Cotswold help

Posted by d_lieuallen on 02/20/25 12:36 AM

I will be staying in Stow on the wold in May without a car and on the first day do the wonderful walking loop down to the slaughters, and bourbon on the water and probably catch a bus back. ….that sounds like a perfect day to me, but I need help with the next.

I hope to book the Robin bus a few weeks early and go to Winchcombe to walk to Sudeley Castle. How long do I need to walk there, see the castle ( inside and out, not looking at everything) and walk back to town? I will also book another Robin bus to visit Snowshill. Now here is what I’m trying to create. A walk from Snowshill to maybe Blockley then to either Broadway or chipping Campden. From there I can catch a bus back to Stow. ( 1/2 to Moreton in Marsh, 801 to Stow) I am open to other ideas. I just love the little villages and walking.
Thanks

Posted by janet_kupfer

02/20/25 04:20 AM

369 posts

Have you ever used rome2rio.com to get an initial sense of how to get around?

Posted by isn31c

Lake District, England

02/20/25 09:29 AM

8684 posts

On Day 1 I would do that walk in the reverse direction- bus #802 or 803 (Pulham's) out to Bourton on the Water then walk back to Stow on the Wold. That way you aren't stressing about return bus times.

For Sudeley Castle it will take about 30 minutes to walk out from Winchcombe. Rather than setting a return time for the Robin you could take bus #W or #606 (W is hourly, 606 is about every 90 minutes) to Cheltenham, then the 801 back to Stow on the Wold (or, if timings work, the steam train back to Cheltenham Racecourse, or to Broadway). There is a frequent shuttle bus from Cheltenham Racecourse into the City Centre.

EDIT- Having got paper mapping out and looking at where footpaths go to, rather than Snowshill to Blockley then Broadway/Chipping Campden the better walking route to me looks to be Snowshill to Buckland to Broadway to Chipping Campden.

Blockley looks to me to be as better as go to Moreton-in-Marsh then the 1/2 up to Blockley then the walk back to Moreton via Batsford and it's Arboretum.

Posted by d_lieuallen OP

02/20/25 02:38 PM

21 posts

That’s a great idea to take the bus first and then walk back. I just hope my friend doesn’t end up buying a lot and having to carry it the whole way. I will warn her.
Thanks also for the information about the walking trail. Which one is closer Broadway or Chipping Campden don’t need to do both Towns just have to hit one to get the bus back to Stow.

Posted by isn31c

Lake District, England

02/20/25 04:22 PM

8684 posts

Broadway is the closer. I would time that as a gentle 2 hours from Snowshill (at my pace), Chipping Campden I would put as closer to 4 hours so Broadway I reckon is half way or thereabout.

You'll want time to have lunch and look around Broadway- there are three buses a day back from there to M-i-M for Stow- you could take the 1254 to Stratford upon Avon for the afternoon, or the 1405 to Moreton (which calls into Blockley). If I didn't call into Batsford Arboretum I reckon that is 2 hours back into Moreton from Blockley (at what would be a fairly gentle pace for me).