Planning to hike the Cotswold Way in April of 2026. As we began making hotel reservations we realized that most lodging options were already at capacity. Are the travel companies eating up all the reservations?
If so, what is the best company to work with?
We used Cotswolds Walks and had a fantastic experience with them. Others on here have also recommended them.
It is far more likely that a lot of places have not opened their reservations yet for a date which is more than a year in the future.
Even big hotel chains like Premier Inn or Travelodge only open up 330 days or so ahead.
Hi fort -
Stuart (isn31c) may well be correct in that it might be a bit early for some of the accommodation to be open for booking. That said, I have heard that some of the more isolated accommodation on National Trails (I.e. those that are on or very near route and which are in otherwise unpopulated spots - probably not something you could level at the Cotswold Way to be fair) get booked up several years in advance. Similarly, since the advent of the ‘staycation’ since the Covid epidemic I have a suspicion - without any concrete evidence I hasten to add - that the most prominent ‘Sherpa/packhorse’ companies are reserving some of the more desirable accommodation on or just off route on the more popular trails. I’m thinking The Coast to Coast, West Highland Way, and yes, The Cotswold Way.
A quick search for ‘Cotswold Way self guided holidays’ or similar will throw up quite a wide choice of companies, mainly the usual suspects, and as they are all competing with one another the prices, you’d expect to be much of a muchness, varying only by length of time you need and maybe level of accommodation. Macs, Mickledore, Brigantes, Contours, maybe Encounter for the Cotswolds Way, and some Cotswolds local specialists should all appear (with others, of course) and it’s a matter of deciding which best suits your requirements on all fronts.
I can say from personal experience this year that it’s not too early to start booking through these companies for the 2026 season as many are already booked up on popular trails for this year, unless, of course, you are set on booking independently, in which case you’ll just need to email a lot of the accommodations to establish what the facts actually are.
Hope you get sorted to your satisfaction!
Ian
My husband and I walked the entire Way last summer using Cotswold Walks. After booking, there were two accommodation cancellations, one on the day of our first stay. The office staff worked hard to find us a last minute booking. We had three accommodations that necessitated taxi transfers, which they scheduled. A fourth accommodation required a walk into a nearby village. We were told by one host that BnBs are closing. Another host stated that last summer was her last to operate as a BnB, she was planning to switch to AirBnB as it would be much easier for her to run.
Another vote for Cotswold Walks. We didn't walk the Cotswold Way, but rather a loop to/from Bath. But I can attest to their service and how stress-free it is to have them make your accommodations and luggage transport.
I agree with the recommendations for Cotswold Walks. We used them in 2022 to walk the full Cotswolds Way. They excelled at finding accommodation within walking distance of the trail and when that wasn’t possible (twice), arranging convenient transfers. I also appreciate that they are a local company.
My friend and I hiked it a few years ago. She was 71 and I was 65, our husbands thought we were crazy. If you would like the list of places we stayed at just PM me and I would be happy to give them to you.
