Standard Tour

Luxury Tour

The Best Of The Cotswolds Walking Tour

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DISTANCE

5 – 8 miles (8 – 13 km) per day

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DIFFICULTY

Easy To Moderate

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DURATION

8 nights

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Accommodation

B&B accommodation, Inns and Hotels

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Travel Information

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Price

£895

Walking Tour Overview

This journey takes you through some of the nicest countryside and villages in The Cotswolds. The route will take you through charming and pretty villages, complete with houses made from the honey coloured limestone of the local area. Away from the villages enjoy the carefully researched walking routes that guide you through classic English countryside. With green rolling hills of pasture and farmland, the area is full of history, some of which is evident to this day. Keep an eye out for sheep (and lambs in the spring/early summer) and enjoy your journey on to the next village as you admire the scenery along the way.

Highlights

Walk up Broadway Tower for fine views before descending down into the ever-picturesque Chipping Campden.
Rambling through some of the most picturesque countryside & villages in England
Carefully selected accommodation at which to stay
Average daily mileage 7 miles
Soaking up the history of the area. Ancient abbeys, churches and houses.
Appreciate a well-earned rest at one of the traditional country pubs in the area

Key Information

Price: From £895 pp based on two people sharing a room, in B&B accommodation, with a private bathroom*
From £1030 pp based on two people sharing a room, in Hotels/Best quality Inns*
Best time to go: March – September

What’s Included

8 nights B&B accommodation
Luggage transfers each walking day
Route notes & maps
Local back-up

*Upgraded accommodation is available upon request, please ask for a quote.

Tour Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive Moreton-in-Marsh

Arrive Moreton-in-Marsh for overnight.

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

Cross the high wolds to Stow-on-the-Wold, complete with village stocks and picturesque square, via the fantastic Mogul manor house at Sezincote and a number of pretty hamlets. Overnight 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 meadows to picturesque Lower Slaughter with its working mill and on to Bourton-on-the-Water, with its many attractions. Overnight Bourton-on-the-Water.

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

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 woods and fields before the dramatic descent to the ancient Saxon capital of Winchcombe, close to Sudeley Castle, last resting place of Katherine Parr, Henry VIII’s sixth wife. Overnight in Winchcombe, with its fascinating church and local museums.

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, then over the hills to Jacobean Stanway House, with its magnificent gatehouse and medieval tithe barn and on to idyllic Stanton. Stay in the small village of Stanton or the coaching village of Broadway, where an array of fine houses and inns flank the ‘broad way’. Also possible to overnight in Buckland Manor, 2 miles before Broadway.

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)

Pass through the charming villages of Broad Campden and Blockley and descend to Batsford, where you may visit the arboretum and falconry centre. Finally, a pleasant stroll across meadows to Moreton in Marsh. Overnight 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 is aimed at those wanting a less strenuous tour with enough time to take things at a leisurely pace.

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Accommodation

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.

Tour Grading

Distance: 47 miles (75 kms). Duration: 8 nights, 7 days walking. Maximum/minimum daily distances: 8.7 miles (13.9 km) / 4.5 miles (7.2 km).

This tour is of easy/moderate difficulty. Average daily walking distance is 7 miles and there are no prolonged or large altitude gains. Terrain is not generally too rugged. The walking is Mainly on dirt paths through fields, some stretches of tarmac, and occasional rocky paths.

Longest day 8.7 miles
Shortest day 4.5 miles
Average daily mileage 7 miles
Most cumulative elevation gain in one day 767 ft.
Average daily elevation gain over trip 500 ft

Travel Information

Arriving By Train:
The Cotswolds are at the heart of the British rail network. Direct trains travel from London Paddington to Moreton-in-Marsh frequently.

Arriving By Plane:
Nearest airport: Birmingham Airport (54.1km).

Other nearby airports: Bristol Airport (97.6km), London Heathrow: (164km). From London Heathrow, you can take the Heathrow Express train directly to London Paddington from where you can then take a direct train to Moreton in Marsh

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