Exploring the Cotswolds

A day on our self guided Cotswolds walking tour | Mabel Cheang

Shopping, Cotswolds style | John Millen

The Broadway Tower found in the Cotswolds, England.

The Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that is the Cotswolds | Mabel Cheang

Water mill in Lower Slaughter, Cotswolds | Ivy Barn

The path as we near Guiting Power | Mabel Cheang

Broadway Tower provides views over many nearby counties | Els van Veelen

Quaint little town of Guiting Power, Cotswolds | John Millen

A day on our self guided Cotswolds walking tour | Mabel Cheang

Shopping, Cotswolds style | John Millen

The Broadway Tower found in the Cotswolds, England.

The Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that is the Cotswolds | Mabel Cheang

Water mill in Lower Slaughter, Cotswolds | Ivy Barn

The path as we near Guiting Power | Mabel Cheang

Broadway Tower provides views over many nearby counties | Els van Veelen

Quaint little town of Guiting Power, Cotswolds | John Millen

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Duration

5 days

Activities

self guided walk

Accommodation

4 nights in guesthouses, B&B's or hotels

Meals

4 Breakfasts

Price

$890USD

Overview

Trip Code: WMW

Self Guided Cotswolds Walking Trip highlights

Discovering the typically, rolling English countryside
Enjoying the flexibility of walking with a daypack from village to village
Experiencing the hospitality in the independently-run B&B’s and guesthouses
Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Quaint golden towns of Naunton, Bourton-on-the-Water, Guiting Power & more
Excellent option for a first walking holiday
GPS, maps, notes, luggage transfers, 24/7 local support team

The Cotswold landscape is an entrancing mixture of parkland, cultivated fields with dry-stone walls of Jurassic limestone and patches of unspoilt woodland. With almost all of the cottages, farmhouses and villages passed on this walking holiday made of stone, the scenery blends with the structures creating a delightful fusion of natural and manmade beauty. Stay in a selection of quality, independent B&B's and guesthouses whose hosts welcome you each evening. With straightforward route finding & good walking conditions, this is a perfect introduction to hiking in the English countryside.

Trip Grading

Introductory to Moderate

More info about grading system

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Traveller Rating

Itinerary

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Day 1
Arrive Moreton-in-Marsh

Make your own way to Moreton-in-Marsh. The rest of the day is free to explore the quaint town. The high street has many elegant eighteenth-century inns and houses including the Redesdale Market Hall located in the centre of town. Accommodation: The Swan Inn is a family-run inn and all rooms are ensuite.

Meals: Nil

Day 2
Walk to Bourton-on-the-Water - 17 km/11 miles, 5 h

Today's walk to the medieval wool town of Bourton-on-the-Water will take you via Stow-on-the-Wold and Lower Slaughter. The river Windrush flows down the main street of Bourton-on-the-Water. Bourton is well known for its footbridges over the river Evenlode and for its scale model of the village. Accommodation: The Lansdowne is a family run 4* guesthouse where you can expect a warm welcome on arrival (if we are not able to get you booked at The Lansdowne, we will endeavour to get you into an accommodation nearby but please note that there is no similar guesthouse that is of the same standard in this location)

Meals: B

Day 3
Walk to Guiting Power - 11.6 km/7 miles, 4 h. Taxi to Winchcombe

An easy schedule today, which allows ample time to explore Bourton-on-the-Water with its many attractions before setting out on your walk. You then walk via the pretty village of Naunton to Guiting Power, nestled in the hills above a small valley, and is a perfect example of a Cotswold village. Due to limited accommodation in Guiting Power, you will spend 2 nights in Winchcombe. You will meet with a taxi in Guiting Power and be transferred to your accommodation in Winchcombe (included in the cost of your trip). Accommodation: You will spend 2 nights at Wesley House in Winchcombe, a 15th century merchant's house.

Meals: B

Day 4
Walk to Winchombe, various options

Your taxi (included in the cost of your trip) will drop you back at Guiting Power and from here you will walk to Winchcombe via one of these options: - Sudeley Castle, . 18.5 km/11.5 miles, 5 h - Warden’s Way & Sudeley Castle, 10.46 km/6.5 miles / 10.46 km, 2.5 h Your walk today leads you to the atmospheric ruins of Hailes Abbey, destroyed under Henry VIII, and the still inhabited Sudeley Castle, where Henry VIII's last wife Katherine Parr lived.

Meals: B

Day 5
Arrangements end after breakfast

The trip concludes after breakfast.

Meals: B

Map

Elevation

The map and elevation chart are for illustrative purposes only and meant to provide general guidelines.
On self guided trips, actual route information provided before departure will be more detailed.

Inclusions

What's included

4 breakfasts
4 nights B&B accommodation on a twin share basis usually with ensuite facilities
One piece of luggage per person transferred from Inn to Inn, not exceeding 20kg
Information pack including route notes & maps (1 pack per room booked)
Emergency hotline
Return taxi Guiting Power - Winchcombe
GPX Files

What's not included

Travel to Morton-in-Marsh and from Winchcombe
Lunches, dinners and drinks
Transfers
Items of a personal nature
Travel insurance
A supplement will apply if you are travelling solo or book a single room
Guide - this is a self guided holiday

Accommodation

Hotels & guesthouses

The hotels described are our usual accommodation, however if these are not available then alternatives are used. Rooms generally do not have baths, the main reason being that they take up a lot of space. Some hotels/guesthouses may have a separate room in the house where a bath is available to guests, but in the main it is showers. Note that for the dates of your tour we may not be able to get you into the accommodation described. We will endeavour to get you into a similar standard of accommodation nearby (apart from Bourton-on-the-Water where there is no similar accommodation of the same standard), but please appreciate that there is limited accommodation in rural England. Also, although we aim to get you into accommodations with ensuite rooms, this is not always possible. At a couple of places on your tour you may be sharing bathrooms, particularly if you are in a single room.

Grading

Introductory to Moderate

We grade this walk as ‘Easy - Moderate’ in relation to our other U.K tours, the route is hilly, but not mountainous, the weather is rarely too bad for walking, and there are generally quite a number of villages enroute. Days of up to 20 km are not too long for most reasonably fit people.

Departure dates

Daily from 16 Mar to 23 Oct

Notes

High Season

DN1

Please note that minor changes to your 2024 itinerary may apply.

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Priceper person from

$890USD

Options & Supplements*

Single Supplement 2024USD$430
Single Supplement 2025USD$480
Solo Traveller Supplement 2024USD$500
Solo Traveller Supplement 2025USD$550

*Prices listed are per person

Frequently Asked Questions

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?Does this trip follow the Cotswold Way?

This is a walking holiday in the Cotswolds that follows footpaths into interesting villages that the Cotswold Way largely misses. There are a couple of days where you will be walking on the Cotswold Way for some of the time. If you like to walk the Cotswold Way National Trail, please have a look at our 12-day trip called Cotswold Way (code WAD).

?How is this 5-day walk different to the 8-day 'Exploring the Cotswolds'?

This is a condensed trip, which means that you will miss out on Stratford Upon Avon, Mickleton, Chipping Camden, Blockley and Broadway. In addition, you will visit Moreton-in-Marsh, which the 8-day walk does not visit.

?Is navigation in the Cotswolds difficult?

You will be mainly walking across fields, so being able to follow a map is important although GPX files of the route are provided. Unlike the UK National Trails, there is no dedicated waymarking, but you will find walking path waymarks such as yellow or white arrows, or waymarks for specific trails. Our detailed route notes will be of great use as well.

?Will I need walking boots when I go walking in the Cotswolds?

We recommend footwear with ankle support as it is easy to twist an ankle when you're in the outdoor. Please note that on this walk sections can be muddy after rain and it is certainly worth having boot-type shoes.

?Do you have suggestions for adding in extra nights?

Bourton on the Water would be a good place for an extra day of resting or seeing more of the beautiful Cotswolds.

Self Guided Cotswolds Walking Trip reviews

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