Cotswold Walking Tours Advice

I've walked the Cotswold Way with my wife a while back. It's a slightly tougher than you'd think walk as it climbs and descends the escarpment almost wilfully. Being Brits we just picked up a guide book, worked out where the preferred stopping points were and booked accommodation there. Most were delightful, a couple left a little to be desired. After a long day on foot though, almost any port in storm will do!

Now you can do part or all of these walks with transported luggage and your accommodation booked on your behalf - while I've not used them, many people seem pleased with Contour Walking Holidays who provide this sort of service.

I would caution that five miles a day is a little less than the norm - the Cotswold Way is over 100 miles long, so at five miles a day, you'd be looking at a three weeks plus walk! We averaged 10 - 15 miles a day, took us a little bit shy of two weeks - we thought the walking was easy enough and didn't feel unduly hurried, but then we've been walking since we were kids, so if unused to that sort of mileage a bit of training beforehand never goes amiss. Personally I like to end a day ready to do more, rather than spend the last couple of hours slogging along thinking 'I wish this would end' although there's always one or two days when it seems to go on forever. As a friend said about a big trip (he ran England to Morrocco!) '80% is mental, the rest is in your head', but getting it in your legs beforehand is never a bad idea!

Have a look for companies on the net that do walking holidays in the Cotswolds via the Internet - they may be able to sort accommodation and luggage transfer for you for a suitable length of walk and in the area you would like to cover and it's so much easier to do it this way, all you need to carry is a small daypack with waterproofs, food and drink etc which makes the walking so much easier. You'll still be 'doing it on your own' as nobody but you is going to walk the distance!

Hope you manage to sort yourself out a great trip!

Ian

I highly recommend doing a self-guided walk but using a company to make your reservations, give you detailed directions, and transport a bag from inn to inn. We did a 4-day walk to/from Bath a few years back, using Cotswold Walks (www.cotswoldwalks.com). They were easy to communicate with, the accommodations in small villages were good, and the walking directions were fabulous. Without them we would have been lost within the first morning. Even using Cotswold Walks, we felt like we were on an adventure, but it was a lot less stressful than planning it on our own.

In his "Great Britain" guide book, Rick has a bit of information about walking village-to-village in the Cotswolds. It's not something I'd attempt since I don't do well on unpaved surfaces, but it left me with the impression that selecting the right area might make it possible to do an unsupported holiday. Distances are very short between some of the villages, and there is some bus service. I'd think you could set yourself down in a logistically-appropriate place (perhaps Moreton-in-Marsh, which seems to be the transportation hub) and use the buses to return every day. Even throwing the occasional taxi into the mix would probably be quite a bit cheaper than depending on a profit-making enterprise to make all the arrangements and move your luggage around every day.

Obviously, I'm just speculating. And what I don't know is how much bus service there is in May or October, vs. mid-summer. One advantage of the totally do-it-yourself approach is that if you were really unlucky with the weather and had a day when you didn't want to do a lot of walking, you wouldn't have a lot of money tied up in the day's arrangements and could hop on a train to Oxford or Bath for indoor sightseeing.

We have done five UK long distance walks, including the Cotswold Way. Highly recommend Mickledore.co.uk. If you look at their website you can get an idea of the length of the various stages they offer. For example, their longest Cotswold Way Walk is 11 days walking with an average of 9 miles per day.

I second the recommendation for Cotswold Walks. Husband and I walked from Winchcombe to Moreton in Marsh. We took train to Cheltenham Spa, then took taxi to Winchcombe. We could have walked to Winchcombe, but decided not to. The longest day walking was the first; Winchcombe to Broadway. The other days were relatively short walks. The name of the tour is "The Cotswold Line". Maps were provided and were very detailed. Our luggage was transported and our accommodations were arranged at local B and B's each day.

A friend and I walked the Cotswold Way, and I did all the planning and booked the room at the B&Bs. It was very easy to do. The Volunteer Inn (I dealt with Peter) will transfer your luggage from B&B to the next B&B, they did a great job. Here are the two books that I used to plan how far we wanted to walk everyday and some of the places we stayed at. The Cotswold Way National Trail Companion and Cotswold Way by Tricia & Bob Hayne.

We used Andrew Guppy, Cotswold Walks, in August of 2016.

We did an HF Holidays package walk of the Cotswold area - stayed for 5 nights in a hotel in Burton on the Water as part of the pkg. Different hikes each day and had our choice of 4, 6, 8, or 10 miles per day. Each walk had an experienced guide - it was a wonderful trip.

If you plan your own trip, book your B&Bs you will save $1200.00 or more. The companies that plan trips charge per person, one company for example Foot Trailscharges £995.00 per person.

Thank you all for taking the time to answer... each and every post has been really helpful. Lots of good info.

Can anyone describe what it’s like?
(Not just the terrain, but the experience)
What towns did you like/dislike?
What B&Bs you liked, didn’t like?

Ianandjulie mentions lots of hills, but I assume that’s on some routes but not all...?

😃

Hi Susan -

Personally I'd describe the countryside as 'rolling' as opposed to to hilly. That describes much of the English countryside. The Cotswolds Way, to our minds at least, seems to climb and descend the escarpment several times in the course of the day and even though the climbs are not enormous, doing several in a day becomes tiring!

As for the experience, well, we've done plenty of national trails both at home and abroad and no two are alike - it depends on the events that occur that are unplanned, things that you can't possibly pre-plan or arrange. For instance, on the Cotswold Way we delayed our arrival to our accommodation in Winchcombe to chat with a farmer who was training or practicing herding sheep round a field with his sheepdog, probably for future competitions. It was a lovely summer evening so we lingered in the sun to chat for a bit, but when we finally dawdled into Wincombe, by the time we'd got settled in, we couldn't find anywhere in the local pubs and restaurants to get a meal. In the end we ended up sat on the back steps of our B&B with Chinese take out food. Sounds like a disaster, but it's the meal I most remember!

As for places I didn't care for on the trail, well, let's just say that J K Rowling didn't call Harry Potters dreadful foster family 'Dursley' for nothing! It may well have improved since our visit which was a while ago. We stayed at a pub there too which I won't name because things will almost certainly have changed since our visit, but it was merely satisfactory (it sold beer which was a major plus point) but it didn't make us want to linger the following morning.

In complete contrast, Painswick I recall as a complete delight. And Chipping Camden and Broadway. Oh yes, and the other major thing I recall about the trip was that my right arch collapsed which I didn't get diagnosed until I returned home. I did wonder why my right foot ached rather more than usual though!

Hope you have a great and memorable trip!

Ian

Ianandjulie, Wonderful info! I sure do appreciate it.

I’d love to hear more “highlights”... 😊

All links are for trip advisor--I like to see photos

That said, we stayed in the following:

Winchcombe--The White Hart Inn Quirky, slanted floors

Broadway--Dove Cottage Small with just two bedrooms, owner has a cute little dog, our bathroom was in the attic up a very narrow set of stairs

Chipping Campden--The Old Bakehouse Small with just two bedrooms

Moreton in Marsh--White Hart Royal Hotel Largest hotel we stayed in, it was ok, but lacked the charm of the B and B's and the White Hart Inn

Each village we stayed in had its own charm and I enjoyed each one. Between Chipping Campden and Moreton-in-Marsh, you will pass through Blockley. We have fond memories of this village. We once rented a holiday cottage there. The church is used in the Father Brown Mysteries on PBS.

***Edit: the longest day we walked was between Winchcombe and Broadway. 12 miles total.

Also, did you know you can "virtually walk" The Cotswold Way using Google Maps?

Saw the most outstanding scenery you could ever see, and the only where to see it is by walking the trail. We loved Stanton, we stayed at The Vine there. Painswick was absolutely beautiful, there we stayed at St Ann’s B&B. In Dursley we stayed at the Underhill House B&B which was fantastic, it’s right beside the pub. We enjoyed all of our B&B. In Old Sudbury we stayed at Cross Hands Hotel wonderful. It was an absolutely wonderful time.

Robin and Debra... thank you. Blockley on my list for sure, huge Father Brown fan. All towns named on my list now, as well as all B&B recs.

Also consider to rent a bike for part of your tour - best part of my Cotswolds experience.

brad, great idea! Never occured to me in the Cotswolds and I love bike riding. We often rent bikes wherever we go in Europe, very fun way to see everything.

You couldn’t ride a bike on the Cotswold Way Trail very well.

Added:
Susan, I thought you would stay on roads, but just thought I’d mention that the trail isn’t good for bike riding.

Robin, we’d stay on roads...

If you go through Winchcombe, you may wish to have a look at Sudeley Castle.
https://www.sudeleycastle.co.uk/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudeley_Castle

Hi Rebecca, I’d love that, thanks!

I'm turning 50 in May and will travel to England with my 19 year old daughter to celebrate. I just today finalized our trip to walk part of the Cotswold Way. I am very excited. I opted for starting in Chipping Campden and finishing in Winchcombe. We are looking for a very leisurely walk with around five miles a day and a total of four nights in the villages. Will be in Chipping Campden, Broadway, Stanton and Winchcombe for one night each. I'm not looking to push ourselves, but more so looking to enjoy my daughters' company during the day with perhaps a good meal and a beer or two in a pub in the night. It seems that most of the places we are staying double as a pub. I also opted for shorter walks so that we can be sidetracked by a castle or flock of sheep without it having too much impact on our need to get to the next stop.

I looked at booking through a service, but found that it was substantially cheaper to book on my own. I did much of the booking with booking.com. The villages are all small so the choices are limited. I also looked at inns and B and B's that were recommended on some of the tour sites when nothing was available on the larger sites. I was able to fill in the gaps by contacting owners directly. I'm looking at using sherpavans to transport our bags. It's just over 9 pounds per bag, per day. I'd take recommendations for other services, but thus far they have been responsive as well as recommending lodging when I couldn't find a place. If money is not a concern, it would be easier to got through one of the Cotswold Way sites and less work on your part. I believe that it is about half the price to do myself.

Just got a book called Cotswold Way by Tricia & Bob Hayne. From what I can tell, it looks good. I'm guessing that the information is up to date. Has maps and recommendations on everything you'd need.

There are some festivals and a bank holiday in May which can make finding lodging limited. If you plan on going in May, I'd suggest planning as soon possible.

Good luck in your plans!

Thanks Annie, all good info. I got your PM and hope to write back tomorrow or Friday.

We are thinking of doing this trip in May or Oct of 2019.

Annie, my husband and I are doing much of the same as you. We will be in the Cotswolds in late May, walking Chipping Campden to Broadway to Stanton, then taking the train to Painswick. We are having our bags transferred by the Volunteer Inn in Chipping Campden for 48 pounds total (including Painswick). They were very responsive to my inquiries. We are also using the same book as you.

It took me a lot of research to find accommodations in each place. Here's what i've reserved: Chipping Campden - Bantam Tea Rooms, Broadway - Hadley House, and Stanton - Old Posthouse. I started making my reservations in November.

I haven't walked in Cotswold, but from my experience in other areas which could be described as "hilly" or "rolling" I have one advice:

When you need a break make sure you take that break on the top of a
hill!

It is so much easier to start after a break when you are going down than if you had to persuade yourself to go up.

For a humerous approach to the subject of walking in Britain, read Bill Bryson's "Notes from a small island."

This sounds like a great trip and I would just like to ask you to please make a trip report upon your return. I for one, would love to read it! Have a great time!

We also are planning an individualized Cotswold walk on our own. I'm in charge of what I hope will be a somewhat unusual walking itinerary and am looking for a bit of advice. I got a copy of the Official National Trail Guide for Cotswold Way by Anthony Burton. In the Intro after providing a number of good reasons to walk the trail from Bath to Chipping Campden, the author announces that his guide goes the other direction. I'm thinking that we do want to go from Bath to Chipping Campden and I 'd rather not spend my time trying to reverse engineer Burton's North to South directions into South to North. I've looked for another Costwold guide that provides detailed directions from Bath to Chipping Campden. I get the impression that The Cotswold Way by Kev Reynolds provides detailed navigation in BOTH directions so that a walker can go the direction they desire without getting confused. Can anyone verify this is true, or point me at a guide that they are sure gives detailed directions from Bath to Chipping Campden? Thanks much. Happy walking to all.

Thanks everyone! I’ll save all this helpful info and use it when planning if we’re able to go 😊