The Cotswolds in Comfort
8 Days & 7 Nights 4.6 Read 36 reviews- Walk England’s quintessential landscapes of the Cotswolds in comfort
- Wandering down the quiet lanes of picturesque Cotswold villages
- The warm and friendly atmosphere of a Cotswold country pub
- Hotels and inns offering cosy comfort & the warmest of welcomes
- Discovering the abbeys, historic houses, ruins and history of the area
What To Expect
Trip Type:
Slower Adventures | Where walking and cycling meet easy-going exploring, our Slower Adventures are the perfect combination. Most days are filled with picturesque journeys with some free time to dive into the destination and experience the people, local food and culture as you go.
Activity:
Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&B’s, inns, and guesthouses.
This trip is suitable for:
Solo Travellers
Ideal if you have an interest in:
- Foodie
Grade & Terrain
This trip is graded easy to moderate overall, however, it does have some days that are classed as moderate. Being in the Cotswolds and synonymous with its rolling hills, it does involve some relatively steep ascents and descents from the escarpment. After rain trails may become muddy and slippery so care will be needed. Terrain-wise, you will be following trails on numerous footpaths, bridleways, open fields and some minor roads.
Navigation
Whilst the Cotswolds are waymarked (it is normally for the Cotswold Way, but local towns and villages are usually also signposted). At sections, the trail can be featureless and off the beaten path so we strongly suggest that you follow the GPS tracks in the Macs Adventure smartphone app to ensure you have a safe, enjoyable and problem-free day.
Experience & Fitness
The Cotswolds in Comfort tour is a Slow Adventure where distances are around 5-12 miles per day and doable for anyone who is a regular walker. Whilst the overall distance is 51 miles (82 kilometres) over 6 days of walking it can be shortened by taking a free day on Day 3 and choosing a shorter alternative walk on Day 5. Most of the walks on the tour are graded easy to moderate (therefore the tour collectively is graded easy to moderate), however, there are a couple of days that are deemed moderate due to some steeper ascents/descents (again, these days can be skipped or shortened).Accommodation Information
We use handpicked, high quality B&B’s, guesthouses and country inns of typical Cotswold character. Honey coloured cottages, roaring log fires, comfortable country bedrooms and the warmest of welcomes are what we look for to make your stay extra special. We have included a few examples below to give you a better idea of what to expect.
Accommodation Location
We will always try and accommodate you at the locations detailed in the tour itinerary. Occasionally, because of limited availability we may have to accommodate you into alternative accommodations which are not listed in the description. If those listed are unavailable the alternative accommodation will be of the same or better standard than those described.
Solo Walkers
This walking tour is available to solo walkers but as we incur additional baggage transfer costs there is a solo walker supplement payable.
Single Rooms
If you require single rooms within your party we will always try and accommodate you subject to availability. A single supplement is payable.
- Overnights in hand picked B&B's, guesthouses and country inn's
- Breakfasts
- Door to door baggage transfer of one bag per person.
- Fully digital routes on the Macs App, detailed information pack with maps and recommendations
- Emergency telephone support from our office in the event of a problem.
- Travel to the start or from the finish of the walk
- Lunches, dinners, snacks and drinks
- Travel Insurance
- Taxi transfers or public transport should you need to skip a stage
- Additional nights before, during or after the walk
When To Go
This tour can be best enjoyed from April to October. Springtime is lovely as all the spring flowers will be in bloom.
Due to minimum night stay restrictions at weekends, the standard tour can only start on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. With some alterations, it is possible to start on a Tuesday but will likely require 2x nights in Broadway as standard with taxi transfers via Winchcombe.
The tour can also start on a Sunday if you only stay one night in Lower Slaughter and skip Day 3 (the Slaughters Loop Walk via Naunton/Free day in Bourton in the Water). Then on day 4, you can proceed with the taxi to Naunton as planned, or you can opt to walk from Lower Slaughter to Winchcombe (NOTE: The Lower Slaughter to Winchcombe is a long walking day in comparison to the rest of the tour and doesn't necessarily fit our slow category - it is approximately 22km /14 miles with around 300m of ascent and descent). Please get in touch with our team directly if you wish to book this.
Getting to the Start
Rail: Regular services connect London Paddington and Moreton-in-Marsh (1h35) .
Road: On street parking is available in Moreton-in-Marsh, there is no secure parking. Driving directions from the M40 Southbound: Leave the M40 at junction 15 (signposted to Warwick, Stratford, Coventry A46) and join the A429 southbound towards Cirencester. Continue on A429 for approx. 22 miles into Moreton-in-Marsh.
Please visit the Traveline Website or National Rail Enquiries for further information on public transport, journey planning and timetables.
Baggage Transfer
Your bags will be transferred from your accommodation as per your itinerary and moved onto your next overnight accommodation.
At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase. Your booking includes transfer of 1 bag per person. It is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.
If you are travelling from far afield and do have more than one bag it is possible to arrange for the extra luggage to be stored whilst you are on the tour for a fee of £25 per bag. These additional bags would be picked up from your accommodation at the start point of your tour and dropped off wherever you finish depending on the itinerary you are doing. Please contact us if you are interested in this option
General Information
Due to minimum night stay restrictions at weekends, the standard tour can only start on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. With some alterations, it is possible to start on a Tuesday but will likely require 2x nights in Broadway as standard with taxi transfers via Winchcombe.
The tour can also start on a Sunday if you only stay one night in Lower Slaughter and skip Day 3 (the Slaughters Loop Walk via Naunton/Free day in Bourton in the Water). Then on day 4, you can proceed with the taxi to Naunton as planned, or you can opt to walk from Lower Slaughter to Winchcombe (NOTE: The Lower Slaughter to Winchcombe is a long walking day in comparison to the rest of the tour and doesn't necessarily fit our slow category - it is approximately 22km /14 miles with around 300m of ascent and descent). Please get in touch with our team directly if you wish to book this.
Equipment
Please be prepared by packing all necessary items, for example, proper rain gear (jacket and pants), sun hat, sunscreen. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof clothes for the cooler months and lightweight clothing for summer, and a day pack.
Travel Insurance
It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care.
Itinerary
Day 1 Arrive Moreton-in-Marsh Day 2 Walk Moreton-In-Marsh to Lower Slaughter 9.5 miles / 15 km Day 3 Slaughters Loop Walk via Naunton or free day in Bourton-in-the-Water 10.5 miles / 17 km Day 4 Transfer to Guiting Power. Walk to Winchcombe (via Sudeley Castle) 6 miles / 10 km Day 5 Choice of Walks from Winchcombe to Broadway 12 miles / 19.5 km Day 6 Walk Broadway to Chipping Campden 6 miles / 10 km Day 7 Walk Chipping Campden to Moreton-in-Marsh 7 miles / 11.5 km Day 8 Onward TravelThe Macs Adventure Way
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