Tour Reviews
See our customers reviews of tours here
"We just finished our day with Andrew of Cotswold Photography Tours. And what a wonderful day it was. Andrew picked up my husband and me at our accommodation and we reviewed the tour he had planned for us. From the very first email communication with the company, we were confident that they were the right choice for our needs. We were interested in seeing unique locations that were perhaps off the usual track for visitors to the Cotswolds. He listened, and the day’s tour was perfect. The locations were gorgeous and we were excited about the photographic opportunities.
Andrew drove us skillfully through the narrowest of lanes, explaining interesting facts about the countryside and about the history of the places we were to visit. For us, it was a photographers fancy; gardens, churches (both exteriors and interiors), cemeteries, rolling green hills and sheep! My husband didn’t need any help with camera skills, whereas I always keep my camera on “automatic.” With his excellent teaching methods, Andrew showed me a few tips on using the “semi-automatic” mode and I was very pleased with the outcome. I am very happy with the results of both my close-up shots and my landscapes. I don’t think I’ll need to go back to “automatic” again!
We stopped at a lovely place for the afternoon break and the lunch was delicious and the area quite scenic. We enjoyed spending time with Andrew and appreciate the specialized tour that he created just for our needs and his knowledge of both photography and the special Cotswolds area."
[Wendy & Don (California, USA), October 16 2022]
"We met Andy at the train station and immediately began our driving tour. My wife has some difficulty walking, so we asked Andy to drive us close to the best photo sites he could arrange. We enjoyed seeing this historic charming area of England. Andy knew just where to go and how to see the various towns--including some photogenic spots off the beaten track, so that my wife did not have to walk long distances from parking locations We couldn't see everything, of
course, but we were very happy with the entire day. The weather wasn't kind to us, but Andy was well-prepared with umbrellas. We had to run to catch the train back to London, and Andy ran ahead of us to ask the conductor to hold the departure for about 30 seconds, as we struggled up and down the overpass bridge to get to the track. It all worked out and we later thanked Andy vis text when we were settled in our seats..."
[Katie & Tom (Florida, USA), August 25 2022]
"Andy's communication was responsive and prompt right from the start and he was was outside my accommodation waiting for me at the agreed time. He was very flexible with the itinerary and was keen to adapt it as necessary to my needs and the weather. To have somebody as friendly and knowledgeable about the best photo opportunities in the area was a real benefit for somebody like me who had no local knowledge of the best places to go. He took me to some great locations that I would never have found myself. We had a range of weather conditions throughout the day including mist, rain and sunshine and Andy readily adapted our plans to suit so that the photographic opportunities didn't suffer. I thoroughly enjoyed the day and Andy was great company as well as a great photographic tour guide."
[Chris P (Brisbane, Australia), November 5 2022]
"We had a great morning of photography with you, albeit somewhat wet and cold! Matt and I certainly got some help from you to help us move closer to manual shooting and got some decent shots when edited to black and white.
Absolutely no problem with you using those photos on your website, they’re really good - made me think a little more about perspectives!"
[Bridget and Matt, Notgrove Estate photography workshop, March 26 2023]
"Andy was wonderful to pick me up at my accommodation quite early to beat the crowds. It was a beautiful sunny morning as we headed out. Andy helped advise the timing of my favorite shooting spots to the right time of day for best light. Andy taught me a lot about my camera that I needed to know. He helped me make decisions about my trip overall. He found us a gorgeous poppy field. I loved the drive and we walked quite a bit too. I was SO happy with my day with Andy. I feel like I made a friend for life! Thank you so much Andy! ??
Did you do a drive-explore tour or a walking tour? : Drive/Explore Tour
Any other comments of suggestions about your tour? : I highly recommend Cotswold Photography Tours with Andy! He’s a fantastic photographer and person. They are a company you can trust!"
Kim K (New Mexico, USA), June 16 2023
"What a wonderful experience! Andy was friendly and communicative, arranging a time and day to suit me. He also took into account my favourite time of year to photograph. The hills and valleys at Painswick are stunning, and although I grew up in the Cotswolds, Andy make me see it in a different light and encouraged me to take interesting pictures of things I might have previously walked past. His hints and tips were also excellent, and have definitely moved on my photography skills. The morning itself was very relaxing, we walked, chatted, took photos and stopped for a picnic. Overall a fantastic morning, thank you!" Sophie D (UK), walking tour Oct 29 2023
"In our preliminary emails, I explained my self-guided plans for our other days in the area and Andy suggested alternatives for our day with him for seeing different types of sites than I would see on our self-guided days. He also asked what type of photos I like to take so that he could decide on the places to go to. During the day, as he saw the types of shots I was gravitating towards, and what I was liking and not liking, he adjusted the itinerary to fine tune it accordingly. With his extensive knowledge of the area and all of its backroads and trails, he was able to get us to great locations for the type of pictures I was looking for. I like to hike, but my wife is less enthusiastic about it, so Andy had to try to steer to a happy medium to suit us both. From his questions about technical aspects, I could tell that he has the ability to modify his tour guiding style to fit the skill level of his clients - he can give the right amount of advice about technique for those who need it and step back for those who need less. We considered our day with Andy to be well worth it for what we did and saw and for the enjoyable companionship and local knowledge he offered us"
Jim & Teresa Mc (USA), drive explore tour, May 9 2024
"I would like to thank you for a marvelous day trip to the Cotswold’s last month to take photographs of the area. From the beginning to the end your services and knowledge of the area were just outstanding. Ann and I thoroughly enjoyed our daytrip with you and appreciated your in-depth knowledge of the area and friendly banter. You took us to great, photographic areas and assisted me in getting the right angle on many of the shots. The fact that the day was perfect weather-wise didn’t hurt either. Next time I go back to England, I would like to engage your services again. I highly recommend your services to anyone. You showed up on time and spent a full day with us, even dropping us off at the train station for our trip back to London." Irvin & Ann K (USA), drive-explore tour, June 5 2024
"I contacted Andy from the US several months before my trip and arranged 2 tours with him - 1 walking, 1 driving. He was responsive and easy to communicate with. Andy picked me up at my hotel for the first day, the driving tour. First thing to note - Andy is such good company, it was a pleasure to spend the day with him. Photographically, he was so knowledgeable about the area and where to shoot, he was able to provide shooting guidance when needed, but also was not intrusive as I’m a fairly experienced photographer. The next outing was the walking tour. Very different from the driving tour in what we saw (fabulous vistas, sheep, and forests) so I was very glad to have done both. Again, just the walk itself and Andy’s company made the day enjoyable - the photography was almost a bonus. I came away quite happy with the experience of both days and the images I captured. From pre-trip arrangements through the entire adventure - 5 stars all the way." Jody J, Arizona (USA), drive-explore and walking tours, September 2024
"Another fabulous day with Andy - we used his services two years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. When the opportunity came up for us to visit the area again I immediately contacted Andy. He is very organized with the pre-tour process so that he knows what we are looking for. He put together another customized route for us and we saw new and beautiful places that were off the beaten path. He gave us interesting facts about the history of places which made the day even more interesting. We had good luck with the weather and the entire day was a joy. We will continue to engage Andy on any future visits to the area. We are both really happy about how our pictures are turning out and have fond memories of our time with Andy." Wendy & Don T, California (USA), return customers, drive-explore tour, October 2024
Andrew drove us skillfully through the narrowest of lanes, explaining interesting facts about the countryside and about the history of the places we were to visit. For us, it was a photographers fancy; gardens, churches (both exteriors and interiors), cemeteries, rolling green hills and sheep! My husband didn’t need any help with camera skills, whereas I always keep my camera on “automatic.” With his excellent teaching methods, Andrew showed me a few tips on using the “semi-automatic” mode and I was very pleased with the outcome. I am very happy with the results of both my close-up shots and my landscapes. I don’t think I’ll need to go back to “automatic” again!
We stopped at a lovely place for the afternoon break and the lunch was delicious and the area quite scenic. We enjoyed spending time with Andrew and appreciate the specialized tour that he created just for our needs and his knowledge of both photography and the special Cotswolds area."
[Wendy & Don (California, USA), October 16 2022]
"We met Andy at the train station and immediately began our driving tour. My wife has some difficulty walking, so we asked Andy to drive us close to the best photo sites he could arrange. We enjoyed seeing this historic charming area of England. Andy knew just where to go and how to see the various towns--including some photogenic spots off the beaten track, so that my wife did not have to walk long distances from parking locations We couldn't see everything, of
course, but we were very happy with the entire day. The weather wasn't kind to us, but Andy was well-prepared with umbrellas. We had to run to catch the train back to London, and Andy ran ahead of us to ask the conductor to hold the departure for about 30 seconds, as we struggled up and down the overpass bridge to get to the track. It all worked out and we later thanked Andy vis text when we were settled in our seats..."
[Katie & Tom (Florida, USA), August 25 2022]
"Andy's communication was responsive and prompt right from the start and he was was outside my accommodation waiting for me at the agreed time. He was very flexible with the itinerary and was keen to adapt it as necessary to my needs and the weather. To have somebody as friendly and knowledgeable about the best photo opportunities in the area was a real benefit for somebody like me who had no local knowledge of the best places to go. He took me to some great locations that I would never have found myself. We had a range of weather conditions throughout the day including mist, rain and sunshine and Andy readily adapted our plans to suit so that the photographic opportunities didn't suffer. I thoroughly enjoyed the day and Andy was great company as well as a great photographic tour guide."
[Chris P (Brisbane, Australia), November 5 2022]
"We had a great morning of photography with you, albeit somewhat wet and cold! Matt and I certainly got some help from you to help us move closer to manual shooting and got some decent shots when edited to black and white.
Absolutely no problem with you using those photos on your website, they’re really good - made me think a little more about perspectives!"
[Bridget and Matt, Notgrove Estate photography workshop, March 26 2023]
"Andy was wonderful to pick me up at my accommodation quite early to beat the crowds. It was a beautiful sunny morning as we headed out. Andy helped advise the timing of my favorite shooting spots to the right time of day for best light. Andy taught me a lot about my camera that I needed to know. He helped me make decisions about my trip overall. He found us a gorgeous poppy field. I loved the drive and we walked quite a bit too. I was SO happy with my day with Andy. I feel like I made a friend for life! Thank you so much Andy! ??
Did you do a drive-explore tour or a walking tour? : Drive/Explore Tour
Any other comments of suggestions about your tour? : I highly recommend Cotswold Photography Tours with Andy! He’s a fantastic photographer and person. They are a company you can trust!"
Kim K (New Mexico, USA), June 16 2023
"What a wonderful experience! Andy was friendly and communicative, arranging a time and day to suit me. He also took into account my favourite time of year to photograph. The hills and valleys at Painswick are stunning, and although I grew up in the Cotswolds, Andy make me see it in a different light and encouraged me to take interesting pictures of things I might have previously walked past. His hints and tips were also excellent, and have definitely moved on my photography skills. The morning itself was very relaxing, we walked, chatted, took photos and stopped for a picnic. Overall a fantastic morning, thank you!" Sophie D (UK), walking tour Oct 29 2023
"In our preliminary emails, I explained my self-guided plans for our other days in the area and Andy suggested alternatives for our day with him for seeing different types of sites than I would see on our self-guided days. He also asked what type of photos I like to take so that he could decide on the places to go to. During the day, as he saw the types of shots I was gravitating towards, and what I was liking and not liking, he adjusted the itinerary to fine tune it accordingly. With his extensive knowledge of the area and all of its backroads and trails, he was able to get us to great locations for the type of pictures I was looking for. I like to hike, but my wife is less enthusiastic about it, so Andy had to try to steer to a happy medium to suit us both. From his questions about technical aspects, I could tell that he has the ability to modify his tour guiding style to fit the skill level of his clients - he can give the right amount of advice about technique for those who need it and step back for those who need less. We considered our day with Andy to be well worth it for what we did and saw and for the enjoyable companionship and local knowledge he offered us"
Jim & Teresa Mc (USA), drive explore tour, May 9 2024
"I would like to thank you for a marvelous day trip to the Cotswold’s last month to take photographs of the area. From the beginning to the end your services and knowledge of the area were just outstanding. Ann and I thoroughly enjoyed our daytrip with you and appreciated your in-depth knowledge of the area and friendly banter. You took us to great, photographic areas and assisted me in getting the right angle on many of the shots. The fact that the day was perfect weather-wise didn’t hurt either. Next time I go back to England, I would like to engage your services again. I highly recommend your services to anyone. You showed up on time and spent a full day with us, even dropping us off at the train station for our trip back to London." Irvin & Ann K (USA), drive-explore tour, June 5 2024
"I contacted Andy from the US several months before my trip and arranged 2 tours with him - 1 walking, 1 driving. He was responsive and easy to communicate with. Andy picked me up at my hotel for the first day, the driving tour. First thing to note - Andy is such good company, it was a pleasure to spend the day with him. Photographically, he was so knowledgeable about the area and where to shoot, he was able to provide shooting guidance when needed, but also was not intrusive as I’m a fairly experienced photographer. The next outing was the walking tour. Very different from the driving tour in what we saw (fabulous vistas, sheep, and forests) so I was very glad to have done both. Again, just the walk itself and Andy’s company made the day enjoyable - the photography was almost a bonus. I came away quite happy with the experience of both days and the images I captured. From pre-trip arrangements through the entire adventure - 5 stars all the way." Jody J, Arizona (USA), drive-explore and walking tours, September 2024
"Another fabulous day with Andy - we used his services two years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. When the opportunity came up for us to visit the area again I immediately contacted Andy. He is very organized with the pre-tour process so that he knows what we are looking for. He put together another customized route for us and we saw new and beautiful places that were off the beaten path. He gave us interesting facts about the history of places which made the day even more interesting. We had good luck with the weather and the entire day was a joy. We will continue to engage Andy on any future visits to the area. We are both really happy about how our pictures are turning out and have fond memories of our time with Andy." Wendy & Don T, California (USA), return customers, drive-explore tour, October 2024
