The Cotswold Way. Kev Reynolds

drew me through twilit streets at the end of my first walking of the Cotswold Way. Rounding a corner I saw a busker in an old raincoat leaning against a wall, scraping Mozart from his violin. Directly ahead rose Bath Abbey. Deep in shadow below, bright in floodlight above, it rose out of the darkness into a shaft of white light as a symbol of peace and hope and beauty. Behind me stretched 100 miles and more of wandering through an enchanting, scenic part of Britain, and Bath Abbey represented its completion.

      The Cotswold Way ended for me as memorably as it had begun. And in between? Well, in between there had been colour, history, romance, peace – an ever-evolving experience through a constantly changing series of landscapes. A walk, it was, of considerable beauty. What more could anyone ask?

      May your experience of the Cotswold Way be as rich and memorable as each of mine has been.

PLANNING YOUR TRIP

Choosing an itinerary

      The Cotswold Way skirts the drystone wall surrounding Dyrham Park (Stage 12, Southbound; Stage 2, Northbound)

      For the purpose of this guide, the Cotswold Way has been divided into 13 separate stages dictated by the availability of overnight accommodation. Alternatively, you could devise your own itinerary by using the Trek Planner provided, which indicates where else it is possible to break your journey along the route.

      The longest stage described here is 10 miles (16km), the shortest 6 miles (9.5km). How many days you take to walk the full 102 miles (163km) is naturally down to personal preference and ability but by combing some of these stages, the Cotswold Way could be walked in as little as five days for those who only have a week, rather than a fortnight, to devote to it. To do this, however, you have to be prepared to average a little over 20 miles (32km) a day, and this is most definitely a route best walked at a leisurely pace.

      A FIVE-DAY ITINERARY

       Chipping Campden to Winchcombe – 18 miles (29km)

       Winchcombe to Birdlip – 21½ miles (34.5km)

       Birdlip to Dursley – 23 miles (37km)

       Dursley to Little Sodbury – 18½ miles (29.5km)

       Little Sodbury to Bath – 20½ miles (33km)

      AN EIGHT-DAY ITINERARY

       Chipping Campden to Wood Stanway – 12½ miles (20km)

       Wood Stanway to Cleeve Hill – 11½ miles (18.5km)

       Cleeve Hill to Birdlip – 15½ miles (25km)

       Birdlip to Edge – 9 miles (14.5km)

       Edge to Dursley – 14 miles (22.5km)

       Dursley to Hawkesbury Upton – 15 miles (24km)

       Hawkesbury Upton to Cold Ashton – 14 miles (22.5km)

       Cold Ashton to Bath – 11 miles (17.5km)

      As a rule of thumb, for a route of this length about 2½ miles (4km) an hour will probably be maintained by most regular walkers. When calculating how long any given stage is likely to take, do not forget to include time for rests, photography, consulting the map or guidebook, studying something of particular interest, or admiring a view – all of which add substantially to the day’s activity. In hot, wet or windy conditions your pace is likely to be slower than normal, so take the weather into account too.

      Day walks

      The Cotswold Way is not only for end-to-end walkers. A series of short circular routes have been created that enable visitors to tackle it in ‘bite-sized chunks’. Route details can be downloaded from the national trail website (www.nationaltrail.co.uk/cotswold-way).

Which way to walk?

      So, should you begin in Chipping Campden or Bath? Well, the route has been signed in such a way as to make it easy to follow in either direction, and there’s a similar amount of uphill as there is downhill effort involved, whichever way you tackle it – though if anything it’s slightly more strenuous for the northbound walker. By walking northward (starting in Bath) you’ll probably have the prevailing wind at your back, some of the finest scenery teasing ahead of you, and one of the finest of all Cotswold towns as the climax.

      On the other hand, heading south from Chipping Campden means that from the very start you are launched into full Cotswold grandeur, while the pilgrimage nature of the long-distance walk (and it seems to me that all long walks take the form of a pilgrimage) culminates with the heart-stopping sight of Bath Abbey, arguably one of Britain’s finest buildings, marking journey’s end. It is also physically easier to leave Bath by public transport at the end of the walk than it is Chipping Campden. This may be a deciding factor.

      Whichever way you choose, both directions are described in this guide.

When to go?

      The unpredictability of British weather can make planning an end-to-end walk along the Cotswold Way a hit-or-miss affair, with rain and strong winds taking no account of the season. However, Spring (April to June) provides lengthening hours of daylight, usually less rainfall than in other seasons, and an abundance of wild flowers. Apart from the period during late April/May when the 3-day Badminton Horse Trials take place, overnight accommodation should not be too difficult to arrange.

      Summer (July to August) tends to be the most popular time to walk in the Cotswolds when daily temperatures are often in the low-to-mid 20s, although on average the highest rainfall is experienced in July. Towns and villages throughout the region can be besieged by visitors who increase the difficulties of finding single-night accommodation along the route of the Cotswold Way.

      September heralds the oncoming Autumn – a perfect time to tackle a long-distance walk. Daytime temperatures are still mild-to-warm then, while in October the first frosts of the coming winter may be expected. These provide an opportunity to celebrate the beauty of the beech woods turning yellow and gold.

      Winter stretches from November until late March: a challenging time to set out on an end-to-end walk, although for anyone living within easy distance of the Cotswolds, it is possible to take advantage of occasional days of mild weather to walk individual sections. But with shortened daylight hours and a fair chance of wild weather, only the keenest of walkers will attempt the whole route from Chipping Campden to Bath during wintertime. Those who do should bear in mind that the 4-day Cheltenham National Hunt Festival tends to put a great deal of pressure on accommodation for a week in March.

Self-guided or guided?

      Should you prefer to walk with an organised group under the guidance of an experienced leader, several companies offer such holidays. The national trail website has a link (Holiday Planning) giving a list of such companies (see Appendix A).

Getting there and getting around

      Getting to, from and along the Cotswold Way (if you wish to tackle the route in stages) by public transport is reasonably straightforward, although some homework may be needed concerning timing. See www.escapetothecotswolds.org.uk for details of bus and rail services.

      Rail

      Train services connect London with Bath (in 90 minutes), as well as Stroud, Cheltenham, Moreton-in-Marsh and Evesham. Stratford-upon-Avon is served by rail from Birmingham. The Birmingham to Bristol line gives an opportunity to reach the Cotswold Way from stations at Ashchurch, Cheltenham, Gloucester, and Cam and Dursley. At the time of writing bus services connect Chipping Campden with the rail network at Evesham, Stratford-upon-Avon and Moreton-in-Marsh.

      National Express

      National Express coaches serve Bath and Cheltenham.

      Bus