A walk through the golden villages and quintessential English countryside of the Cotswolds, starting in Stratford-upon-Avon or Moreton-in-Marsh and finishing in the ancient town of Winchcombe.
8 Days / 7 Nights
Easy to Moderate
Gloucestershire and Warwickshire, England
April to October
Roughly 11.5 to 21.5 km per walking day
€1,250 per person
The Cotswold Trail is a walk through idyllic English countryside and golden stone villages, a landscape of parkland, dry-stone walls and unspoilt woodland, where cottages, farmhouses and villages built from the same local stone blend naturally with the scenery around them. Handpicked B&Bs and guesthouses welcome travellers each evening, making this a genuinely easy introduction to walking in the English countryside.
Two versions of this route are available. The week-long trip begins in William Shakespeare’s hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon, while the 5-day trip begins in the market town of Moreton-in-Marsh. Both finish in the ancient Anglo Saxon town of Winchcombe, taking in villages, market towns and historic sites along the way.
Accommodation:
A variety of accommodation along the route, from bed and breakfasts to lodges, pubs and small hotels, run by walker-friendly hosts, with en-suite or private facility rooms and a hearty breakfast each morning. Some accommodations also offer washing and drying facilities and packed lunches.
Meals:
Breakfast is included every day, with a choice of hot and cold options. Packed lunches can be booked and paid for on arrival at each accommodation. A cafe or shop is passed on some sections, but not all. Evening meals are available at a variety of pubs and restaurants, or at the accommodation itself.
Availability:
Starts any day, between April and October, subject to availability.
Difficulty:
Graded easy to moderate. The route is hilly but not mountainous, with good weather for walking for most of the season and plenty of villages along the way. Paths are mostly unsurfaced tracks and footpaths across fields. Days of up to 20 km are manageable for most reasonably fit walkers. Minimum of 2 people per booking.
Stratford, the birthplace of William Shakespeare, is on a local railway line with connections to Birmingham and London. The day is free to explore, with Shakespeare's birthplace, the Holy Trinity Church where he is buried, and the thatched cottage once home to his wife, Anne Hathaway, all worth a visit.
Overnight: Stratford
Distance: 17 km, Walking time: around 4.5 hrs
The walk to the Cotswold village of Mickleton passes close to the National Trust Gardens at Hidcote Manor, with wide views over the vales of Severn and Avon toward the Malvern Hills and Wales.
Overnight: Mickleton
Distance: 14.5 km, Walking time: around 4 hrs
A walk via Chipping Campden, Fish Hill and the Broadway Tower, with far-reaching views over the Cotswolds, reaches Broadway, a picturesque town lined with stone-built houses and antique shops.
Overnight: Broadway
Distance: 19 km, Walking time: around 6 hrs
The route passes the village and manor of Buckland, whose church has medieval painted roof timbers, then continues through Laverton, Stanton and Snowshill, home to the Tudor Snowshill Manor. Blockley, with its golden stone and history of silk production after the decline of the wool industry, is the day's destination.
Overnight: Blockley
Distance: 21.5 km, Walking time: around 7 hrs
A walk through some of the prettiest Cotswold villages, via Batsford, Stow-on-the-Wold (the highest town in the Cotswolds, with a large historic market square) and Lower Slaughter, reaches Bourton-on-the-Water, known for its footbridges over the River Windrush and its scale model of the village.
Overnight: Bourton-on-the-Water
Distance: 11.5 km, Walking time: around 4 hrs
A shorter day to the small village of Guiting Power, nestled in the hills above a valley. Due to limited accommodation, travellers may instead stay in nearby Naunton, or in Winchcombe with a taxi arranged to and from the route, with no change to the walk itself.
Overnight: Guiting Power, Naunton or Winchcombe
Two route options: via Sudeley Castle (18.5 km, around 5 hrs) or via Warden's Way and Sudeley Castle (10.5 km, around 2.5 hrs). Both pass the ruins of Hailes Abbey, destroyed under Henry VIII, and the still-inhabited Sudeley Castle, once home to Henry VIII's last wife, Katherine Parr, surrounded by gardens and medieval ruins. Winchcombe itself sits in a deep valley near the regency town of Cheltenham.
Overnight: Winchcombe
The trip ends after breakfast, with a bus or taxi available to nearby Cheltenham for onward travel.
Not sure if this is the right route, or want to ask about dates? Our team knows this trail firsthand.
