£750 per person based on 2 people sharing in B & B accommodation with private bathrooms. For upgraded accommodation and any other variations, please ask.

• 9 nights B&B accommodation, or upgrades to hotels.

• Luggage transportation each walking day.

• Route notes & maps.

• Local back-up.

• Pre-tour meeting if you arrive before 6pm.

Day 1: Overnight in Cheltenham, a beautiful town celebrated for its Regency architecture and fine shops and restaurants.

Day 2: Cheltenham to Winchcombe – (7 miles/11 km). Over Cleeve Hill to pass the Neolithic tomb at Belas Knap and so down to Winchcombe, home to Sudeley Castle. Overnight Winchcombe.

Day 3: Winchcombe to Broadway – (10.5 miles/17 km). This is a fabulous day’s walk. Follow the pilgrims’ route to Hailes Abbey (open to the public), then over the hills to Jacobean Stanway House, with its wonderful gatehouse, medieval tithe barn and extraordinary fountain. Pass through Stanton, so unspoilt that it has featured in many films, and arrive in the village of Broadway, one of the inspirations for the arts and Crafts Movement.

Day 4: Broadway to Moreton-in-Marsh – (12 miles/20 km) NB Overnight in Chipping Campden can be included – please ask. Walk up to Broadway Tower, the 18th century folly, where the view is stunning and then it is but a short step to Chipping Campden, the loveliest of all Cotswold villages, and once the wool centre of Europe. Pass the old butter market, visit the fine ‘wool’ church, and perhaps the world renowned silversmith. Continue through Broad Campden and Blockley and descend to Batsford, with its arboretum and falconry centre. Finally, a stroll across meadows to Moreton, for overnight.

Day 5: Moreton-in-Marsh to Bourton-on-the-Water – (12 miles/ 20 km). You are soon among typical Cotswold villages with a detour to see gorgeous Sezincote if you like. Then it is Stow-on-the-Wold, complete with village stocks and picturesque square, down to Lower Slaughter and finally to Bourton-on-the-Water for overnight.

Day 6: Bourton-on-the-Water to Northleach – (11 miles/17 km). The route weaves around Bourton lakes, then crosses the hills to Sherborne. Stroll through landscaped Sherborne Park and continue to the tranquil and historic village of Northleach, with its glorious wool church, mechanical music museum and air of timelessness. Overnight Northleach.

Day 7: Northleach to Cirencester – (14 miles/22 km). Head for Chedworth with its welcoming pub (and nearby Roman villa, one of the best preserved in the country), before continuing to Cirencester, after London the second town of Roman Britain, with its excellent Corinium Museum and its majestic market square overlooked by the huge and recently restored parish church.

Day 8: Cirencester to Painswick – (13.5 miles/21 km). A stroll through the 18th century landscape of Cirencester Park brings you to Sapperton, once a centre for William Morris’s Arts & Crafts Movement. Follow the old Thames & Severn Canal, and then walk through perfect rural England to Painswick, ‘Queen of the Cotswolds’, noted for its fascinating churchyard and the Rococo Garden.

Day 9: Painswick to Cheltenham – (13 miles/20 km). Walk through the countryside immortalised in Laurie Lee’s ‘Cider with Rosie’ to Sheepscombe (which features in the book), which straddles an enchanting valley. The Cotswold Way takes you along the Cotswold Edge, with panoramic views towards Gloucester, the Malvern Hills and the Black Mountains in Wales. Overnight Cheltenham.

Day 10: Departure.

Grading

Distance: 93 miles (150 kms). Average daily distance: 10.3 miles (16.5km).

This tour is of moderate difficulty. Average daily walking distance is just over 10 miles.

• Longest day 14 miles (22.5km).

• Shortest day 7 miles (11km).

• Average daily mileage 10.3 miles.

This route includes the best parts of the Cotswold Way (between Chipping Campden and Painswick), as well as some exceptional villages and landscapes that are not on the official route, including Northleach and Cirencester.

Tour Highlights

• Rambling through some of the most picturesque countryside & villages in England.

• Carefully selected accommodation at which to stay.

• Average daily walking distance is 10 miles.

• Soaking up the history of the area.

• Walk up to Broadway Tower.

Arriving By Train:

The Cotswolds are at the heart of the British rail network. Direct trains travel from London Paddington to Cheltenham frequently.

Arriving By Plane:

Nearest airport: Bristol Airport (53.3 miles).

Other nearby airports: Birmingham Airport (56.9 miles / 91km), London Heathrow: (94 miles). From London Heathrow, you can take the Heathrow Express train directly to London Paddington from where you can then take a direct train to Cheltenham Spa.

We are happy to arrange private transfers to you starting accommodation, please contact us for futher details.

There are different categories of accommodation available from B&B accommodation to Village Inns to small & luxury hotels. Ensuite rooms are booked where possible, in some B&B’s a private bathroom may be necessary.

B&B accommodation is generally in guesthouses, often private residences where some of the rooms are used for guests. They are also often smaller in size than Inns or hotels. All of our selected B&Bs will give you a warm welcome with a hearty breakfast for you in the morning. Because these are often private residences, there may not be the facilities you would expect to find in dedicated accommodation establishments. And they do not generally have options for dining in the evening.

Village Inns are generally larger, they may cater for only guests or they may also be a pub which also has guest rooms. They generally tend to have more in the way of facilities and have some kind of bar or dining options and are generally larger establishments than B&B’s

Hotels are usually the biggest of the establishments that we use and are more dedicated just to accommodation than B&B’s or Inns. There is a wide variety of hotels in The Cotswolds ranging from small hotels, to hotels with restaurants, to award winning luxury hotels.