The 102 mile (164 km) Cotswold Way, which runs from the typically English market town of Chipping Campden to the Roman city of Bath, has been promoted as a long-distance walk for 50 years and will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2020.
The road travels through undulating grasslands, beech woodland, and honey-coloured villages are built of Cotswold stone, following the western edge of the Cotswold Hills.
You’ll pass by Neolithic burial barrows, majestic houses, and historic war sites as you explore ancient commons in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The breathtaking path up the Cotswold escarpment provides ever-changing vistas of the River Severn and the Malvern Hills to the west.
The Cotswold Way can be walked by anyone who is generally athletic, though many walkers are shocked by the number of hard climbs.
The National Trail is well-marked, so it’s simple to find your way about. However, bringing a guidebook or map is usually a smart idea.
All four seasons are suitable for walking the Cotswold Way. Crisp winter days, autumn, and spring may be the best times to visit if you want to enjoy clear views from the Cotswold escarpment. The meadows are at their best in late spring and early summer, and the beech woodlands are at their best in spring and autumn.
Renowned for its sheer diversity, the Cotswold Way incorporates some of England’s prettiest villages and passes historic sites such as the City of Bath World Heritage Site, the Neolithic burial chamber at Belas Knap, Sudeley Castle, Hailes Abbey and many churches and historic houses.
One minute you will be in wildflower meadows, the next shaded woodlands. You could breakfast in a sleepy village, lunch in a thriving market town and eat dinner under the stars – no two days will be the same
