We are a reasonably fit late 50s couple. We walk trails 3+ miles 5 days a week, and swim 1.5 miles two days a week. Is it unreasonable to plan to hike all 100 miles of the Cotswold Way (in August) in 7 or 8 days? Anything we should know before we finalize plans?
Thank you!!
I can't give direct advice, but it could be worth checking out Helen Sulas blog. It's
Heleneinbetween.com and she has done several long walks including the Cotswold way and shares the training plan she used
This description of the trail gives you an idea of the distances and elevation to expect. https://www.hfholidays.co.uk/holidays-and-tours/guided-trail-cotswold-way If it were me, I'd do some longer walks with elevation before tacking the Cotswold Way. I highly recommend HF Holidays if you're interested in a guided walk.
We walked the full Cotswold Way in June 2022. It is not a hard trail but it is quite hilly. Depending on your walking terrain at home, the hills may be surprising.
When we walked in 2022, accommodations had to be booked far in advance. Some walkers needed to take a taxi to and from their hotels, as the near-trail accommodations were booked. This added additional time to the walking day as well as some additional walking to the taxi pick-up point. We only had to do that once, but we weren't able to start walking until 9 am that day, because the taxis were doing school runs earlier. (It was a hot day, and we would have preferred to start earlier.)
Walking the Cotswolds in 7-8 days means you are walking 13-16 miles a day. Depending on your walking pace, that may not give you a lot of time to explore the villages when you arrive, or to stop along the way. You will likely end up walking more than 100 miles, due to added time walking to accommodations, restaurants, and interesting sites (such as Sudely Castle) near the trail. It's also important to consider the cumulative effect of walking that distance day after day.
My biggest suggestion is to do a couple of days in a row of long walks (like 10+ miles) at home to see how you respond to that. Your feet will likely swell versus a 3-5 mile walk, and you will want to make sure your shoes are well broken in. That will help you know whether you would enjoy the 7-8 day experience.
If you want to consider a shorter option, Cotswold Walks has some self-guided options that walk a portion of the trail. Have fun!
I haven't done the Cotswold Way, but we do a lot of long distance walking in the UK. When we do multiday walks, we try not to do much more than 10-12 miles in a day, as it's hard to maintain that pace over several days (and if there are a lot of hills you may want to do even less than that). It's also nice to have some time in the afternoon to relax a bit. For a 100 mile walk, I'd look at doing it over 10 days, but I think 8 is probably doable. Something to keep in mind is the weather can be a bit unpredictable. When we did the Pembrokeshire Coast Path for example we got completely rained out one day, but because we weren't trying to fit too much into each day, we were able to reprogramme the rest of the walk over the remaining days and it was still manageable. So essentially you either need to be prepared to walk in any type of weather (you can get rained out even in August!) or have some flexibility in your schedule.
To prepare for the walk I would try to start doing some 8-12 mile walks on the weekend so you can get used to the distance. Good luck- long distance walking is one of the best UK activities, in my opinion!
I walked several portions of the Cotswold Way this Spring, and loved the experience (I did all the planning on my own and traveled solo). I was 61 at the time, have lived in mountainous Colorado most of my life, and am very active. The walking / hiking was no problem.
The question may be, not do you have the physical ability to do so, but do you want to do the entire Way in that time period? On my trip, I wanted to make sure that I had time to see the sights, explore the towns, be able to visit castles, museums, burial mounds, etc. at my leisure. Most of my days were about 7 miles, and one day was 11 miles with a number of stops that I really wanted to visit/see. That day, I got to my destination after the stores were closed, so I didn't really get to experience the town. I was ok with that day, but wouldn't have wanted that to be my experience every day. (One thing I learned while there was that most stores and other places close at 4 pm.)
Enjoy your time on the Cotswolds Way!
Hi Carol -
It’s been a while since I walked the Cotswold Way, but my recollection is that it is harder than you might expect the rolling countryside to be. The problem is the path follows the escarpment and it - almost wilfully! - ascends and descends it frequently. That said, it’s certainly not the stiffest of the U.K. trails but it shouldn’t be underestimated. If I were you I’d train by doing a couple of extended walks a week one of six to seven miles and one of eight to ten miles. That more replicates what you’d expect to do on a day by day basis on the Cotswold Way. And the more hills you can throw in on the longer walks the better.
It strikes me that you are starting from a fairly high base to kick off with fitness wise, but there’s nothing worse than trudging along a walk, no matter what the weather, just wishing it was over. There’s little joy or satisfaction in that. But it should be, while not easy, certainly within your compass.
If you go to You Tube and search Cotswold Way, you’ll find lots of folk have recorded their journeys along the Way to give you some idea of what you might expect.
You’ll be fine, Have a great trip!
Ian
If you decide you don't want to do the whole Cotswolds way, there are a number of great hikes many of them circular in the Cotswolds. I went in September/October 2024 and did 4-7 mile circular hikes each day (often with a pub somewhere along the way) and it was lovely. It gave us enough time to also visit Villages and old houses and gardens. There is a book Cotswold Classic Walks that was helpful and AllTrails was also a great resource. If you go this route - I'm happy to share some of the specific walks we did.
We walked the entire Way in late May/June 2024 and it was a memorable experience. We are in our late 60s and very active, and before the walk we did a lot of long (6-7 mile) city walks as training. For context, we used a company that booked all our accommodations, did luggage transfers, provided a very detail itineary and historical/cultural information, and prebooked taxis when the trailheads were not a walkable distance from the hotels/BnBs. As others have noted, the Way is pretty hilly with lots of ups and downs but was not beyond our ability. We walked it in 11 days (what the company considered "gentle," their slowest pace), which was overall a good pace. The shortest day was 7 miles and the longest 14. I think you'd really miss a lot if you took it any faster. We didn't have any challenges with sore or swollen feet or blisters - just some sore knees from the steep downhill portions! However, in hindsight I wish we had planned at least a couple of days in various villages where we could explore the local area. As my husband noted later, there's a difference between being fully able to walk 10 miles and getting up every day and walking 10 miles. I would gladly do it again but would take a day here and there.
If you want more detail about the company we used or our experiences, feel free to contact me.
If you are interested in a tour company to do luggage transfers, book lodging and provide navigation tools, maps and other support, Cotswolds Walks is awesome. Here's a link to their Cotswolds Way self guided tour. They can arrange from 6-11 days of walking depending on what you're up for.
https://www.cotswoldwalks.com/the-cotswold-way
I thank everyone for their responses. Taking the advice, I think we will expand our walk to 10 days.
As a related question, can anyone explain in detail how a luggage transfer service works?
My husband and I have done eleven long distance walks in the UK. The Cotswold Way was our first, and we liked it so much that we did the Coast to Coast the following year.
To answer your question, a luggage transfer service picks up your suitcase at your lodging and delivers it to your next stop. This allows you to walk with just a daypack containing water, food, rain gear, etc.
Hi Carol -
The luggage transfer system means your main luggage is transported independently along the trail to each of your accommodations, leaving you to only carry a smaller day backpack each day. Typically you leave your main bag ready to be collected usually around 8.30 - 9.00 am and it appears - as if by magic! - at your next accommodation usually before 4.00 pm. In most cases. It’s waiting for you when you arrive. This can be organised by the travel company you’ve booked the entire walk with as part of the overall deal - it’s usually optional so that ‘the hard men of the hills’ can carry their own luggage along the trail if they so desire, so obviously it’s at an additional cost. If you are booking each stop independently there are several companies that specialise on just doing the luggage shipping from point to point. There is again a cost, usually per bag and the number of drop offs/pick ups required, and in my experience each bag can weigh up to a set maximum weight - I’m guessing each company sets their own limit. A quick internet search on ‘Cotswold Way Luggage Transfers’ would probably reveal those who deal in that part of the world. Whether as part of the overall tour booking or an independent source, they’ll supply specialist labels to attach to your main bags. On the couple of occasions I’ve used this facility (through Brigantes as it happens) I’ve only filled in the next destination on a daily basis, so as not to give the shipper much choice!
Hope this helps!
Ian
Thanks, Ian. My husband and I are very early risers and would likely hit the trail early, especially with the earlier daylight hours in August. Do you know if it is possible to leave one's accommodations (we will be booking independently) without having the luggage picked up?
Hi Carol -
Oh yes, most definitely. There’s no set time they’ll collect. They just like you to have your bag ready to go to give them options. On my leisurely Cleveland Way and Herriot Way schedules I got my bag ready and down in reception and/or collection point as I sauntered into breakfast. It was often still there as I set off out of the door with my day pack on the next stage. Usually it beat me to the day’s destination, in fact I can’t think of a day when it didn’t.
Ian
Ian,
That sounds lovely. Would you care to share what company you used?
Carol
Hi Carol -
The company I used was Brigantes. However they don’t do The Cotswold Way - the Brigantes were the pre Roman tribe that ruled much of what is now northern England, hence as you might imagine, Brigantes (the walking holiday company) exclusively concentrate on walks in the north of the country.
If you search ‘Cotswold Way baggage transfer’ you’ll find several companies that do the sort of job we’ve been talking about.
Ian
On the luggage transfer service, I used a company called Carry a Bag. I thought of them as little brownies (I'm a former girl scout) who would pick up my bag and magically transport to my next destination! Their requirement was that the bag had to be at the hotel collection spot by 9 am. I put both an Apple tag and Android tile in my bag so I could see where it was (just in case) Usually it was picked up by 11 or so, and the bag was always at my destination before I was, even though the stated delivery time was by 6, as I recall.
