Cotswold walking tour - daily mileage

I haven't done it, but I'd advise scaling back on your mileage. You only have 3 days to walk. If you want time to see the various sights and visit pubs and drink tea, you can't be out walking all day each day. Also, you don't know what the weather will be like. It could be beautiful, but it could also be very rainy and therefore muddy enough to slow your progress.

As for meeting people, it's quite possible you'll meet other walkers and strike up conversations, so I would say that aspect of the plan is a win/win either way.

We walked the Cotswold Way National Trail in September 2014, it will take longer then you think. There are some very steep inclines and descends. There is a book titled Tea Shop Walks in the Cotswolds, there is 28 different walks they range from 4 miles to 10 miles, you can get the book on Amazon.

Your route seems similar to Contours Walking Holidays "Cotswold Round - A circular walk from Moreton-in-Marsh visiting the finest towns, villages and countryside in the Cotswolds" tour:
https://www.contours.co.uk/walking-holidays/circular-walks-cotswold.php#COTR

Total Distance 51 miles (82 km) Start and Finish Circular trail
beginning at Moreton-in-Marsh

Contours 4 walking day option:

Day 1: Travel to Moreton-in-Marsh where your first nights
accommodation has been booked

Day 2: Moreton-in-Marsh to Bourton-on-the-Water. 12 miles (19km)

Day 3: Bourton-on-the-Water to Winchcombe. 13 miles (21km)

Day 4: Winchcombe to Broadway. 12 miles (19km)

Day 5: Broadway to Moreton-in-Marsh. 14 miles (22.5km)

Day 6: Depart from Moreton-in-Marsh after breakfast

You would need to train for back to back days of 12 to 14 miles with multiple 200 meter hills and that's with 4 walking days. Problem with 3 days beyond daily mileage would be B&B accommodation at 16-17 mile intervals.

I have walked the following and am planning to re-walk next spring, with the addition of: Cheltenham Spa to Winchombe (8 3/4 miles)

Day 1: Winchcombe to Broadway (9 miles)

Day 2: Broadway to Chipping Camden (6 miles)

Day 3: Chipping Camden to Moreton in Marsh (7 3/4 miles)

If you would rather, you could walk Broadway to Moreton in Marsh (13 miles). This would make for a 2 day walk.

The best afternoon tea I have ever had was in Chipping Camden at Badger's Hall.

This allows for me to take the train from Bath to Cheltenham Spa, walk, then take the train from Moreton in Marsh back to London.

Here is a link to National Trails website.

I have a friend who recently did the whole Cotswolds Way trail, which she said is 102 miles, in 6 days. They really hadn't done any advance planning, and were miserable. Their mileage was in the high teens each day, with the last day being in the 20's. They didn't get to their villages until 8 or so at night and didn't have time for dinner before trying to find their b&b. Then they got up to start again with blisters. They envied people who had done much lower mileage and got to stop for a pint, or a cuppa in the afternoon, before resting up for the next day. They obviously didn't do what you are doing--asking for advice. My take-away was to go for lower mileage, enjoy the hike, and smell the roses.

My feeling is that once you get above 12-13 miles a day on these trails, then you are inviting the trip to be a relentless slog. If I recall correctly, the Cotswold Way climbs and descends almost willfully, and that becomes very tiring. It is correct of course, to stop for a swift half, lunch or investigate local monuments, etc., as you might pass that way only once, so cutting the mileage down to something manageable is sensible. My experience as regards shorter mileage days is that the walking expands to fit the day! I'm doing the Two Moors Way in Devon next month and we have a couple of long days - hopefully in easy walking terrain - followed by notably shorter days and these are governed by the accommodation (or lack of it), but the shorter days will be welcome as recoveries after the sizeable previous day's yomps.

It's a long time since we did the Cotswold Way, but we must have had at least one long day in it as we arrived at Winchcombe late in the day on a weekend, and there was literally no room - or food - to be had at the inn. Fortunately, it was that rare thing, a balmy English summer evening and the local Chinese Take Away was open so dinner was al fresco on the steps of our B&B. Oh, and yes, my right arch collapsed during the walk. Wondered why it hurt!

Go for shorter mileage days and as mentioned above, smell the coffee, roses, investigate the local church/monument/tea room/pub, etc.!

Have a great trip!

Ian

We used Andrew Guppy, Cotswold Walks last summer. He will plan out whatever you want and have drivers drop you off and pick you up. Don and Elaine Obermann August, 2016.