The Launch of Cotswold Teacup Tours

What a time to start a new Cotswolds business!

What an absolutely awful idea to launch a tourism business just before Covid hit the world! Hindsight tells me that perhaps I should have quickly asked for my job back at the University and held on to it tight while we all rode the storm.

However, this isn't meant to be a doom and gloom story. There are lots of positives that have come out of this difficult time.

A large part of Cotswold Teacup Tours is about me needing to know the Cotswolds really well. From the time when we were allowed out in our cars again, I have passed many enjoyable hours exploring places I thought I knew already and found to have so much more history than I realised.

Wandering around Cotswold towns and villages

This has been way too much fun to be considered work. I park up my cool Teacup Tours VW, and go for a little wander about in market towns, villages, middle of nowhere, often stopping at picture postcard Cotswold pubs for lunch. Afterall, I do need to ensure the sausage and mash is up to scratch, before I rave about it to my guests.

New friends, new discoveries, new adventures

Each time on my expeditions, I meet someone new. I make a new friend, discover a little independent boutique, chat to the owner and relish their story of their business success. I want to be like them when I (finally) grow up.

I am happiest being out and about chatting to people and learning from them. When I talk to people, and tell them about my enterprise, they want to help. The good Cotswold folk really do want to share with me their favourite places in this area. They lend me their local history books and share their personal stories. A Cotswold-stone wall builder has even donated to me his vintage guidebook (complete with glued-in WWII note explaining that all the maps have been removed deliberately in case the guidebook got into the wrong hands!).

Day tours of the Cotswolds

My Teacup Tours are designed to be a full day of uplifting indulgence in nature and beautiful surroundings, with a good pub lunch. We try and stay away from crowds and busy places to give ourselves space to escape, relax and enjoy. I share familiar folk stories, plus my own stories - which may or may not be true, and some history about the places we visit. And then we stop and have tea somewhere lovely.

If it's a sunny day I pack a full china tea set, picnic rug and stop at the new Hugo Lovage Patisserie in Burford to buy our afternoon treats. On rainy days we retreat indoors - we're definitely spoilt for choice of tearooms in the Cotswolds, but I have my favourites. Again, these have been visited and 'cake tested' by me, so you know you're in good hands.

Multi-day tours of the Cotswolds too!

At the time of writing this (about 2 months for all the rewrites), I have just received not one, but two, multi-day bookings for Teacup Tours. One of those has just taken place and I had an absolutely brilliant two days in the Cotswolds with some lovely lesser-spotted tourists. It is so exciting when a work dream becomes a reality. Having a happy customer is simply the most rewarding validation for all the time and effort that has gone in to setting up.

Now that I am off the starting blocks, I have the taste for touring, and I am yearning for more tourists and more bookings. There is so much exploring we need to do!

Victoria Proffitt-White
Cotswold Teacup Tours