Cotswold Way - 12 Days & 11 Nights

12 Days & 11 Nights 4.6 Read 201 reviews
  • Walking the Cotswold Way, one of England's finest National Trails.
  • Explore Broadway, Stanton and other pretty villages of the Cotswolds.
  • Enjoying the warm and friendly atmosphere of a Cotswold country pub.
  • Fine walking through quintessential English countryside.
  • Bath, a UNESCO World Heritage city, at the end of the Cotswold Way.
The Cotswold Way explores the quintessential English countryside of the Cotswolds. A beautiful green landscape of rolling farmland, quiet woods, picturesque villages all steeped in history. You will enjoy a series of breathtaking views as you follow this national trail. Your begins in Chipping Campden, home of the annual Olimpick Games. Heading south you pass through a succession of enchanting English villages, featuring typical Cotswold cottages, historic houses, welcoming country pubs and inviting shops. The trail twists and turns through the countryside until you reach journey's end at the City of Bath, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
If your idea of heaven is beautiful green countryside, picturesque villages, delicious local food and really getting to know a landscape and its people then you will adore the Cotswold Way. This itinerary explores the full Cotswold Way over ten perfect days of walking, with plenty of time to stop and see the sights.

Tour Type:

Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way, Tour Du Mont Blanc and the Passau to Vienna Danube Cycle Path, to name but a few!

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:

  • Long-Distance Trails

Activity Level & Terrain

This tour is graded moderate overall. The trail is on well-maintained footpaths, bridleways, across fields, golf courses and on some minor roads. It does involve some steep ascents and descents from the escarpment.

Navigation

The Cotswold Way is a National Trail and is fully way marked. A comprehensive guidebook and map are supplied.

Experience & Fitness

The Escape to the Cotswold is a classic inn-to-inn walking tour at heart, most of the walks on the tour are graded easy to moderate (therefore the tour collectively is graded as easy to moderate), however, there is a single walk that is graded moderate. For those that would rather spend some more time in the pubs or cafes or those simply looking for an easier day, there are options to either shorten the walks or take public transport on most days.

Accommodations

One of the highlights of this tour is the high standard of the accommodation. You will stay in carefully selected B&B’s, guesthouses and small hotels. Your room will always have an ensuite or private bathroom. A delicious breakfast is always included.

Alternative accommodation

During the high season, you might be booked into alternative accommodations which are not listed in the description. Any alternative accommodation will be of the same or better standard as those described.

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.

Solo Walkers

This walking holiday is available to solo walkers but as we incur additional baggage transfer costs their is a solo walker supplement payable.

Included
  • Hand picked B&B's, guesthouses and small hotels.
  • Door to door baggage transfers.
  • A detailed information pack, maps and a guide book.
  • Emergency telephone support
Excluded
  • Travel to the start or from the finish of the walk.
  • Lunches, dinners, snacks and drinks.
  • Travel Insurance.
  • Personal Equipment.
Extras
  • Extra nights

When To Go

You can start The Cotswold Way on any day of the week between the start of April and mid-October, subject to availability. It is great at any time throughout the season as all the flowers will be in bloom throughout this time. The Cotswolds are very popular so it is best to book as far in advance as you are able to.

** Please be aware that at the beginning of May the Badminton Horse Trials are held and it is a challenge to find accommodation in Kings Stanley, Old Sodbury and Cold Ashton during this time.

It should also be noted that we will not book accommodation in Stanton on a Sunday, Monday or Tuesday night due to the fact there is no-where to eat in the village on those evenings. If your booking does land in Stanton on those days then we will amend your itinerary to include an overnight stop in Broadway and adjust the mileages. If Broadway is not available, we may also occasionally book 2 nights in Winchcombe and include return transfers at no extra cost. 

Getting to the Start

Train services connect London to Moreton-in-Marsh (2h) and Birmingham to Stratford-upon-Avon (1h). If you wish to take a taxi from Moreton-in-Marsh this will need to be booked ahead of time as there is no taxi rank at the station or in the town. The cost is about £25. Please check the following website for taxi information and to pre-book. Or you can walk from the station to the Corn Exchange (a 5 minute walk) and from here you can take a bus to Chipping Camden. It is the Line 22 bus, it takes approximately 25 minutes and the buses leave hourly (approx £3 cost). Please note buses do not run on Sundays.

Getting from the End

Fast and frequent train services connect Bath to London (1h30). If you have left a car in Chipping Campden getting back from Bath on public transport rail/bus takes about 3.5 hours. We don’t recommend you leave a car in Bath as long term parking is expensive.

Luggage Transfer

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

The distances and ascent/descents are approximations of the recommended routes. 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/cycling 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.

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/cycling 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.

How far in advance do I need to book?
How fit do I need to be?
Can I combine my Cotswold holidays?
What gardens can I visit in the area?
What ruins/history/country houses can I see along the way?
What personal equipment do I need?
When is the best time of year?
Am I able to take my dog?
What happens if I can’t walk a stage?

Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive Chipping Campden Day 2 Chipping Campden to Stanton 10.5 miles / 17 km Day 3 Stanton to Winchcombe 8 miles / 12.5 km Day 4 Winchcombe to Seven Springs 14.5 miles / 23 km Day 5 Charlton Kings to Birdlip 8 miles / 12.5 km Day 6 Birdlip to Painswick 7.5 miles / 12 km Day 7 Painswick to King's Stanley 9.5 miles / 15 km Day 8 King's Stanley to Wotton-Under-Edge 15 miles / 24 km Day 9 Wotton-Under-Edge to Old Sodbury 13 miles / 20.5 km Day 10 Old Sodbury to Cold Ashton 9 miles / 14.5 km Day 11 Cold Ashton to Bath 10.5 miles / 16.5 km Day 12 Onward Travel

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