We’re travelling down to Bath tomorrow but really want to avoid the M5.

We’ll come off the M42 and head down to Stratford then onwards, but are there any chocolate box villages we should take in on the way down?

Just fancy bumbling along rather than sat on the M5 just above Bristol!

That’s nice jaunt down the A429 Fosse Way as you’ll be bimbling your way through Moreton-in-Marsh, Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water any of which should be perfect for cream teas, lovely.

You’ve got a couple of options without touching the motorway: as ART says, A429 out of Stratford > Morton-in-Marsh > Stow-on-the-Wold > Bourton-on-the-Water > Cirencester > Tetbury > Westonbirt > Bath, or the A46 to Evesham > Cheltenham > Cirencester, etc. Probably the first option will be the most picturesque, really, just watch out for Northleach: a rather dodgy steep drop with bends then straight back up again, and it can be lethal; there was a very nasty multiple pile-up the other evening, involving two cars and an artic, two killed and the road closed for nearly twenty hours, one house had a car jack thrown straight through a downstairs window, so just take it very carefully.
Weather should be fine and sunny, so enjoy the drive down, should be a good one. 😀

Stratford, B4632 through Mickleton, B4081 through Chipping Camden, A44, A424 to Stow, A429 as above

You have to divert off the A429 into The Slaughters and Bourton if you want to see these villages, but worthwhile IMHO

Try and see Castle Combe as well, very choccy box, I think they filmed some of Stardust there.

Nice bike/coffee shop in Tetbury called Veloton

I really liked the look and feel of lower slaughter.

Plus it does not stray far at all from the path (main road)