The Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are situated in south central England, 96 kilometres (60 miles) west of London between the well-known towns of Oxford, Stratford-on-Avon and Bath. This idyllic pocket of rural England is blessed with a huge array of long and short distance footpaths.
The Cotswolds offers a wonderful mix of undulating green countryside, stately homes and gardens, ancient historical sites, together with heritage market towns and arguably the world’s prettiest villages. The area is riddled with public footpaths and rights of way and one village is never too far from another, meaning that walking is, by far, the best way to discover the region.
“Wolds” is a reference to rolling hills and valleys. The Cotswolds rise to a steep escarpment known as the Cotswold Edge overlooking the Severn Valley. The area is known for its Jurassic limestone which creates a rare grassland habitat. Nearly 80 per cent of the region remains farmland which is divided by around 4,000 miles of dry-stone walls and criss-crossed by walking trails.
It is little wonder that this area inspired many writers and poets including J.R.R.Tolkein, Beatrix Potter and J.M.Barrie. Lush rolling hillsides, tranquil woodlands, ancient sites and scenic river valleys abound. Add to that historic villages complete with cottages and buildings honed from the local honey-coloured stone. After a day’s walk, there is the reward of traditional tea rooms, inns, hotels and B&Bs.
The Cotswolds offer many day and multi-day walks and there are a number of tour operators offering a variety of walking trips.
The most well-known of the longer, multi-day walks are:
The renowned Cotswold Way that follows the western edge of the Cotswolds escarpment (the “Cotswold Edge”), covering 164 kilometres.
The Cotswold Circuit, a circular route of 80 kilometres that incorporates the region’s most beautiful villages and countryside.
The Windrush Circuit, a 42 kilometre circular walk that features the lush Windrush Valley and a bevy of the quaintest Cotswold villages.
However, there are innumerable other multi-day walks, including many considerably shorter than the above. And the walking tour operators have been very inventive in crafting walking itineraries suited to all. We can help you choose a walk and an operator that best suits your needs.
The walks listed above are just some of many walk possibilities in the Cotswolds which we can tell you about, and help you to plan and complete.