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Luxury Tour

The Best Of The Cotswolds Walking Tour

DISTANCE

5 – 8 miles (8 – 13 km) per day

DIFFICULTY

Easy To Moderate

DURATION

8 nights

Accommodation

B&B accommodation and Inns

Travel Information

Price

£985

Walking Tour Overview

This journey takes you through some of the best parts of the Cotswolds, showcasing some of it’s most picturesque scenery and architecture. Get a true sense of the English countryside charm of the region with the honey-coloured stone houses, rolling green hills dotted with sheep, and quaint villages along the route.

Everything from the trail itself to the stops along the way and the accommodation have been especially selected to allow guests to experience the best of the Cotswolds villages for a quintessential Cotswolds experience. 

As a beginner-friendly course, the Best of the Cotswolds Walking Tour is a warm welcome to The Cotswolds for a wide range of travelers. The path is primarily on flat, accommodating dirt paths that will guide you through the tranquil countryside and beautiful villages at a leisurely low intensity.

Tour Highlights

As a curated walking tour, the Best of the Cotswolds walk is peppered with the must-see highlights of the Cotswolds. Amongst the serenity of the woods and pastures, you’ll find ancient abbeys, churches and houses reminiscent of the region’s rich history.

Witness Jacobean opulence at Stanway house, a shining example of a Jacobean manor house, complete with its 300ft fountain and 18th-century water garden.

Walk up Broadway Tower for fine views before descending down into the ever-picturesque Chipping Campden.

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

Appreciate a well-earned rest at one of the traditional country pubs in the area. This tour has been designed to guide visitors passed some of the best Cotswolds restaurants and pubs.

This walk offers an unforgettable journey through England’s idyllic countryside, blending stunning natural landscapes with a rich tapestry of history. It showcases the beauty of the region and invites you to connect with its heritage, making it a must-do for anyone seeking to immerse themselves in one of the most scenic parts of Britain.

Tour Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive at Moreton-in-Marsh

Begin your exploration of the Cotswolds when you arrive at Moreton-in-Marsh for your first overnight. Walk the broad High Street lined with 17th-century buildings or unwind in one of the many lush green spaces including some beautiful gardens such as the Queen Victoria Gardens. With a falconry centre nearby at Batsford, specialist tea rooms, and roman history, this sleepy town has plenty to offer visitors as they begin their journey through The Cotswolds.

Day 2: Moreton-in-Marsh to Stow-on-the-Wold (7 miles/11 km)

Day 2 marks the first walking day of the tour. Take in the rolling countryside when you cross the green pastures of the high wolds to your first destination, Stow-on-the-Wold. Complete with village stocks and a picturesque market square, Stow-on-the-Wold is an old market town that also boasts a myriad of iron age and roman sites to behold, all set in the Cotswold countryside. Overnight at Stow-on-the-Wold.

Day 3: Stow-on-the-Wold to Bourton-on-the-Water (4.5 miles/ 7.2 km)

Today’s route from Stow-on-the-Wold is a leisurely downhill walk across fairytale meadows to scenic Lower Slaughter, the sister village of Upper Slaughter. Sitting along the meandering banks of the River Eye, Lower Slaughter is one of the prettiest villages in the Cotswolds, and having been untouched in terms of construction since 1906, it is bound to stay so. Step back in time when you take in this truly old-world village with its working mill and romantic stone bridges. Continue on to Bourton-on-the-Water, with its many attractions, antique shops and cafes. Visit the Model Village, the Motoring and Toy Museum, or the Equestrian Center before your overnight at Bourton-on-the-Water.

Day 4: Bourton-on-the-Water to Guiting Power (7 miles/11 km)

On day 4, the route follows the River Windrush to the village of Naunton with its ancient dovecote and on to lovely Guiting Power, where the church has a fine Norman arch. Transfer back to Bourton-on-the-Water for overnight from Guiting Power.

Day 5: Guiting Power to Winchcombe (6 miles/9.5 km)

Transfer from Bourton-on-the-Water to Guiting Power. Walk through picturesque woods and tranquil open pastures before the dramatic descent to the ancient Saxon capital of Winchcombe. Winchcombe is home to a fascinating history, with Sudeley Castle, the last resting place of Katherine Parr, Henry VIII’s sixth wife less than a mile away. Overnight in Winchcombe.

Day 6: Winchcombe to Stanton (7 miles/11 km) or Broadway (10.5 miles/17 km or 8.5 miles/13.9 km)

Follow the pilgrims’ route to Hailes Abbey and take in the ruins of the medieval monastery, then continue over the hills to Stanway House, a magnificent Jacobean manor house, complete with remarkable terraced gardens and medieval tithe barn. Next, adventure on to the idyllic small village of Stanton, Gloucestershire or the coaching village of Broadway. It is also possible to overnight in Buckland Manor, 2 miles before Broadway; please enquire for more information.

Day 7: Stanton or Broadway to Chipping Campden (8 miles/13 km or 4.5 miles/7 km)

Walk up to Broadway Tower, the 18th-century folly from where there are fine views across the vale before descending to Chipping Campden, the loveliest of all Cotswold villages, with its covered market place, beautiful ‘wool’ church, almshouses and silversmith. Overnight in Chipping Campden.

Day 8: Chipping Campden to Moreton-in-Marsh (7 miles/11 km)

On your last walking day, pass through the charming villages of Broad Campden and Blockley and descend to Batsford, where you may visit the arboretum and falconry centre if you missed them on day one. Finally, conclude your quintessential Cotswold journey with a pleasant stroll across meadows to Moreton-in-Marsh. Overnight at Moreton-in-Marsh.

Day 9: Departure

Departure after breakfast.

Map

An eight-night (or fewer if preferred) circular walking holiday of the North Cotswolds. This tour has seven walking days. The grading and distance are aimed at those wanting a less strenuous tour with enough time to take things at a leisurely pace.

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Cotswold Journeys offers independent walking tours, walking holidays & hiking vacations throughout The Cotswolds. With so many picturesque villages to discover, where will you walk?