-Avon, if youdidn't know, um, is the
birthplace of WilliamShakespeare, the famous
playwright.
So um there's lots of connectionto Stratford.
(04:23):
We have the Royal ShakespeareTheatre here, um, Shakespeare's
um home, well, several of hishomes actually.
There's the church where he wasbaptised and buried as well.
So it's a big draw for touristsfrom all over the world to come
and explore Stratford upon Avonand find out more about
Shakespeare.
SPEAKER_00 (04:38):
Absolutely, and yeah, it is if you are a
Shakespeare fan, honestly,Stratford should be on your
itinerary.
It is definitely worth going to.
And Anne Hathaway's house aswell, which is also with his his
wife, it's also worth visiting.
And there's just so much, youcan have a whole Shakespeare
itinerary for when you visitStratford.
Um, but what else is there to doand see in Stratford if you're
(04:59):
gonna go and visit?
SPEAKER_02 (05:00):
Yeah, obviously the the Shakespeare attractions are
the biggest draw.
That's probably the reason manypeople make a pilgrimage to
Stratford.
But if you're not interested inShakespeare, let's be honest, we
all probably had enough of itwhen we were at school of
learning about all his plays andstuff.
Um, there is loads of otherstuff to do.
Um, my uh favourite things to doin Stratford, um, well, my
(05:22):
recommendations for visitors toStratford, um, number one on my
list would be do a StratfordTown Walk.
Um, this is a local guided tourcompany, they do uh sort of
tours that take about one and ahalf to two hours.
Um, their guides are absolutelyfantastic.
There is not a thing aboutStratford that these guys don't
know.
In fact, we as uh a Cotswoldstour company, we our specialist
(05:45):
subject is the Cotswolds.
We don't generally do tours ofStratford because we just can't
do tours of Stratford any betterthan Stratford Town Walk.
They are absolutely brilliantfolk.
Um, so it's a really good tipfor visitors uh to come and do a
Stratford Town Walk.
Um, you get to know the layoutof the town, it's it's a very
small town, you can easily walkaround it.
(06:06):
You get to learn about theirhistory, the the Tudor
architecture, obviously aboutShakespeare as well, and all the
other bits and pieces ofShakespeare's of Stratford's
history as well.
So that's brilliant.
Um as a riverside town, it's gota beautiful riverside area and
called the Water Side.
Um, so that's a lovely place tohave a stroll and feed the
(06:27):
ducks, feed the swans.
Um, you can take a little rowingboat out on the river, or you
can take a cruise boat down theriver as well, which is a lovely
thing to do.
Um, I wanted to mention parkrunbecause I know that your
daughter did parkrun when shecame to Stratford last time.
Uh, so for those that don't knowabout parkrun, it's this uh
global phenomenon now, whereevery Saturday morning at 9am in
(06:50):
towns, villages, parks, allaround the world, um, there's
this thing called parkrun, whichis a 5k run or walk if you
prefer.
Um, so Stratford has a reallygood parkrun.
It's nice and flat.
If you are a runner, or youknow, maybe you're not a great
runner, it's a nice flat parkrun, so there's no hills.
Um, and it's beautiful becauseyou get to run along the side of
the river, you get to see thethe you run past the Shakespeare
(07:12):
Theatre, you run past the HolyTrinity Church where Shakespeare
is born, uh, was uh was baptizedand buried.
Um so yeah, it's a really lovelypark run to do.
SPEAKER_00 (07:21):
Yeah, I think I think Dominique did do it when
she I think she that was the onethat she did when she was over
last month, actually.
You're right, yeah.
That's a good that's a goodcall.
I've I completely forgot aboutthat.
Um yeah, so there's lots to go,you can I would say, and a lot
of people kind of say to us umfor Stratford, they're just
gonna go up for a day and thenthat's it.
But I've tried to encouragepeople to to stay in Stratford.
It's such there's such a lot tosee and do, and it's a and it's
(07:44):
got a really nice feel to it.
Do you have any kind of hiddengems or or kind of areas that
you could recommend that aren'tnecessarily like obvious to
people?
SPEAKER_02 (07:53):
Yeah, uh so when people come to Stratford, yeah,
uh I'll go back a step.
Pre-COVID, um, most of thevisitors to Stratford, like the
millions of visitors that cometo Stratford every year, would
just come for a couple of hourson a on a coach trip from
London, which would also havetaken them to Oxford and Windsor
Castle and Stonehenge, and youknow, tried to cram everything
(08:14):
in in a day, and you'd spendmaybe an hour or two in
Stratford upon Avon.
Um, and on a tour like that, Imean that's fine if that's what
you want to do.
Um on a tour like that, you'renot gonna see an awful lot um
and get the real vibe thatStratford has.
Um, so there's Henley Street isthe main kind of touristy
street, that's where theShakespeare's birthplace is.
(08:35):
You've got your Christmasdecoration shop and the Beatrix
Potter shop.
Beatrix Potter's got nothing todo with Stratford.
You've got a Harry Potter shop,again, Harry Potter, nothing to
do with Stratford.
Um, it's very tourist, a bittouristy trappy.
Um, and then you've got theWaterside area, which I
mentioned is a lovely area to goto.
Um, but there's more to it thanthat.
There's lots of little umcourtyards with little
(08:57):
independent shops that you canexplore.
Um, there's the old town area,it's just beautiful streets you
can walk around with lots of umreally interesting buildings and
architecture.
Um, there's uh lots of Tudorbuildings.
If you if you're a fan of Tudorarchitecture, then Stratford is
uh definitely a must.
Um, my top tip for alesser-known hidden gem in
(09:21):
Stratford-upon-Avon is funnyenough, it's the RSC, so the
Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre.
That in itself is not a hiddengem, that's world famous.
But a hidden gem within theShakespeare Theatre is they have
a little museum, which isbrilliant, and they also have um
a tower that you can go up andget a great view of the town.
(09:41):
And both of those things, themuseum and the tower, are free,
um, which I think not a lot ofpeople realise.
So, yeah, if you want a greatview of Stratford from a you
know, like a bird's eye view, goup the tower.
Um, and there's the um museum atthe back, which at the moment I
don't know if the museum, if theexhibition changes, but at the
moment um it's um based aroundthe costumes that they use in
(10:01):
the um Shakespeare plays at theRSC.
So um and it's fascinating.
Like I took my daughter there inthe summer holidays and she
loved it.
Um so it's a really, really nicelittle museum and it's free.
SPEAKER_00 (10:12):
Oh, that's perfect.
And I yeah, I've been I've beenup the tower as well.
You do get great views overStratford, so that that's a
perfect one.
Now, if anybody's planning to umto to go into Stratford and and
stay over, which is what we'reencouraging people to do, so as
well as taking your tours, whichthey can do from Stratford, um
which is it so that's anotherreason to stay in Stratford.
Um, where would you recommendthe stay?
(10:32):
Because I know there's quite alot of good accommodation
options in Stratford, aren'tthere?
SPEAKER_02 (10:36):
Yeah, Stratford has got loads of accommodation, um,
which is great.
There and it's got a good choiceof accommodation as well.
There's lots of different,you've got everything from a
youth hostel up to a fancyfive-star hotels.
Um, as we're a small familybusiness, we like to sort of
champion other small familyindependent businesses as well.
So I always think that you get areally good authentic experience
(10:58):
if you use the local bed andbreakfasts, the BBs.
Um, you get you know anauthentic welcome, you get warm
welcome from the hosts, um, homecooked food, really good
breakfasts, um, you and you'regetting an interaction with
local people as well, which youdon't always get in chain hotels
where you know you just there'ssometimes there's not even
anyone on the reception desk.
(11:20):
It's all kind of automatic andand uh very sterile, I think,
sometimes.
Um, so yeah, there's some reallygreat BBs in Stratford.
Um, probably our favourite isAvonley, that's the one we
usually recommend.
It's owned by a couple calledRob and Claire, who are just the
most warm, friendly, fantastichosts.
Um, there's also another onecalled Green Haven and Ashgrave
(11:41):
House as well.
That there are several, butthose are the ones that we
typically recommend to ourguests, to our tour guests.
Um, there's a whole range of bigchain hotels.
So we've got a Crown Plaza, wehave a Hotel Indigo, um, what
else is there?
There's um the Arden Hotel is abig hotel or biggish hotel.
(12:02):
It is part of a chain, but it'sactually quite a small local
chain, so there's only a few ofthe hotels in that chain in the
local area.
That's a really good one.
Um they have a lovely restaurantthere as well.
One top tip I would say whenyou're choosing your hotel in
Stratford is just beware of theactual location, especially if
you haven't got a car, becausethere are some very lovely
(12:24):
hotels, but they're what they'rekind of outlying hotels, they're
kind of maybe a mile or two orthree miles outside of Stratford
upon Avon.
So if you don't have a car, youmight find yourself relying on
taxis quite a lot if you umyeah, if you stay in one of
those hotels.
SPEAKER_00 (12:39):
And I'm gonna say as well, the traffic getting into
Stratford, especially if you'regoing in for a tour when they
when it's a school run time, canbe can be quite busy.
SPEAKER_02 (12:47):
Yes, Stratford is yeah, one thing that is not so
great about Stratford by Open isthe traffic.
Um, yeah, it's it's a very busylittle town.
It's a bit of a through route aswell for people people who work
on commuting to Birmingham andum sort of other other places
around.
So yeah, it does get very busy.
So if you are going to driveinto Stratford, then yeah, leave
(13:09):
plenty of time for your journey,leave plenty of time to find a
parking space, um, and yeah, getused to sitting at red traffic
lights because it's lots ofthem.
SPEAKER_00 (13:19):
That's true, that's true.
Now let's talk about food.
We always like to talk aboutfood.
And I was thinking about thiswhere where uh we we always kind
of go the same place when we goto Stratford, and it for the
life of me, I I swear this is myage, so apologies.
But um I'm trying to think ofthe name of it.
Doug will be I can hear Doug nowgoing, Tracy, no, it's this, but
it's the 1940s themed cafe we'vegot at Stratford, and I really
(13:40):
look it's just so nice, it'sjust so lovely.
SPEAKER_02 (13:44):
It's called the 40s, so it's uh yeah, it does what it
says on the tin.
Yeah, it's um yeah, that's areally uh nice little cafe,
1940s themed.
All the staff wear like 1940sdress and it's all 1940s decor.
So that's a nice place for anafternoon tea or something like
that.
Yeah, definitely.
Um in terms of other sort ofafternoon tea places, sadly,
(14:06):
there was a really greatStratford Institution tea room,
uh, but that's since closeddown, unfortunately.
I think it's now a vape shop,which is a bit sad.
But um, the other places youcould go, um, Boston Tea Party,
it is a chain, um, but I likeit, it's it does really good
food, um, and it is a localchain, it's quite a nice ethical
chain as well.
(14:26):
They're all about sustainabilityand and things like that.
So, I do like I do recommendBoston Tea Party, even though it
is a chain, but I quite like it.
Um, it's also got a really goodlocation right at the top of
Henley Street, which again isthat main tourist street, but
because it is a chain, itdoesn't have the tourist trap
prices, so it's uh it's not sobad.
(14:46):
Um, there's also I would say theteas and the the food is
probably on the average side,um, but there's a bakery called
Hobson's Bakery.
I say it's kind of average, buta good thing about this
particular bakery is that aroundabout three o'clock, four
o'clock in the afternoon, theyput a stall out the front and
sell off all their cake forreally cheap.
So that's really nice.
(15:07):
If you're wandering up and downHenley Street around uh sort of
mid-afternoon and you fancy abit of cake, then uh you can get
a cheap slice of cake fromoutside Hobson's bakery.
So that's a good one.
That's cool.
SPEAKER_00 (15:18):
What about pubs?
Because I know we're gonna askasked about what pubs to go to.
SPEAKER_02 (15:23):
Yeah, there's there's quite a few pubs in
Stratford, some are better thanothers.
Um, again, there's a few chainpubs.
Um, you've got your ubiquitousweather spoons if you want a
cheap pint.
Not necessarily recommended.
It is actually a beautifulbuilding.
There's strap the the weatherspoon's in Stratford, it's
called the Golden Bee, and it isin a gorgeous old Tudor
building.
So even if you only look at itfrom the outside, yeah.
(15:44):
Yeah, on the wall.
Yeah, I wouldn't recommendnecessarily going in, but yeah,
it's nice to look at.
SPEAKER_00 (15:50):
Yeah, they always seem to be in lovely buildings.
That's the thing about weatherspoons.
SPEAKER_02 (15:53):
Yeah, yeah.
I mean, I suppose that's onething they do quite well.
Um, other pubs to recommend.
Um, there's one called the OneElm, which is really nice, and
they do a great Sunday roast aswell if you're looking for a
Sunday race.
Um, again, not necessarily interms of vibe, but more in terms
of location.
There's a pub called Cox's Yard,which in the summer has um it's
(16:14):
got a terrace that is directlyon the river, so that's a really
nice place to go.
Um there's um there's a fairlynew ish, or I don't know, it's
been maybe been there a coupleof years, um, a bar called Cafe
Cocktail, which is great foranyone that loves cocktails, but
also they do a nice selection ofcraft beer and things like that.
Um, and there is a little micropub called Yabard, which is um
(16:38):
of course, yeah, which is uhyeah, which is good for the
craft beer lovers as well.
Um, in terms of sort of whereyou'd go for an evening meal,
that you're absolutely spoiledfor choice.
There are some chains, you know,your bog standard average
chains.
I don't even know some of theythey seem to um go bust quite
regularly and open under newnames, but you know, you've got
(16:59):
places like uh I don't know, Ican't even remember which ones
are still open, Bella Ritalia,it might not might have closed
now, but it's places like thatwhich are chained.
But um the more independentrestaurants um there's a a road
called Sheep Street inStratford, which um has really
good restaurants.
We had our uh staff Christmasparty actually at um one called
(17:20):
the Vintner, which wasabsolutely brilliant, it was
really lovely food.
Um, also along that street,you've got Loxleys, the
opposition.
Um it's um there's another onecalled The Woodsman, it's
actually the restaurant insideum the hotel indigo, but if you
are a meat lover, it'sexcellent.
It's called um they do they havea focus on sort of locally
(17:44):
locally sourced um game, a lotof game and sort of uh wild
court food and things like that.
Um so the woodsman is excellent.
SPEAKER_00 (17:53):
I have heard that.
I will say, Lisa, I have heardthat.
So if you're at the hotel indigoin Stratford, um Lisa and I
would love to love an invite tocome and try some of your food.
SPEAKER_02 (18:03):
Yes, absolutely.
Um, I have eaten there once along time ago, but yeah, it was
it was excellent.
Um, the other one that I wasgonna mention was um there's a
restaurant called the Boat Housefor two reasons.
Again, it's got a nice garden onthe river where you can sit and
watch the river go by, watch themarina and the boats go by, but
it's also um a very goodrestaurant as well, and it's
(18:25):
owned by a guy called um NickRoberry, who's the owner and
head chef.
And if you're a fan ofClarkson's Farm, which I know
many people are, the TV show, umyou'll recognise Nick because he
was the guy who was brought inby Jeremy Clarkson to help set
up the kitchen at the farmer'sdog pub.
Um so he actually owns theStratford Boat House restaurant
(18:48):
in Stratford.
SPEAKER_00 (18:49):
So yeah, so Anna, do you need to book a head for for
I'm guessing for Sunday lunch?
I always say recommend thatbecause uh we Brits love going
out for Sunday lunch.
But um then other restaurantswould you recommend booking?
SPEAKER_02 (19:03):
Um yes, I mean it doesn't hurt to make
reservations.
Um if you're not fussy aboutwhere to go, you'll always find
somewhere to eat.
Um, a lot of the um restaurants,particularly the ones on Sheep
Street, will do like pre-theatremenus as well.
So you you can always usuallyget in for early dinner if you
want to go to a show at thetheatre.
Um, yeah, it's always a goodidea to book, but yeah, if
(19:25):
you're not fussy, you you'llfind somewhere to eat without a
reservation.
SPEAKER_00 (19:28):
Perfect.
Now, just thinking about how toget around.
Now I remember this is how I wasthinking about this the other
day.
I can remember the time beforethe main street in Stratford
wasn't uh pedestrianised, whichit is now.
Um and I I remember years agotaking some friends who'd come
over from Botswana actually onthe hop-on hop off bus around
Stratford because of places likeum get into um Anne Hathaway's
(19:49):
cottage a little bit further outof uh out of Stratford.
But um, how would you say is thebest way to get around Stratford
itself?
SPEAKER_02 (19:56):
And then if you want to go and see some of those
places that are a little bitfurther afield, yeah, um you
definitely don't need a car inStratford itself.
Um, as I said, traffic is anightmare, and so you definitely
don't really want to be drivingaround to see different things
around the town, and you don'tneed to because it's a very
small town, and uh the the mainHenley Street is pedestrianised,
(20:20):
and the there's the wholewaterside area which is lovely
to walk around.
Um, and yeah, you don't you justyou can yeah, explore on foot is
definitely the best way to getaround.
Um, yeah, as you said, the acouple of the attractions that
people like to see are a littlebit further out of town, so
there is the city sight thing,hop on, hoff bus, you know, the
big red buses that you get inpretty much every tourist city
(20:43):
in the world.
There is one of those.
There are local buses as well.
Um, there is a train station, soyou can get to other uh other
nearby places like Warwick veryeasily, Lemmington Spa, um
Coventry if you want to go toCoventry.
I don't know why you'd want togo to Coventry, but I actually
like Coventry.
I lived there for a little whileat university.
Um it's very interesting.
(21:04):
But um, yeah, so there's a trainstation, so you can you can get
to Birmingham very easily if youwant to visit Birmingham, which
I recommend as well.
Um, but yeah, in in Stratforditself, yeah, walking is always
always the best.
SPEAKER_00 (21:17):
So that that that's a lovely segue, Elisa, into into
your tours because obviouslyStratford is a great place to
base yourself if you're gonna gofurther afield, i.e., into the
cotwolds.
So so tell us a little bit aboutyour tours.
Um I and I know that you have wewe've in our Facebook group
we're always getting peoplesaying how amazing how much they
(21:37):
loved going on your tours.
So so tell us what makes yourtour so special before we'll go
into a bit more detail about thedifferent tours that you offer.
But but what is so special aboutgoing out with you guys?
SPEAKER_02 (21:46):
Um well I think the main thing for us is that we are
local.
Um we are based in Stratfordupon Avon.
Um my husband Tom, who foundedthe company, was born you know
in a village just outsideStratford.
He went to um King King EdwardVI, I can't remember what it's
called now.
He went to the uh the sameschool that Shakespeare went to.
(22:08):
Um and um not at the same timeas Shakespeare, he was uh so you
know we're local people, we livelive and breathe uh Stratford
upon Avon, and all of our guidesthat we use as well are local to
Stratford and the Cotswolds.
So that is a big USP uniqueselling point for us.
We're not um generic tour guidesthat have just learnt a script
(22:30):
you know on a on a tour bus upfrom London.
We're local people, we know thisarea, we've lived here, we've
worked here.
In my husband's case, uh he'splayed cricket here for his
whole life, and that's kind ofhow he got to know the Cotswolds
as well.
So um, one thing that people Ithink it's not really that well
known that Stratford upon Avonis really really close to the
(22:51):
Cotswolds.
I think a lot of people use uhBath or Oxford or Cheltenham
even as a base to uh to accessthe Cotswolds.
Um, but Stratford is is veryvery close.
It takes about 15-20 minutes toget from Stratford to the
official kind of uh part of theCotswolds.
Um so it's a great base.
(23:12):
If you want to stay inStratford-upon-Avon, you can
have your Stratford experience,you can have all the Shakespeare
that you can you can and umyeah, you can uh also visit the
Cotswolds as well uh in oneshort break.
So that was really the the wholeidea behind the business that
that my husband Tom set up.
(23:34):
He wanted to connect the touristvisitors to Stratford with
tourist visitors in theCotswolds, and there was no easy
way for anybody to get betweenthe two.
Um there is a bus from Stratfordto Morton and Marsh, but it goes
about three times a day.
It's not very regular, there'sno direct train line between the
two.
But now there is, well there hasbeen for the last 11 years, a uh
(23:57):
fun, friendly, guided tourcompany that can take place
together.
SPEAKER_00 (24:01):
Absolutely.
And um so what are your sort offavourite tours that people
take?
I know you you're offer quite afew, but what what are the kind
of the the best sellers, thefavourites for people?
SPEAKER_02 (24:12):
So by far and away, our most popular tour is our
Cotswolds in a day tour, um,which is kind of like well, we
we we developed this tour togive people a flavour of what
the Cotsworld is all about.
If you're short on time, ifyou've only got one day to spend
in the Kotsworth, then this tourwill give you it will check off
(24:33):
some of the most popular placeslike buy a breedborn on the
water, still on the world, andwe also throw in some sort of
hidden gems, some smallervillages, some beautiful
viewpoints, and take the scenicroutes through the cotswolds.
So, on the whole, taking thatquotes on a day tour, you'll by
the end of the day, you'll havea really great idea of what the
cotswolds is all about and howgorgeous it is.
(24:55):
Um, so that is by far and awayour most popular tour.
I'm just gonna throw in there alittle uh a little brag.
We uh recently that particulartour has recently been awarded
um the best of the best award byTripAdvisor.
Um, so that particular tour isamong the top 1% of all
TripAdvisor listings in theworld.
So we're pretty chaffed aboutthat.
(25:17):
Yeah, um, and it's also on a top20 list of the best tours in
Britain as well.
So yeah, really chaffed aboutthat.
SPEAKER_00 (25:25):
Oh well deserved, well deserved, Lisa, honestly.
Yeah, no, well deserved.
That's that's fantastic.
And we'll do a secret Cotswoldstour as well.
So if you've done the Cotswoldson a day, and I would highly
recommend following it up withthe secret Cotswolds tour.
SPEAKER_02 (25:40):
Absolutely, yeah.
So we um decided to launch a newtour.
We we kind of didn't want to putall our eggs in one basket.
Um, so a few years ago we juststarted doing the secret
Cotswolds tour.
Um, and the idea behind this onewas to show people a sort of a
slightly different side of theCotswolds that you wouldn't
necessarily see.
On the Cotswolds in a day tourthat I mentioned earlier, some
(26:02):
of the popular villages,particularly Biberry Bought and
on the water, are now soincredibly popular that
sometimes some people find thema little bit marmite, they
either love it or hate it.
Um, places like Biberry Boughtonon the Water are getting very,
very busy, um, which kind oftakes a little bit away
sometimes from the vibe that youexpect to get in a rural
(26:24):
countryside area, which is thatit's quiet and peaceful, not
hordes of tourists everywhere.
So we decided to launch a secretcot sauce tour, which takes
people off the beaten track alittle bit.
Um, it's a bit of a tough sellto be honest, because people
don't necessarily want to go toplaces that they've never heard
of.
But um, if you're willing totake the risk, um then I'd
(26:45):
highly recommend it because thevillages that we go to on this
tour are just as beautiful assome of the ones that are more
well known, but they're justless well known.
Um, so you'll you'll have theplace to yourselves, you can get
photographs of these gorgeouscottages and beautiful streets
with no other tourists in them.
Um, and all of the villages inthe Quotswalds have such amazing
(27:09):
history and great communitiesand wonderful independent shops
and restaurants and cafes thatyou can visit, but in those sort
of lesser-known villages, it'smuch more peaceful and quiet,
and it is more the vibe that Ithink people expect from the
rural countryside area of theCotswolds.
So, yeah, um, and we also on theSecret Cotswolds tour visit a
(27:30):
stone circle.
Now, obviously, we don't go downall the way down to Stonehenge,
but um, this Stone Circle is alittle Cotswold Stone Circle,
which is thought to be actuallyolder than Stonehenge, which is
kind of cool.
Um, and that's got some reallyfun myths and legends associated
with it as well.
So, our guests find that umquite interesting.
SPEAKER_00 (27:51):
Definitely now.
Um, and are you still doing?
I know last year I did a I didthe tour from Stratford down to
to Bath to the Christmas market.
Will you be doing that againthis year?
SPEAKER_02 (28:01):
Yep, absolutely.
We have got our Bath andSouthern Cotswolds tour as well.
Um, so on this one, uh yeah,we're connecting up Stratford
and Morton and Marsh, our pickuppoints with the city of Bath,
which is um it's a longer drive.
There's there's a bit moretravelling involved in this tour
because the distances are a bitgreater.
Um, but it's it's wonderful.
(28:21):
And if you want to check off theCotswolds, if you really want to
like conquer the Cotswolds andsee the whole region, because it
is a big area, um, it's at 800square miles, 2,000 square
kilometres of the Cotswolds.
So the Cotswolds and a Day Tour,the Secret Quotswolds Tour, they
both kind of focus on thenorthern part of the Cotswolds.
But if you really want to seethe whole Cotswolds, you've got
(28:43):
to visit the south as well.
Um, and the city of Bath is amust-see anyway, it's just
beautiful.
Um, so yeah, our Bath andSouthern Cotswolds Tour goes to
Castle Coombe, which is againone of those really popular
villages that does get quitebusy, but it is lovely, it's
it's absolutely gorgeous.
Um, and we also go to Tepri,which is um it was kind of new
(29:06):
to me this when we when welaunched this tour.
I'd never been to Tepri before,uh, but now I've been, I
absolutely love it, it'sfabulous.
Um, so many independent shops.
It's known as the AntiquesCapital of the Cotswolds.
So um there's loads and loads ofantique shops, gift um thrift
shops, um, gift shops.
Uh there's also the Highgroveshop, which is the shop of the
(29:29):
royal residence of King Charles.
So you can go and buy someproduce from King Charles's
garden if you wish.
SPEAKER_00 (29:36):
Oh, very nice, very nice.
And um now, is there uh whatsort of times of year do your
tours run?
Are they just about every dayexcept Christmas Day and Boxing
Day?
Or pretty much?
SPEAKER_02 (29:47):
I'm sure you don't run on Christmas Day and Boxing
Day, but no, we do we do giveourselves some time off.
Um we're closed uh ChristmasEve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day,
and New Year's Eve and NewYear's Day, but apart from That
we have tours pretty much everyday of the week.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (30:03):
That's amazing.
That's amazing.
Now thinking about Stratfordagain, kind of just kind of
swinging back to Stratford.
Is there is there a time of yearthat you would kind of recommend
people go to Stratford or otherparticular events?
Now I'm thinking ChristmasMarket.
That's the first thing that cameto my mind.
But are there kind of particularevents or times of year you'd
say that are great to go toStratford or other times you go
(30:25):
actually maybe maybe maybe alittle bit too busy?
SPEAKER_02 (30:28):
Yeah, I think like any touristy town, um it gets
really, really busy in thesummer in July and August when
the schools off.
Um so if you want to avoidcrowds, then that's probably the
time to avoid.
Um, but otherwise, because it'sa it's a small town rather than
a countryside region, it's justa really nice place to go for
(30:49):
like a city break.
It's not a city, it's not as bigas a city, but it is a nice
place to go for like a weekendbreak at any time of year, and
there's always stuff going on.
Um even if there's no sort oforganized events happening,
there's always you there'salways attractions to visit, you
can go to the theatre and thingslike that.
But there are definitely timesof the year which are really
(31:10):
fun, Christmas being one ofthem, as you said.
Um, so uh Stratford upon Avonhas some of the best Christmas
lights in the country, and thatthat doesn't come from me as a
as a as a local, that came fromum we we actually spoke to uh
one of the guys who organisesthe Christmas lights um quite
recently, and it is just a factthat Stratford upon Avon has
(31:32):
some of the best Christmaslights in the country, so um
it's definitely worth visitingaround Christmas time.
Um, there's also a really goodChristmas market which takes
place on a couple of weekends umin December.
Um, there's food festivals.
In fact, we had the StratfordFood Festival just last weekend,
so that was brilliant.
(31:52):
That's always really good fun.
Um they have a motor festival,motoring festival, there's all
sorts of classic cars up anddown the streets, there's a beer
festival at Stratford RaceCourse nearby.
Um, for a good one for the kidsis we have this thing called the
Mop Fair.
Um, so it's some sort of oldancient tradition where back in
(32:12):
the day um if you were a if youwere an employer and you needed
staff for your estate, then youwould go to the mop fair to uh
to find your staff.
Um, and the people that wantedwork would hold a tool to
represent their profession.
So if you're a builder, youmight hold a trowel, um, but if
you were unskilled, you wouldhold a mop.
(32:33):
Um, so if you just needed somegeneral labour for your your
country estate or for yourfamily household, then you would
go and pick people that wieldingmops to come and work for you.
Um and that kind of became anannual tradition, it was like an
annual fair where you would goand choose your staff.
Um, and now it's a fun fair.
So it still happens that we kindof preserve that date, preserve
(32:54):
that occasion, but it's yeah,it's it's a fun fair.
Um, and then two weeks after themop fair, there's the runaway
mop fair.
So back in the day, if yourstaff decided that they didn't
want to work for you after youemployed them, then you would go
to the runaway mop fair to goand pick some more stuff.
So we have uh a fanfare, andthen two weeks later another fun
fair comes back again.
So that's quite funny.
SPEAKER_00 (33:16):
That's that's that's really fun, and that's just how
um it British traditionscontinue, doesn't it?
I mean, we still have the thethe name continues.
Obviously, people aren't goingnecessarily look for staff
anymore, but the fact that thatstill lives on is is absolutely
fantastic.
Um now if anybody's planning tovisit Stratford for the first
time, what would be the the thenumber one tip that you would
(33:37):
share with them, Lisa?
SPEAKER_02 (33:38):
Um I've already talked about it really, but the
Stratford Town Walk is I thinkif you've just arrived in
Stratford, you've never beenbefore, join the Stratford Town
Walk.
It's an hour and a half to twohours long with fantastic,
really friendly, amazinglyknowledgeable guides, um, and
you get to walk around the town.
So you get you get a feel forhow the town is laid out, um,
(34:01):
find your way around, you learna little bit about history, and
then you can go off and explorefurther if you wanted to.
Um, so that's a really good tip.
Um, there are some uh there's aShakespeare Explorer pass.
So if you do want to go to someof the Shakespeare themed
attractions, there is aShakespeare Explorer pass where
you can get sort of umdiscounted entry or free entry
(34:24):
to certain places, so that'sworth looking into.
Um yeah, so that there'll be mytwo top tips.
Sorry, you'll have to for one.
I gave you two.
SPEAKER_00 (34:32):
It's right, people quite often can't stick to one,
so it's not a problem.
Now, um, where can our listenersfind you to book a tour, Lisa?
SPEAKER_02 (34:43):
Oh, we'd love for you to come and join a tour.
Um, so you can find us on theinternet and
www.gopotswolds.co.uk.
Uh, we're also on Facebook andInstagram and all those social
media channels.
Um, and yeah, you can book atour directly on our website.
We love it if you book direct onour website.
We do list on via tour and getyour guide and places like that,
(35:05):
but they charge us lots ofcommissions.
So we'd love it if you bookdirect with us, that'd be great.
And if you do book direct withus, you can use the UK Trav Plan
discount code.
Yeah, 5% off.
SPEAKER_00 (35:15):
Yeah, absolutely.
So book direct, use our code andbook direct, support both our
business and and Lisa.
So we are both kind of dedicatedto what we do and um and kind of
local, as it were.
I'm kind of local to the wholeof the UK, it feels like.
And and obviously um Lisa andher husband Tom have got a have
done a sterling job, absolutelysterling job in building up uh
(35:37):
just a phenomenal, phenomenal uhto a company.
So I mean it is you're you guysare always winning awards.
You you I've always seen awardsand how brilliant you guys are.
So so congratulations, honestly.
And um, if you're listening,seriously, go on.
Book a tour with uh with Lisaand Tom's Go Cotwell's company.
SPEAKER_02 (35:55):
Thank you, Tracy.
SPEAKER_00 (35:57):
Uh no, it's right, and thank you so much, Lisa, for
joining me again.
Fourth time.
I'll have to think of what youcould come on for the fifth
time, because I'm sure you'll beon again.
And I'm gonna have things totalk about soon.
Well, you know what we'll do?
We'll we'll we'll we'll decidewhat we could do is we can give
questions out on the Facebookgroup and say, right, Lisa's
gonna come on, give us somequestions about visiting the
Coxwalls and going out with GoCoxwalls and we're gonna take
(36:18):
from us.
So if you're listening to thispodcast and you think, I have
some questions for Lisa, you cango onto the show notes and we
have uh you can click a link andyou can leave a message, uh a
voice message for myself.
And if I get one through, I'llsend it through to Lisa as well,
and we can reply to you.
So if you've got a question, gothrough Speakpipe through the um
show notes and and leave us amessage so we'll we'll be able
(36:41):
to reply.
So that'd be cool.
SPEAKER_02 (36:42):
That'd be amazing.
SPEAKER_00 (36:43):
Great.
Yeah.
Anyway, so thanks again, Lisa.
It's been great to chat to youas always.
Thanks.
Thanks for having me.
Thank you for tuning in to thisweek's episode of the UK Travel
Planning Podcast.
As always, show notes can befound at uktravelplanning.com.
If you've enjoyed the show, whynot leave us feedback via text
or a review on your favouritepodcast app?
(37:04):
We love to hear from you, andyou never know, you may receive
a shout out in a future episode.
But as always, that just leavesme to say until next week, happy
UK travel planning.
Are you planning a trip to Stratford upon Avon?
In this episode, I'm joined byLisa from Go Cops Worlds, who
shares her insider tips on whatto do, where to stay and the
best local spots to eat anddrink.
We also chat about why Stratfordmakes the perfect base for
exploring the Cops World.
SPEAKER_01 (00:15):
Welcome to the UK Travel Planning Podcast.
Your host is the founder of theUK travel planning website,
Tracy Collins.
Each week, Tracy sharesdestination guides, travel tips
and itinerary ideas, as well asinterviews with a variety of
guests who share their knowledgeand experience of UK travel to
help you plan your perfect UKvacation.
Join us as we explore the UKfrom cosmopolitan cities to
(00:37):
quaint villages, from historiccastles to beautiful islands,
from the picturesque countrysideto seaside towns.
SPEAKER_00 (00:48):
Hi everyone and welcome to this week's edition
of the UK Travel PlannerPodcast.
Today I'm joined by a veryfamiliar guest, Lisa from Go
Cot's Wolves.
This is actually Lisa's fourthtime on the podcast, and as
always, such a treat to have herback.
Now in this episode, we'refocusing on Stratford upon Avon.
Of course, it's known the worldover as Shakespeare's
(01:09):
birthplace, but Lisa is here toshare her insider tips that go
far beyond the obvious, fromhidden corners and favourite
local food spots to where tostay and how to make the most of
your visit.
We'll also talk about whyStratford makes such a brilliant
base for exploring thecutswolds.
And don't forget, if you'reinspired to book one of Lisa's
tours, we have an exclusivediscount for listeners.
(01:30):
I'll share that at the end ofthe episode.
So let's get started and welcomeLisa back.
Hi Lisa, welcome back to thepodcast.
Hello, nice to see you again.
It's always fantastic to haveyou on, and you've been on the
podcast, I think, three timesalready.
I think this is your fourthtime, Lisa.
I think you're the person that'sbeen on the most on our podcast.
But for those listeners whohaven't listened to Lisa yet,
(01:53):
and I don't know why youhaven't, because they're great
episodes.
But if you haven't heard fromLisa before, Lisa is about to
give you a little introductionabout who she is and about her
fantastic business, GoCotswolds.
SPEAKER_02 (02:04):
Yeah, hi, um, I'm Lisa Benjamin.
Um, I am one of the owners of GoCotswolds, along with my husband
Tom.
Uh Go Cotswolds, we is a guidedtour company, so we provide fun,
friendly, small group tours ofthe Cotswolds.
We're based in Stratford uponAvon, which is the subject of
our podcast today.
Um, and we also um pick uppeople for our tours in
(02:26):
Stratford upon Avon and alsofrom Morton and Marsh, which is
a small town in the Cotswolds.
Um, we have several differenttour itineraries to show people
all around the beautifulCotswolds, different parts of
the Cotswolds, different places,uh, different sort of uh themes,
walking tours and um secretcotswolds.
Um, so yeah, we have lots ofdifferent tours and um yeah, we
(02:48):
love showing people around thispart of the world that we call
home.
SPEAKER_00 (02:51):
And you certainly do a wonderful job of it.
I've been on quite a few of yourtours and they are fantastic.
And um, I will be linking toyour uh tours in the show notes.
So if you're listening andthinking I really want to go on
one of these tours with GoCotswolds, don't worry, there
will be a link in the shownotes.
But this episode we're gonna befocusing on Stratford upon Avon.
So my mum doesn't live that farfrom Stratford, so that's also
(03:12):
quite exciting to talk aboutthat.
But um, tell us why Stratford issuch a fabulous place to visit.
SPEAKER_02 (03:20):
I absolutely love Stratford.
Um I have to confess I'm notnative to Stratford.
I was born in Kent in thesoutheast of England, but I
moved up here um with my thenboyfriend, my now husband Tom,
um, about 15 years ago.
So I've lived here a fair longtime.
Um, we actually live in a littletown called Ulster, which is
just 10 minutes, 10 or 15minutes drive from Stratford
(03:41):
upon Avon.
But yeah, visit Stratford uponAvon, you know, almost uh every
other day, and with our tours,we go there every single day.
Um, so uh yeah, we know it verywell.
It's a beautiful um riversidetown in Middle England.
Um, it's very different vibe toLondon or big cities, it's got a
(04:02):
very sort of small town feel toit, kind of a busy little town.
It's um the economy is well,basically it's a tourist town.
Um, it the tourism economy hereis very strong because uh
Stratford-upon-Avon, if youdidn't know, um, is the
birthplace of WilliamShakespeare, the famous
playwright.
So um there's lots of connectionto Stratford.
(04:23):
We have the Royal ShakespeareTheatre here, um, Shakespeare's
um home, well, several of hishomes actually.
There's the church where he wasbaptised and buried as well.
So it's a big draw for touristsfrom all over the world to come
and explore Stratford upon Avonand find out more about
Shakespeare.
SPEAKER_00 (04:38):
Absolutely, and yeah, it is if you are a
Shakespeare fan, honestly,Stratford should be on your
itinerary.
It is definitely worth going to.
And Anne Hathaway's house aswell, which is also with his his
wife, it's also worth visiting.
And there's just so much, youcan have a whole Shakespeare
itinerary for when you visitStratford.
Um, but what else is there to doand see in Stratford if you're
(04:59):
gonna go and visit?
SPEAKER_02 (05:00):
Yeah, obviously the the Shakespeare attractions are
the biggest draw.
That's probably the reason manypeople make a pilgrimage to
Stratford.
But if you're not interested inShakespeare, let's be honest, we
all probably had enough of itwhen we were at school of
learning about all his plays andstuff.
Um, there is loads of otherstuff to do.
Um, my uh favourite things to doin Stratford, um, well, my
(05:22):
recommendations for visitors toStratford, um, number one on my
list would be do a StratfordTown Walk.
Um, this is a local guided tourcompany, they do uh sort of
tours that take about one and ahalf to two hours.
Um, their guides are absolutelyfantastic.
There is not a thing aboutStratford that these guys don't
know.
In fact, we as uh a Cotswoldstour company, we our specialist
(05:45):
subject is the Cotswolds.
We don't generally do tours ofStratford because we just can't
do tours of Stratford any betterthan Stratford Town Walk.
They are absolutely brilliantfolk.
Um, so it's a really good tipfor visitors uh to come and do a
Stratford Town Walk.
Um, you get to know the layoutof the town, it's it's a very
small town, you can easily walkaround it.
(06:06):
You get to learn about theirhistory, the the Tudor
architecture, obviously aboutShakespeare as well, and all the
other bits and pieces ofShakespeare's of Stratford's
history as well.
So that's brilliant.
Um as a riverside town, it's gota beautiful riverside area and
called the Water Side.
Um, so that's a lovely place tohave a stroll and feed the
(06:27):
ducks, feed the swans.
Um, you can take a little rowingboat out on the river, or you
can take a cruise boat down theriver as well, which is a lovely
thing to do.
Um, I wanted to mention parkrunbecause I know that your
daughter did parkrun when shecame to Stratford last time.
Uh, so for those that don't knowabout parkrun, it's this uh
global phenomenon now, whereevery Saturday morning at 9am in
(06:50):
towns, villages, parks, allaround the world, um, there's
this thing called parkrun, whichis a 5k run or walk if you
prefer.
Um, so Stratford has a reallygood parkrun.
It's nice and flat.
If you are a runner, or youknow, maybe you're not a great
runner, it's a nice flat parkrun, so there's no hills.
Um, and it's beautiful becauseyou get to run along the side of
the river, you get to see thethe you run past the Shakespeare
(07:12):
Theatre, you run past the HolyTrinity Church where Shakespeare
is born, uh, was uh was baptizedand buried.
Um so yeah, it's a really lovelypark run to do.
SPEAKER_00 (07:21):
Yeah, I think I think Dominique did do it when
she I think she that was the onethat she did when she was over
last month, actually.
You're right, yeah.
That's a good that's a goodcall.
I've I completely forgot aboutthat.
Um yeah, so there's lots to go,you can I would say, and a lot
of people kind of say to us umfor Stratford, they're just
gonna go up for a day and thenthat's it.
But I've tried to encouragepeople to to stay in Stratford.
It's such there's such a lot tosee and do, and it's a and it's
(07:44):
got a really nice feel to it.
Do you have any kind of hiddengems or or kind of areas that
you could recommend that aren'tnecessarily like obvious to
people?
SPEAKER_02 (07:53):
Yeah, uh so when people come to Stratford, yeah,
uh I'll go back a step.
Pre-COVID, um, most of thevisitors to Stratford, like the
millions of visitors that cometo Stratford every year, would
just come for a couple of hourson a on a coach trip from
London, which would also havetaken them to Oxford and Windsor
Castle and Stonehenge, and youknow, tried to cram everything
(08:14):
in in a day, and you'd spendmaybe an hour or two in
Stratford upon Avon.
Um, and on a tour like that, Imean that's fine if that's what
you want to do.
Um on a tour like that, you'renot gonna see an awful lot um
and get the real vibe thatStratford has.
Um, so there's Henley Street isthe main kind of touristy
street, that's where theShakespeare's birthplace is.
(08:35):
You've got your Christmasdecoration shop and the Beatrix
Potter shop.
Beatrix Potter's got nothing todo with Stratford.
You've got a Harry Potter shop,again, Harry Potter, nothing to
do with Stratford.
Um, it's very tourist, a bittouristy trappy.
Um, and then you've got theWaterside area, which I
mentioned is a lovely area to goto.
Um, but there's more to it thanthat.
There's lots of little umcourtyards with little
(08:57):
independent shops that you canexplore.
Um, there's the old town area,it's just beautiful streets you
can walk around with lots of umreally interesting buildings and
architecture.
Um, there's uh lots of Tudorbuildings.
If you if you're a fan of Tudorarchitecture, then Stratford is
uh definitely a must.
Um, my top tip for alesser-known hidden gem in
(09:21):
Stratford-upon-Avon is funnyenough, it's the RSC, so the
Royal Shakespeare CompanyTheatre.
That in itself is not a hiddengem, that's world famous.
But a hidden gem within theShakespeare Theatre is they have
a little museum, which isbrilliant, and they also have um
a tower that you can go up andget a great view of the town.
(09:41):
And both of those things, themuseum and the tower, are free,
um, which I think not a lot ofpeople realise.
So, yeah, if you want a greatview of Stratford from a you
know, like a bird's eye view, goup the tower.
Um, and there's the um museum atthe back, which at the moment I
don't know if the museum, if theexhibition changes, but at the
moment um it's um based aroundthe costumes that they use in
(10:01):
the um Shakespeare plays at theRSC.
So um and it's fascinating.
Like I took my daughter there inthe summer holidays and she
loved it.
Um so it's a really, really nicelittle museum and it's free.
SPEAKER_00 (10:12):
Oh, that's perfect.
And I yeah, I've been I've beenup the tower as well.
You do get great views overStratford, so that that's a
perfect one.
Now, if anybody's planning to umto to go into Stratford and and
stay over, which is what we'reencouraging people to do, so as
well as taking your tours, whichthey can do from Stratford, um
which is it so that's anotherreason to stay in Stratford.
Um, where would you recommendthe stay?
(10:32):
Because I know there's quite alot of good accommodation
options in Stratford, aren'tthere?
SPEAKER_02 (10:36):
Yeah, Stratford has got loads of accommodation, um,
which is great.
There and it's got a good choiceof accommodation as well.
There's lots of different,you've got everything from a
youth hostel up to a fancyfive-star hotels.
Um, as we're a small familybusiness, we like to sort of
champion other small familyindependent businesses as well.
So I always think that you get areally good authentic experience
(10:58):
if you use the local bed andbreakfasts, the BBs.
Um, you get you know anauthentic welcome, you get warm
welcome from the hosts, um, homecooked food, really good
breakfasts, um, you and you'regetting an interaction with
local people as well, which youdon't always get in chain hotels
where you know you just there'ssometimes there's not even
anyone on the reception desk.
(11:20):
It's all kind of automatic andand uh very sterile, I think,
sometimes.
Um, so yeah, there's some reallygreat BBs in Stratford.
Um, probably our favourite isAvonley, that's the one we
usually recommend.
It's owned by a couple calledRob and Claire, who are just the
most warm, friendly, fantastichosts.
Um, there's also another onecalled Green Haven and Ashgrave
(11:41):
House as well.
That there are several, butthose are the ones that we
typically recommend to ourguests, to our tour guests.
Um, there's a whole range of bigchain hotels.
So we've got a Crown Plaza, wehave a Hotel Indigo, um, what
else is there?
There's um the Arden Hotel is abig hotel or biggish hotel.
(12:02):
It is part of a chain, but it'sactually quite a small local
chain, so there's only a few ofthe hotels in that chain in the
local area.
That's a really good one.
Um they have a lovely restaurantthere as well.
One top tip I would say whenyou're choosing your hotel in
Stratford is just beware of theactual location, especially if
you haven't got a car, becausethere are some very lovely
(12:24):
hotels, but they're what they'rekind of outlying hotels, they're
kind of maybe a mile or two orthree miles outside of Stratford
upon Avon.
So if you don't have a car, youmight find yourself relying on
taxis quite a lot if you umyeah, if you stay in one of
those hotels.
SPEAKER_00 (12:39):
And I'm gonna say as well, the traffic getting into
Stratford, especially if you'regoing in for a tour when they
when it's a school run time, canbe can be quite busy.
SPEAKER_02 (12:47):
Yes, Stratford is yeah, one thing that is not so
great about Stratford by Open isthe traffic.
Um, yeah, it's it's a very busylittle town.
It's a bit of a through route aswell for people people who work
on commuting to Birmingham andum sort of other other places
around.
So yeah, it does get very busy.
So if you are going to driveinto Stratford, then yeah, leave
(13:09):
plenty of time for your journey,leave plenty of time to find a
parking space, um, and yeah, getused to sitting at red traffic
lights because it's lots ofthem.
SPEAKER_00 (13:19):
That's true, that's true.
Now let's talk about food.
We always like to talk aboutfood.
And I was thinking about thiswhere where uh we we always kind
of go the same place when we goto Stratford, and it for the
life of me, I I swear this is myage, so apologies.
But um I'm trying to think ofthe name of it.
Doug will be I can hear Doug nowgoing, Tracy, no, it's this, but
it's the 1940s themed cafe we'vegot at Stratford, and I really
(13:40):
look it's just so nice, it'sjust so lovely.
SPEAKER_02 (13:44):
It's called the 40s, so it's uh yeah, it does what it
says on the tin.
Yeah, it's um yeah, that's areally uh nice little cafe,
1940s themed.
All the staff wear like 1940sdress and it's all 1940s decor.
So that's a nice place for anafternoon tea or something like
that.
Yeah, definitely.
Um in terms of other sort ofafternoon tea places, sadly,
(14:06):
there was a really greatStratford Institution tea room,
uh, but that's since closeddown, unfortunately.
I think it's now a vape shop,which is a bit sad.
But um, the other places youcould go, um, Boston Tea Party,
it is a chain, um, but I likeit, it's it does really good
food, um, and it is a localchain, it's quite a nice ethical
chain as well.
(14:26):
They're all about sustainabilityand and things like that.
So, I do like I do recommendBoston Tea Party, even though it
is a chain, but I quite like it.
Um, it's also got a really goodlocation right at the top of
Henley Street, which again isthat main tourist street, but
because it is a chain, itdoesn't have the tourist trap
prices, so it's uh it's not sobad.
(14:46):
Um, there's also I would say theteas and the the food is
probably on the average side,um, but there's a bakery called
Hobson's Bakery.
I say it's kind of average, buta good thing about this
particular bakery is that aroundabout three o'clock, four
o'clock in the afternoon, theyput a stall out the front and
sell off all their cake forreally cheap.
So that's really nice.
(15:07):
If you're wandering up and downHenley Street around uh sort of
mid-afternoon and you fancy abit of cake, then uh you can get
a cheap slice of cake fromoutside Hobson's bakery.
So that's a good one.
That's cool.
SPEAKER_00 (15:18):
What about pubs?
Because I know we're gonna askasked about what pubs to go to.
SPEAKER_02 (15:23):
Yeah, there's there's quite a few pubs in
Stratford, some are better thanothers.
Um, again, there's a few chainpubs.
Um, you've got your ubiquitousweather spoons if you want a
cheap pint.
Not necessarily recommended.
It is actually a beautifulbuilding.
There's strap the the weatherspoon's in Stratford, it's
called the Golden Bee, and it isin a gorgeous old Tudor
building.
So even if you only look at itfrom the outside, yeah.
(15:44):
Yeah, on the wall.
Yeah, I wouldn't recommendnecessarily going in, but yeah,
it's nice to look at.
SPEAKER_00 (15:50):
Yeah, they always seem to be in lovely buildings.
That's the thing about weatherspoons.
SPEAKER_02 (15:53):
Yeah, yeah.
I mean, I suppose that's onething they do quite well.
Um, other pubs to recommend.
Um, there's one called the OneElm, which is really nice, and
they do a great Sunday roast aswell if you're looking for a
Sunday race.
Um, again, not necessarily interms of vibe, but more in terms
of location.
There's a pub called Cox's Yard,which in the summer has um it's
(16:14):
got a terrace that is directlyon the river, so that's a really
nice place to go.
Um there's um there's a fairlynew ish, or I don't know, it's
been maybe been there a coupleof years, um, a bar called Cafe
Cocktail, which is great foranyone that loves cocktails, but
also they do a nice selection ofcraft beer and things like that.
Um, and there is a little micropub called Yabard, which is um
(16:38):
of course, yeah, which is uhyeah, which is good for the
craft beer lovers as well.
Um, in terms of sort of whereyou'd go for an evening meal,
that you're absolutely spoiledfor choice.
There are some chains, you know,your bog standard average
chains.
I don't even know some of theythey seem to um go bust quite
regularly and open under newnames, but you know, you've got
(16:59):
places like uh I don't know, Ican't even remember which ones
are still open, Bella Ritalia,it might not might have closed
now, but it's places like thatwhich are chained.
But um the more independentrestaurants um there's a a road
called Sheep Street inStratford, which um has really
good restaurants.
We had our uh staff Christmasparty actually at um one called
(17:20):
the Vintner, which wasabsolutely brilliant, it was
really lovely food.
Um, also along that street,you've got Loxleys, the
opposition.
Um it's um there's another onecalled The Woodsman, it's
actually the restaurant insideum the hotel indigo, but if you
are a meat lover, it'sexcellent.
It's called um they do they havea focus on sort of locally
(17:44):
locally sourced um game, a lotof game and sort of uh wild
court food and things like that.
Um so the woodsman is excellent.
SPEAKER_00 (17:53):
I have heard that.
I will say, Lisa, I have heardthat.
So if you're at the hotel indigoin Stratford, um Lisa and I
would love to love an invite tocome and try some of your food.
SPEAKER_02 (18:03):
Yes, absolutely.
Um, I have eaten there once along time ago, but yeah, it was
it was excellent.
Um, the other one that I wasgonna mention was um there's a
restaurant called the Boat Housefor two reasons.
Again, it's got a nice garden onthe river where you can sit and
watch the river go by, watch themarina and the boats go by, but
it's also um a very goodrestaurant as well, and it's
(18:25):
owned by a guy called um NickRoberry, who's the owner and
head chef.
And if you're a fan ofClarkson's Farm, which I know
many people are, the TV show, umyou'll recognise Nick because he
was the guy who was brought inby Jeremy Clarkson to help set
up the kitchen at the farmer'sdog pub.
Um so he actually owns theStratford Boat House restaurant
(18:48):
in Stratford.
SPEAKER_00 (18:49):
So yeah, so Anna, do you need to book a head for for
I'm guessing for Sunday lunch?
I always say recommend thatbecause uh we Brits love going
out for Sunday lunch.
But um then other restaurantswould you recommend booking?
SPEAKER_02 (19:03):
Um yes, I mean it doesn't hurt to make
reservations.
Um if you're not fussy aboutwhere to go, you'll always find
somewhere to eat.
Um, a lot of the um restaurants,particularly the ones on Sheep
Street, will do like pre-theatremenus as well.
So you you can always usuallyget in for early dinner if you
want to go to a show at thetheatre.
Um, yeah, it's always a goodidea to book, but yeah, if
(19:25):
you're not fussy, you you'llfind somewhere to eat without a
reservation.
SPEAKER_00 (19:28):
Perfect.
Now, just thinking about how toget around.
Now I remember this is how I wasthinking about this the other
day.
I can remember the time beforethe main street in Stratford
wasn't uh pedestrianised, whichit is now.
Um and I I remember years agotaking some friends who'd come
over from Botswana actually onthe hop-on hop off bus around
Stratford because of places likeum get into um Anne Hathaway's
(19:49):
cottage a little bit further outof uh out of Stratford.
But um, how would you say is thebest way to get around Stratford
itself?
SPEAKER_02 (19:56):
And then if you want to go and see some of those
places that are a little bitfurther afield, yeah, um you
definitely don't need a car inStratford itself.
Um, as I said, traffic is anightmare, and so you definitely
don't really want to be drivingaround to see different things
around the town, and you don'tneed to because it's a very
small town, and uh the the mainHenley Street is pedestrianised,
(20:20):
and the there's the wholewaterside area which is lovely
to walk around.
Um, and yeah, you don't you justyou can yeah, explore on foot is
definitely the best way to getaround.
Um, yeah, as you said, the acouple of the attractions that
people like to see are a littlebit further out of town, so
there is the city sight thing,hop on, hoff bus, you know, the
big red buses that you get inpretty much every tourist city
(20:43):
in the world.
There is one of those.
There are local buses as well.
Um, there is a train station, soyou can get to other uh other
nearby places like Warwick veryeasily, Lemmington Spa, um
Coventry if you want to go toCoventry.
I don't know why you'd want togo to Coventry, but I actually
like Coventry.
I lived there for a little whileat university.
Um it's very interesting.
(21:04):
But um, yeah, so there's a trainstation, so you can you can get
to Birmingham very easily if youwant to visit Birmingham, which
I recommend as well.
Um, but yeah, in in Stratforditself, yeah, walking is always
always the best.
SPEAKER_00 (21:17):
So that that that's a lovely segue, Elisa, into into
your tours because obviouslyStratford is a great place to
base yourself if you're gonna gofurther afield, i.e., into the
cotwolds.
So so tell us a little bit aboutyour tours.
Um I and I know that you have wewe've in our Facebook group
we're always getting peoplesaying how amazing how much they
(21:37):
loved going on your tours.
So so tell us what makes yourtour so special before we'll go
into a bit more detail about thedifferent tours that you offer.
But but what is so special aboutgoing out with you guys?
SPEAKER_02 (21:46):
Um well I think the main thing for us is that we are
local.
Um we are based in Stratfordupon Avon.
Um my husband Tom, who foundedthe company, was born you know
in a village just outsideStratford.
He went to um King King EdwardVI, I can't remember what it's
called now.
He went to the uh the sameschool that Shakespeare went to.
(22:08):
Um and um not at the same timeas Shakespeare, he was uh so you
know we're local people, we livelive and breathe uh Stratford
upon Avon, and all of our guidesthat we use as well are local to
Stratford and the Cotswolds.
So that is a big USP uniqueselling point for us.
We're not um generic tour guidesthat have just learnt a script
(22:30):
you know on a on a tour bus upfrom London.
We're local people, we know thisarea, we've lived here, we've
worked here.
In my husband's case, uh he'splayed cricket here for his
whole life, and that's kind ofhow he got to know the Cotswolds
as well.
So um, one thing that people Ithink it's not really that well
known that Stratford upon Avonis really really close to the
(22:51):
Cotswolds.
I think a lot of people use uhBath or Oxford or Cheltenham
even as a base to uh to accessthe Cotswolds.
Um, but Stratford is is veryvery close.
It takes about 15-20 minutes toget from Stratford to the
official kind of uh part of theCotswolds.
Um so it's a great base.
(23:12):
If you want to stay inStratford-upon-Avon, you can
have your Stratford experience,you can have all the Shakespeare
that you can you can and umyeah, you can uh also visit the
Cotswolds as well uh in oneshort break.
So that was really the the wholeidea behind the business that
that my husband Tom set up.
(23:34):
He wanted to connect the touristvisitors to Stratford with
tourist visitors in theCotswolds, and there was no easy
way for anybody to get betweenthe two.
Um there is a bus from Stratfordto Morton and Marsh, but it goes
about three times a day.
It's not very regular, there'sno direct train line between the
two.
But now there is, well there hasbeen for the last 11 years, a uh
(23:57):
fun, friendly, guided tourcompany that can take place
together.
SPEAKER_00 (24:01):
Absolutely.
And um so what are your sort offavourite tours that people
take?
I know you you're offer quite afew, but what what are the kind
of the the best sellers, thefavourites for people?
SPEAKER_02 (24:12):
So by far and away, our most popular tour is our
Cotswolds in a day tour, um,which is kind of like well, we
we we developed this tour togive people a flavour of what
the Cotsworld is all about.
If you're short on time, ifyou've only got one day to spend
in the Kotsworth, then this tourwill give you it will check off
(24:33):
some of the most popular placeslike buy a breedborn on the
water, still on the world, andwe also throw in some sort of
hidden gems, some smallervillages, some beautiful
viewpoints, and take the scenicroutes through the cotswolds.
So, on the whole, taking thatquotes on a day tour, you'll by
the end of the day, you'll havea really great idea of what the
cotswolds is all about and howgorgeous it is.
(24:55):
Um, so that is by far and awayour most popular tour.
I'm just gonna throw in there alittle uh a little brag.
We uh recently that particulartour has recently been awarded
um the best of the best award byTripAdvisor.
Um, so that particular tour isamong the top 1% of all
TripAdvisor listings in theworld.
So we're pretty chaffed aboutthat.
(25:17):
Yeah, um, and it's also on a top20 list of the best tours in
Britain as well.
So yeah, really chaffed aboutthat.
SPEAKER_00 (25:25):
Oh well deserved, well deserved, Lisa, honestly.
Yeah, no, well deserved.
That's that's fantastic.
And we'll do a secret Cotswoldstour as well.
So if you've done the Cotswoldson a day, and I would highly
recommend following it up withthe secret Cotswolds tour.
SPEAKER_02 (25:40):
Absolutely, yeah.
So we um decided to launch a newtour.
We we kind of didn't want to putall our eggs in one basket.
Um, so a few years ago we juststarted doing the secret
Cotswolds tour.
Um, and the idea behind this onewas to show people a sort of a
slightly different side of theCotswolds that you wouldn't
necessarily see.
On the Cotswolds in a day tourthat I mentioned earlier, some
(26:02):
of the popular villages,particularly Biberry Bought and
on the water, are now soincredibly popular that
sometimes some people find thema little bit marmite, they
either love it or hate it.
Um, places like Biberry Boughtonon the Water are getting very,
very busy, um, which kind oftakes a little bit away
sometimes from the vibe that youexpect to get in a rural
(26:24):
countryside area, which is thatit's quiet and peaceful, not
hordes of tourists everywhere.
So we decided to launch a secretcot sauce tour, which takes
people off the beaten track alittle bit.
Um, it's a bit of a tough sellto be honest, because people
don't necessarily want to go toplaces that they've never heard
of.
But um, if you're willing totake the risk, um then I'd
(26:45):
highly recommend it because thevillages that we go to on this
tour are just as beautiful assome of the ones that are more
well known, but they're justless well known.
Um, so you'll you'll have theplace to yourselves, you can get
photographs of these gorgeouscottages and beautiful streets
with no other tourists in them.
Um, and all of the villages inthe Quotswalds have such amazing
(27:09):
history and great communitiesand wonderful independent shops
and restaurants and cafes thatyou can visit, but in those sort
of lesser-known villages, it'smuch more peaceful and quiet,
and it is more the vibe that Ithink people expect from the
rural countryside area of theCotswolds.
So, yeah, um, and we also on theSecret Cotswolds tour visit a
(27:30):
stone circle.
Now, obviously, we don't go downall the way down to Stonehenge,
but um, this Stone Circle is alittle Cotswold Stone Circle,
which is thought to be actuallyolder than Stonehenge, which is
kind of cool.
Um, and that's got some reallyfun myths and legends associated
with it as well.
So, our guests find that umquite interesting.
SPEAKER_00 (27:51):
Definitely now.
Um, and are you still doing?
I know last year I did a I didthe tour from Stratford down to
to Bath to the Christmas market.
Will you be doing that againthis year?
SPEAKER_02 (28:01):
Yep, absolutely.
We have got our Bath andSouthern Cotswolds tour as well.
Um, so on this one, uh yeah,we're connecting up Stratford
and Morton and Marsh, our pickuppoints with the city of Bath,
which is um it's a longer drive.
There's there's a bit moretravelling involved in this tour
because the distances are a bitgreater.
Um, but it's it's wonderful.
(28:21):
And if you want to check off theCotswolds, if you really want to
like conquer the Cotswolds andsee the whole region, because it
is a big area, um, it's at 800square miles, 2,000 square
kilometres of the Cotswolds.
So the Cotswolds and a Day Tour,the Secret Quotswolds Tour, they
both kind of focus on thenorthern part of the Cotswolds.
But if you really want to seethe whole Cotswolds, you've got
(28:43):
to visit the south as well.
Um, and the city of Bath is amust-see anyway, it's just
beautiful.
Um, so yeah, our Bath andSouthern Cotswolds Tour goes to
Castle Coombe, which is againone of those really popular
villages that does get quitebusy, but it is lovely, it's
it's absolutely gorgeous.
Um, and we also go to Tepri,which is um it was kind of new
(29:06):
to me this when we when welaunched this tour.
I'd never been to Tepri before,uh, but now I've been, I
absolutely love it, it'sfabulous.
Um, so many independent shops.
It's known as the AntiquesCapital of the Cotswolds.
So um there's loads and loads ofantique shops, gift um thrift
shops, um, gift shops.
Uh there's also the Highgroveshop, which is the shop of the
(29:29):
royal residence of King Charles.
So you can go and buy someproduce from King Charles's
garden if you wish.
SPEAKER_00 (29:36):
Oh, very nice, very nice.
And um now, is there uh whatsort of times of year do your
tours run?
Are they just about every dayexcept Christmas Day and Boxing
Day?
Or pretty much?
SPEAKER_02 (29:47):
I'm sure you don't run on Christmas Day and Boxing
Day, but no, we do we do giveourselves some time off.
Um we're closed uh ChristmasEve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day,
and New Year's Eve and NewYear's Day, but apart from That
we have tours pretty much everyday of the week.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (30:03):
That's amazing.
That's amazing.
Now thinking about Stratfordagain, kind of just kind of
swinging back to Stratford.
Is there is there a time of yearthat you would kind of recommend
people go to Stratford or otherparticular events?
Now I'm thinking ChristmasMarket.
That's the first thing that cameto my mind.
But are there kind of particularevents or times of year you'd
say that are great to go toStratford or other times you go
(30:25):
actually maybe maybe maybe alittle bit too busy?
SPEAKER_02 (30:28):
Yeah, I think like any touristy town, um it gets
really, really busy in thesummer in July and August when
the schools off.
Um so if you want to avoidcrowds, then that's probably the
time to avoid.
Um, but otherwise, because it'sa it's a small town rather than
a countryside region, it's justa really nice place to go for
(30:49):
like a city break.
It's not a city, it's not as bigas a city, but it is a nice
place to go for like a weekendbreak at any time of year, and
there's always stuff going on.
Um even if there's no sort oforganized events happening,
there's always you there'salways attractions to visit, you
can go to the theatre and thingslike that.
But there are definitely timesof the year which are really
(31:10):
fun, Christmas being one ofthem, as you said.
Um, so uh Stratford upon Avonhas some of the best Christmas
lights in the country, and thatthat doesn't come from me as a
as a as a local, that came fromum we we actually spoke to uh
one of the guys who organisesthe Christmas lights um quite
recently, and it is just a factthat Stratford upon Avon has
(31:32):
some of the best Christmaslights in the country, so um
it's definitely worth visitingaround Christmas time.
Um, there's also a really goodChristmas market which takes
place on a couple of weekends umin December.
Um, there's food festivals.
In fact, we had the StratfordFood Festival just last weekend,
so that was brilliant.
(31:52):
That's always really good fun.
Um they have a motor festival,motoring festival, there's all
sorts of classic cars up anddown the streets, there's a beer
festival at Stratford RaceCourse nearby.
Um, for a good one for the kidsis we have this thing called the
Mop Fair.
Um, so it's some sort of oldancient tradition where back in
(32:12):
the day um if you were a if youwere an employer and you needed
staff for your estate, then youwould go to the mop fair to uh
to find your staff.
Um, and the people that wantedwork would hold a tool to
represent their profession.
So if you're a builder, youmight hold a trowel, um, but if
you were unskilled, you wouldhold a mop.
(32:33):
Um, so if you just needed somegeneral labour for your your
country estate or for yourfamily household, then you would
go and pick people that wieldingmops to come and work for you.
Um and that kind of became anannual tradition, it was like an
annual fair where you would goand choose your staff.
Um, and now it's a fun fair.
So it still happens that we kindof preserve that date, preserve
(32:54):
that occasion, but it's yeah,it's it's a fun fair.
Um, and then two weeks after themop fair, there's the runaway
mop fair.
So back in the day, if yourstaff decided that they didn't
want to work for you after youemployed them, then you would go
to the runaway mop fair to goand pick some more stuff.
So we have uh a fanfare, andthen two weeks later another fun
fair comes back again.
So that's quite funny.
SPEAKER_00 (33:16):
That's that's that's really fun, and that's just how
um it British traditionscontinue, doesn't it?
I mean, we still have the thethe name continues.
Obviously, people aren't goingnecessarily look for staff
anymore, but the fact that thatstill lives on is is absolutely
fantastic.
Um now if anybody's planning tovisit Stratford for the first
time, what would be the the thenumber one tip that you would
(33:37):
share with them, Lisa?
SPEAKER_02 (33:38):
Um I've already talked about it really, but the
Stratford Town Walk is I thinkif you've just arrived in
Stratford, you've never beenbefore, join the Stratford Town
Walk.
It's an hour and a half to twohours long with fantastic,
really friendly, amazinglyknowledgeable guides, um, and
you get to walk around the town.
So you get you get a feel forhow the town is laid out, um,
(34:01):
find your way around, you learna little bit about history, and
then you can go off and explorefurther if you wanted to.
Um, so that's a really good tip.
Um, there are some uh there's aShakespeare Explorer pass.
So if you do want to go to someof the Shakespeare themed
attractions, there is aShakespeare Explorer pass where
you can get sort of umdiscounted entry or free entry
(34:24):
to certain places, so that'sworth looking into.
Um yeah, so that there'll be mytwo top tips.
Sorry, you'll have to for one.
I gave you two.
SPEAKER_00 (34:32):
It's right, people quite often can't stick to one,
so it's not a problem.
Now, um, where can our listenersfind you to book a tour, Lisa?
SPEAKER_02 (34:43):
Oh, we'd love for you to come and join a tour.
Um, so you can find us on theinternet and
www.gopotswolds.co.uk.
Uh, we're also on Facebook andInstagram and all those social
media channels.
Um, and yeah, you can book atour directly on our website.
We love it if you book direct onour website.
We do list on via tour and getyour guide and places like that,
(35:05):
but they charge us lots ofcommissions.
So we'd love it if you bookdirect with us, that'd be great.
And if you do book direct withus, you can use the UK Trav Plan
discount code.
Yeah, 5% off.
SPEAKER_00 (35:15):
Yeah, absolutely.
So book direct, use our code andbook direct, support both our
business and and Lisa.
So we are both kind of dedicatedto what we do and um and kind of
local, as it were.
I'm kind of local to the wholeof the UK, it feels like.
And and obviously um Lisa andher husband Tom have got a have
done a sterling job, absolutelysterling job in building up uh
(35:37):
just a phenomenal, phenomenal uhto a company.
So I mean it is you're you guysare always winning awards.
You you I've always seen awardsand how brilliant you guys are.
So so congratulations, honestly.
And um, if you're listening,seriously, go on.
Book a tour with uh with Lisaand Tom's Go Cotwell's company.
SPEAKER_02 (35:55):
Thank you, Tracy.
SPEAKER_00 (35:57):
Uh no, it's right, and thank you so much, Lisa, for
joining me again.
Fourth time.
I'll have to think of what youcould come on for the fifth
time, because I'm sure you'll beon again.
And I'm gonna have things totalk about soon.
Well, you know what we'll do?
We'll we'll we'll we'll decidewhat we could do is we can give
questions out on the Facebookgroup and say, right, Lisa's
gonna come on, give us somequestions about visiting the
Coxwalls and going out with GoCoxwalls and we're gonna take
(36:18):
from us.
So if you're listening to thispodcast and you think, I have
some questions for Lisa, you cango onto the show notes and we
have uh you can click a link andyou can leave a message, uh a
voice message for myself.
And if I get one through, I'llsend it through to Lisa as well,
and we can reply to you.
So if you've got a question, gothrough Speakpipe through the um
show notes and and leave us amessage so we'll we'll be able
(36:41):
to reply.
So that'd be cool.
SPEAKER_02 (36:42):
That'd be amazing.
SPEAKER_00 (36:43):
Great.
Yeah.
Anyway, so thanks again, Lisa.
It's been great to chat to youas always.
Thanks.
Thanks for having me.
Thank you for tuning in to thisweek's episode of the UK Travel
Planning Podcast.
As always, show notes can befound at uktravelplanning.com.
If you've enjoyed the show, whynot leave us feedback via text
or a review on your favouritepodcast app?
(37:04):
We love to hear from you, andyou never know, you may receive
a shout out in a future episode.
But as always, that just leavesme to say until next week, happy
UK travel planning.
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