I am researching hotel/B&B.s for Cotswold Way. Here are some glitches: the travel guides do not list many places. I then go to booking.com and Expedia.com. Many places are sold out in July and August (We are a family of three.). Many of the hotels do not seem to be on the route and are listed as 5 miles from a town, etc.. We are hikers. We want to find places that are within walking distance of the "trail". We are going to delay this trip for 1 year, so we can better plan it. How can I know that an Inn is on the walking route? Some list city center. The booking.com (or other booking sites) maps do not indicate how close a hotel/Inn is to the hiking course. What Summer month is best for this trip? We are limited to Summer due to my child's school schedule.
Posted by
Royaume-Uni nul points, pas plus
2600 posts
Use this link http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/cotswold-way/plan
Under General Info tick the Accommodation box then zoom in on the map to see the location of B&Bs on the route.
I think this is the best book for walking the Cotswold Way https://shop.nationaltrail.co.uk/collections/official-guidebooks/products/cotswold-way?variant=5706328389
I don't think a general booking site is best for this type of holiday. Many small b&bs will not be listed on the likes of expedia.
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
Your best bet is the local tourists board sites, they will list everything.
booking.com and the like only list those who are prepared to pay there fees, and have a computerised booking system. This does not apply to small B&B's. They also tend to mangle listings according to their rules, not providing the info you want.
"Some list city center" - if it is in a city it is not what you are looking for. There are no cities in the Cotswolds, you want villages.
I suggest you get the Ordnance Survey maps for your intended route. They are also available online via BIng Maps. This is what you want when you are on your walks. A good B&B will list their National Grid Reference, which is the co-ordinate system used on OS maps, so you can find the locations.
Also, British Postcodes locate a place to within a few houses. If you know the postcode you can enter it into Bing Maps and find the building.
Edit: The link Ramblin' on gave you ( http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/cotswold-way/plan ) also zooms down to OS maps- great.
Posted by
TX, USA
529 posts
Here is a link for Cotswold information. I used this when planning my walks. It site includes accommodations by town and maps, plus lots more information. Hope this helps.
Posted by
OP
1963 posts
You guys are the best! Thanks for this important info.. It makes me feel more confident in planning this excursion.
Posted by
Troy, Oh, USA
2805 posts
As I said in your other post here are two book that you most definitely need...The Cotswold Way National Trail Companion...you can get it on Amazon. It lists B&Bs/Hotels, the other is Cotswold Way by Bob Hayne which has great maps to you each day.
Posted by
OP
1963 posts
Hi Robin,
I did buy the trailblazer Cotswold Way book by the Haynes. It's great for maps, but not accommodations. I bought the rough guide. It's rather limited in many ways (maps and accommodations). The national trail companion that you recommended was outrageously priced last time I checked on Amazon, unless there are new listings now. I will check again to see if the prices have improved.
Posted by
Troy, Oh, USA
2805 posts
You can get the Cotswolds Way National Trail Companion on Amazon for $16.00.
Posted by
Nashville, TN, USA
3898 posts
Check Ebay for your books. Sometimes you find much better prices there than on Amazon.
Posted by
Mission Viejo, Calif., USA
1010 posts
We used Andrew Guppy, Cotswold Walks, this past August. We stayed in the Cotswolds for 8 nights.