Cotswolds Villages, Trails & Stratford-upon-Avon in Style– 7 Days
Explore one of England's most beloved landscapes on this walk through the rolling hills and honey-stone villages of the northern Cotswolds. The route winds through more than 30 villages and historic wool towns, from the market town of Moreton-in-Marsh through the golden streets of Stow-on-the-Wold, the thatched lanes of Lower Slaughter, and the medieval grandeur of Chipping Campden and Broadway. Idyllic countryside trails connect riverside pubs and deep Cotswolds valleys at every turn. The walk concludes with a transfer to Stratford-upon-Avon, where a day among Tudor buildings and the life and times of Shakespeare makes a fitting finale.
Highlights
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Guest House (4 nights), 4-star Botique Hotel (2 nights)
6 breakfasts
Auswalk Walking Grade
Easy to Moderate
Rated by our team — we walk every route before we recommend it.
Mostly flat terrain with some gentle inclines. Suitable for anyone with basic fitness who enjoys walking.
View Fitness Guide4
Days on the trail
9-20 km
Daily distance range
192-675 m
Daily ascent range
4/10
Trail difficulty
Nights are spent in traditional inns, pubs, family-run guesthouses and small hotels, many of which date back several centuries and are very much part of the Cotswolds experience. Each host is well-acquainted with the route and happy to help with local knowledge and recommendations. As many overnight stops are in small villages, occasional substitutions of equivalent quality may be necessary — these will always be discussed during the booking process.
Six breakfasts and one packed lunch are included throughout the walk. Dinners are yours to explore independently, with characterful village pubs and local restaurants never far away. Please let us know of any food allergies or intolerances at the time of booking so we can inform your hosts. If you have severe allergies, bringing some of your own snacks is recommended.
The walk starts in Moreton-in-Marsh and finishes in Stratford-upon-Avon. The easiest option is to fly into London Heathrow or Gatwick and take the train to Moreton-in-Marsh via London Paddington, a journey of around one and a half hours from Paddington. From Gatwick, take the Gatwick Express to Victoria and connect via tube to Paddington. From Birmingham Airport, take the train to Worcester Shrub Hill and change for a direct service to Moreton-in-Marsh, with a total journey time of around two hours. Book train tickets in advance through Trainline for the best fares.
At the end of the walk, trains from Stratford-upon-Avon to London Marylebone run approximately every hour, with the journey taking around two and a half hours. From Marylebone, Heathrow is easily accessible via the London Underground.
Note: Always board trains in the UK with a pre-purchased ticket. Most services do not permit onboard ticket purchases, and travelling without a ticket can result in a fine of up to £200. Booking in advance is the most cost-effective approach, and travelling off-peak — after 9:30am and outside the 3:30pm to 6:30pm window — can significantly reduce fares.
This walk is available from late April through to early October. Spring brings vibrant countryside with rapeseed fields in bloom and wildflowers filling the meadows and village gardens, though a shower or two is always possible. Summer offers long daylight hours perfect for hillside picnics and evenings in pub gardens. September is a wonderful time to walk, with harvest activity in the fields and summer warmth often lingering well into the month. Whatever time of year you choose, always pack layers and a waterproof — the English weather can change quickly at any time of day.
The Cotswolds walk is graded moderate, with daily distances of up to 20km and up to 600m of ascent and descent. The trails are well-defined and varied, covering forest tracks, woodland paths, bridleways, rolling farmland and wildflower meadows, with occasional short sections of quiet country lanes shared with other road users. A training regime of two to three times per week is recommended in the lead-up to the walk. The route is well waymarked throughout, and detailed route notes, maps and GPX tracks are provided for each day.
You must hold adequate travel insurance for your trip, including cover for personal liability and accidental injury and illness. For all trips involving international travel, your policy must also include emergency medical treatment, evacuation and repatriation cover. We strongly recommend your policy also covers trip cancellation and curtailment, and loss of or damage to luggage.
A cancellation fee usually applies if you cancel after your booking is confirmed. Travel insurance with cancellation cover will generally cover this fee, so it's worth arranging your policy at the time of booking.
Full insurance requirements are set out in our booking terms and conditions.
A detailed information pack and itinerary will be sent to you around six weeks before departure, covering everything you need to know for a seamless experience. In the meantime, our team is always on hand to answer any questions.
Pick any available date — this is your trip, your schedule
Prices shown are per person, twin/double share basis.
Auswalks organisation and planning allowed us to focus on walking without having to carry packs or plan accommodation. The navigation app was intuitive and reliable meaning that we could relax and not be constantly checking for signs or landmarks. If we happened to miss a turn the app told us within 30 metres. Brilliant for us as we got so immersed in the beauty of the Cotswolds.
I did the Cotswold Way self guided over 7 days. The Universal Hikes app was excellent, I loved having the maps with guidance and all the walks notes and accommodation details in the one place. I also appreciated getting paper versions of the walks notes and accommodation. No route changes recommended. I did find the daily walks long, especially once getting to and from accommodation is included, but appropriate to the time frame.
I did the Cotswold Way self guided walk. The Universal Hikes app was excellent, I loved having the maps with guidance and all the walks notes and accommodation details in the one place. I also appreciated getting paper versions of the walks notes and accommodation. No route changes recommended. I did find the daily walks long, especially once getting to and from accommodation is included, but appropriate to the time frame.
The walk was interesting with varied terrain. Lovely villages/towns and the accommodation was generally very good - especially in Winchcombe and Broadway. We're planning our next walk.
The Cotswold Way was our fourth walk with Auswalk. We keep returning to Auswalk because we know they know what they are doing, are flexible enough to work with us to fit in what we request as far as possible. They have not let us down. in the 4 walks. Thanks All
The Cotswold Way Walk is an absolute delight! We did it in Spring so there were endless fields of wildflowers, mostly blue bells and wild garlic. The trees were laden blossoms or new leaf buds; the horse chestnut and crab apple blossoms were magnificent. Tulips were at their peak blooming time with many gardens and planter boxes filled with stunning blooms. The villages along the way are quaint and beautiful and there are many historical places of interest. Walking through working farms with horses, cows, the occasional bull, and sheep added an extra dimension of interest and enjoyment. Best of all, there were lots of cute young lambs. Walking with a light day pack, having a hot shower, comfy bed and a warm meal at night was a newly discovered luxury for us. The walk itself is not hard; there are a few steep uphills but nothing really challenging. We did the 11 Day Self-Guided Walk without a rest day and found the daily distances very manageable. AUSWALKS organised an extra day in Chipping Campden before the start of the walk and a few extra days in Bath after the walk for us which worked really well. We can highly recommend this walk and would like to thank AUSWALKS for their fantastic organisation (luggage transfer, accommodation) and support notes, maps and app. It was a fantastic holiday!!!
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