Cotswolds
The quintessential English landscape of rolling hills and honey-stone villages, filled with heritage and gorgeous river valleys
THE COTSWOLD WAY is as good as countryside walking gets, with picture-perfect stone villages, rolling hills, country pubs, green fields, lazy rivers and beautiful woodland to explore every step of the way. Visit in spring for carpets of bluebells, summer for long days of glorious sunshine, autumn for spectacular colour explosions in the trees, and winter for frosty sunrises and roaring fires in the local inns.
You’ll find everything here from short pub walks to the Cotswolds Way National Trail, which offers over 102 miles of magical walking, with huge views and journeys through picturesque villages and past ancient sites. The full length of this wonderful long-distance walk runs from Chipping Campden to Bath and can take up to 10 days to complete.
This Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty also has steep hills to hike up, dramatic escarpments to traverse, winding river valleys to stroll through, and plenty of flat, stile-free walks that are fantastic for wheelchair users and families with pushchairs. If you fancy a challenge, the Winchcombe Way is a stunning 42-mile figure of eight walk that explores the countryside around the town of
Winchcombe. Climbing to the Cotswold Escarpment and exploring mile after mile of glorious countryside and historical castles, this is a great choice for anyone basing themselves in the walker’s capital of the Cotswolds.
Elsewhere, a short walk up Cleeve Hill delivers knockout views into the Malverns and Wales on a clear day, while Broadway Tower is the highest castle in the Cotswolds and well worth a visit. So forget about mountains and cliffs and ridges and moors for a weekend, and immerse yourself in some classic English countryside.