The Cotswolds
Key information: The Cotswolds
- Savour the mellow charm of one of the world’s most beautiful manmade landscapes.
- A Walkopedia favourite, but we admit bias here.
Walkopedia rating
- Walkopedia rating88.5
- Beauty30
- Natural interest13.5
- Human interest14
- Charisma31
- Negative points0
- Total rating88.5
Vital Statistics
- Length: Your choice
- Level of Difficulty: Variable
WALK SUMMARY
Savour the mellow charm of one of the world’s most beautiful manmade landscapes. A Walkopedia favourite, although we have to disclose bias on this one -other than our ratings, which are of course flintily objective!
En route you will wallow in everything that the Cotswolds are famous for: atop, green rolling hills, dry stone walls, fine stands of trees and wide views; deep, steep valleys containing ludicrously perfect villages nestled around an ancient church; grassland and the sheep that were the root of the hill-land’s prosperity for much of the way; sleepy golden farmsteads; marvellous market towns, castles, great houses and monastic and even Roman ruins; prehistoric hill forts and burial mounds; and, much of the way, the beauty of the curling escarpment, with its views across the Severn valley to the Malvern Hills and, afar, the Black Mountains.
Stay in market town hotels, village pubs or farmhouse B&Bs along the way.
Multi-day walks:
The Cotswold Way winds for 102 miles along the western escarpment of Britain’s Cotswold hills, from the perfect market town of Chipping Campden to fabulous Roman and Georgian Bath in the south. While a walk along the whole route would be hugely rewarding, any section would make a wondrous day walk – and you can usually create a circular walk to get you back to your start point.
The Diamond Way: a delightful, roughly diamond-shaped, 60 mile, 5 day circuit which meanders through some of the northern Cotswolds’ finest landscapes. The Way is officially structured in 60 stages from Moreton-in-Marsh, which has good rail and bus connections
Great day walks:
The Cotswolds have a huge variety of great walks. You almost can’t go wrong choosing a footpath at random and heading off.
You can’t go wrong if you take some stages of one of the great long-distance walks, and devise a circuit from it.
Walkopedia favourites include:
- the Chastleton Circuit, and
- Blenheim Park (not strictly Cotswolds)
– pages to follow!
Various websites have a wide selection of Cotswold walks. Have a look at:
- Walking Britain
- Ramblers Association
Other accounts: share your experiences
Your comments on this walk, your experiences and suggestions, and your photos are very welcome. Where appropriate, you will be credited for your contribution.
We have a lot of helpful practical information and tips about this walk, covering everything from the best books and maps, to timing and weather, geting there, possible problems, whether you need a guide and where to find them, and useful websites. This section is only open to members.
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Safety and problems: All walks have inherent risks and potential problems, and many of the walks featured on this website involve significant risks, dangers and problems. Problems of any sort can arise on any walk. This website does not purport to identify any (or all) actual or potential risks, dangers and problems that may relate to any particular walk.
Any person who is considering undertaking this walk should do careful research and make their own assessment of the risks, dangers and possible problems involved. They should also go to “Important information” for further important information.
Anyone planning an expedition to this place should see further important information about this walk.
Safety and problems: All walks have inherent risks and potential problems, and many of the walks featured on this website involve significant risks, dangers and problems. Problems of any sort can arise on any walk. This website does not purport to identify any (or all) actual or potential risks, dangers and problems that may relate to any particular walk.
Any person who is considering undertaking this walk should do careful research and make their own assessment of the risks, dangers and possible problems involved. They should also go to “Important information” for further important information.
OTHER ACCOUNTS
share your experiences
Add your experiences, suggestions and photos. We would be delighted to receive your writing and ideas (which will be attributed appropriately where published).
Anyone planning an expedition to this place should see further important information about this walk.
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