Costwolds Inn to Inn early July

We stayed in the Volunteer Inn in Chipping Campden for six nights. I recommend it. There is the best pub in town there and a great Indian restaurant.

Hi -

You are right to plan for all eventualities. If the weather is good, you’ll curse carrying waterproofs, if it tips it down you’ll curse not having packed them even more. So better to have them and not need them than vice versa,

Ticks seem to be an increasing problem, some say due to climate change. In summer if the weather is remotely kind I walk in shorts. I think I’ve found just the one tick in years of walking, but maybe I’ve just been lucky. And come to that, there’s no guarantee the little blighters won’t bite you even if you are wearing long trousers. Best policy is wearing insect repellent and carrying a tick removal tool or at least a pair of tweezers to remove any that bite you. Know the signs of a bite that needs medical attention and get it pronto - Lyme Disease is a possibility, albeit a remote one, and shouldn’t be taken lightly. Check for ticks at the end of the walk if in doubt. And because I was once told they like to head for dark, damp crevices, this will be where you find out who your real friends are!

Overall, despite the above I wouldn’t stress unduly or let the thought of it ruin your day/trip. Just know your enemy! Sounds like a fun trip anyway. I don’t think ticks are allergic to alcohol, but you could do some valuable research!

Ian

Sounds like fun!

You most likely won’t be walking through tall grass. The paths should be well-worn. But, personally, I prefer full-length, lightweight hiking pants in all weather. They dry fast if it should rain, and they protect my legs from nettles, which always seem to find me.

Bring:
Hat
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Bug spray
A change of socks
Good hiking shoes
Other shoes to wear at the end of the day
A rain jacket with hood
A waterproof cover for your daypack
Snacks and water
Moleskin and “lambs wool” for preventing blisters

Hi,
My husband and I did this walk back in June 2014, beginning in Moreton and ending in Chipping Campden. We did hike in long pants and found them suitable in all ways. We were never in brambles per se but did encounter some very muddy paths the first day, due to previous rain. We never found any tics on us, but I have had Lyme disease and would suggest you do a tic check every day. On our hike in the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland in 2017 we brought tic repellent and before departing made sure all our clothing was treated with a tic treatment by spraying it on our clothing. Our Ireland hike was more remote and rugged than the English one we did.

My husband and I have such terrific memories of this Moreton-Campden hike and are planning on doing more hiking in England next year. It is such a fantastic way to get closer to the people, slow down, and create many memorable moments. Happy hiking!

Our Inn to Inn walking holidays were in northern England and Scotland. Over the course of a week, be prepared for some rain to fall. And expect some shorts and short sleeve weather.

The UK Met climate regions discussion is a useful statistical insight:
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/binaries/content/assets/metofficegovuk/pdf/weather/learn-about/uk-past-events/regional-climates/midlands_-climate---met-office.pdf

Midlands: climate

The Midlands area includes the Cotswold Hills to the south, the
Northamptonshire uplands to the east, the Peak District to the north
and is bounded by the Welsh border to the west

July is the warmest month, with mean daily maximum temperatures
exceeding 22 °C in the south and east Midlands. The highest July mean
daily maxima occur in the London area (23.5 °C) whilst the lowest
occur in the Shetlands (15 °C). Extreme maximum temperatures can occur
in July or August. For example, on 3 July 1976 35.9 °C was recorded at
Cheltenham and on 9 August 1911 36.7 °C occurred at Raunds,
Northamptonshire. On 3 August 1990, temperatures exceeded 34 °C widely
over the Midlands, with 37.1 °C at Cheltenham, a new national record.
This stood until the heat wave of August 2003, when 38.5 °C was
measured at Faversham, Kent.

Rainfall is generally well-distributed through the year, but the
wettest month varies across the region. In the wetter upland areas of
the north and west, there is a pronounced winter maximum when the
Atlantic depressions are at their most vigorous. In contrast, the East
and South Midlands tend to have a more even distribution through the
year, with summer amounts there associated with showery, convective
rainfall.

This community is such a treasure-trove! Thanks everybody for your responses and recommendations.

Our three UK walking trips were all in May, a little cooler than your planned early July. There were days when we were happy we had waterproof overpants but you may be fine with quick drying pants for early July. We packed extra (dry) socks in our day sacks for heavy rain days when waterproof overpants and ankle gaiters did not keep socks dry.

We bought waterproof pack covers during our first UK walking tour but had problems keeping the pack cover secured on high wind (and rain) days. For our next trips we switched to light weight dry sacks to keep the contents of our day pack dry. https://www.rei.com/search?q=light+weight+dry+sack
And don;t forgrt your waterproof map case.

We used Contours for our self-quided trips. Here's their suggested packing list:
https://www.contours.co.uk/kit-list
Beauty of luggage supported travel is all of the suggested kit isn't on your back.

PS We're trekking pole walkers.

In case you don't already know, there are companies that will transport your luggage from one inn to the next, so all you need to carry is a day pack with lunch, water, jacket, for your hiking.

We did Chipping Campden to Broadway to Stanton (with a detour to Snowshill), then traveled by train and bus to Painswick and on to Bath. We had a wonderful time!!

Thanks again everybody! We've booked our luggage support with MacsAdventures.

We walked part of this trail in late June. We had beautiful weather but it had been rainy so mud. Others, but not us, had gators which would have been useful.

We both wore hiking pants which allowed for shortening in case of warm weather-my husband’s had zip off bottoms and mine rolled up to capris. We both have other hiking pants that are not convertible and do not see any difference in comfort.

Hi, back from our amazing trip and thought I'd follow-up, in case anybody's been lurking or trying to plan.

First of all, I appreciate all the suggestions folks offered. This is such a valuable resource. We highly recommend Macs Adventures as a self-guided tour company. Our lodging was excellent and the luggage transfer service worked beautifully. Our days of walking were comfortable, and sometimes a bit challenging. Weather was perfect - mid-60s to low 70s and only 1 day of rain. Mostly walked in light weight REI long hiking pants due to brambles, thistle, etc. Layers were the way to go. Can't wait to make an annual trip plan with one RS Tour and one walking tour. :)

kbneedle, thank you for the recommendation of Macs Adventure. I have bookmarked them for a future trip. Sounds like walking adventures we would enjoy.

I'm with Ian on this one. I do a lot of walking, mainly with the dogs, and we tend to go to quite tick heavy places and long grass is an inevitability. Outside of the winter months I am always in shorts and have never found a tick on me (the dogs on the other hand!) and because I'm with the dogs I'm very aware of ticks and how to remove them. Waterproofs I only wear in winter because I've yet to find a jacket that is both waterproof and very breathable and when walking long distances I need something that doesn't trap the perspiration. The shorts I wear are typically water resistant and I wear lightweight, 'technical' T-shirts that dry very quickly if they get wet so I'm fine in all but the heaviest of downpours so for me it's a trade off. In July I wouldn't expect much in the way of heavy rain so I would aim for lightweight, summer clothing.

Glad you enjoyed your walking trip, kbneedle. We did one a few years back and fell in love with walking trips. We. are planning our next one for next May, after our RS Best of South England tour. Thanks for the tip regarding Macs Adventures. We are not sure if we will use a service or plan it on our own, like we did when we walked the Cotswolds. For our Ireland walk we did use a service and it was slick! We did the RS Ireland tour and then walked the Wicklow Mts. These walking trips are magical and you do get to know locals because they seem to like to chat with walkers as they are out for their daily constitution. My husband and I have so many sweet memories of encounters, like with the proud and chatty Irish farmer who had just helped one of his cows birth a calf. We heard about his life all in the space of about 10 minutes! These are the mementos we like to bring home! Have fun planning your next adventure.