Kooky Cotswold Tours was founded on a simple idea, a desire
to change my circumstances and on love for a truly unique
part of the world. It has since grown into a well established, small business with an excellent reputation that supports a young family.
The Desire
Between 2004 and 2009 I spent many years travelling through south east Asia, south America and India. I lived in Brazil and owned a little guesthouse I called Buddys (after my dog) in a town called Itacare. I returned to the UK and the Cotswolds to start a family. My desire for travel experiences and the enjoyment I got from meeting travellers on a journey never waned, so I got creative.
The Idea
How could I travel, meet other travellers, explore and experience the excitement that goes with all that while starting a family and earning a living? In my day to day life I noticed visitors from all over the world coming to the Cotswolds and thought that might be a good place to start. I loved the Cotswolds; although I'm originally from Luton, which is very different prospect but interesting in its own way, the Cotswolds is where I call home and the place I know the most about. I would not live anywhere else and although I wanted to share it with everyone, I wanted to protect it too.
Large bus tours of the Cotswolds were packing people in like cattle, showing them a brief glimpse of the most touristy parts, which are not good examples of the region, then whisking them away again. Even many of the smaller, private Cotswold tour companies were only offering fixed itineraries to the same places with more focus on what type of car you were in than where you were. I would offer something more; honest beauty, genuine charm, off the beaten track locations, previously inaccessible places and a different perspective based on my experiences of travel and view of the Cotswolds. Not exactly a groundbreaking innovation, but no one else was doing it then - so I did it.
Truly Unique
The Cotswolds is a place of contradictions and this seemed to be lost on many of the tour companies. Why weren't visitors meeting the people? Why weren't they following the footpath through Eastleach? Or eating at the Market Pantry? Did people understand the real beauty of the Cotswolds and why so many larger than life characters live here? Something had to be done.
Why Kooky?
The Oxford English Dictionary has this definition of the word Kooky; 'eccentric, strange in an interesting way'. This perfectly describes the Cotswolds. Once you poke beneath the surface beauty it is famous for, you find a series of strange contradictions that make it more enticing, inviting you to find out more.
Kooky Cotswold Tours
I am a traditionalist and an innovator, respecting and appreciating old fashioned values throughout the Cotswolds, but always finding new and inspiring ways to share them. I want to show you my part of the world, but I want you to keep what I show you a secret.