Cotswold Way – 9 Days
Walk the Cotswold Way, from the northern medieval market town of Chipping Campden to the world heritage city of Bath in the south. Follow a rolling trail through picture-perfect English countryside. Hike across wild meadows and grazing pastures, as you climb to hilltop Neolithic burial sites and ancient battlefields of the English Civil War.
Descend over a patchwork of farmland to explore the charming streets, thatched cottages and trading houses of Stanton and Broadway, where it's worth making time for a traditional afternoon tea. Venture deep into ancient woodlands before visiting the 17th century baroque mansion house and deer park of Dyrham. Concluding at the magnificent Bath Abbey, pass through the lavish Georgian streets of The Royal Crescent, Lansdowne Circus and one of the world's greatest spas of the ancient world, The Roman Baths.
Highlights
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Guest House (5 nights), 4-star Hotel (1 night), 3-star Hotel (2 nights)
8 breakfasts
Auswalk Walking Grade
Moderate to Challenging
Rated by our team — we walk every route before we recommend it.
Regular hills and varied terrain. These walks involve more challenging sections. Regular walking beforehand is recommended.
View Fitness Guide7
Days on the trail
17-27 km
Daily distance range
381-1140 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.
Breakfast is 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 Chipping Campden and finishes in Bath Spa. 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 Moreton-in-Marsh, Chipping Campden is a 30-minute bus ride or a 20-minute private transfer, which we can arrange at the time of booking. From Gatwick, take the Gatwick Express to Victoria and connect via tube to Paddington. From Birmingham Airport, take the train to Stratford-upon-Avon and connect by bus directly to Chipping Campden, a total journey of around three hours.
At the end of the walk, Bath Spa has regular hourly train services to London Paddington taking around one and a half hours, and to Bristol Temple Meads in around 15 minutes, with onward connections across the country.
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.
Please note: We recommend not commencing the walk on a Sunday, as on Night 2 in Stanton/Stanway, the only hotel (the only place to get a meal) is closed on a Monday. In addition, if your trip starts in Chipping Campden or ends in Bath over a weekend (Friday & Saturday or Saturday & Sunday), there is a 2-night minimum stay required.
The Cotswold Way is graded moderate to challenging, with daily distances of up to 25km 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.
If you trip starts in Chipping Campden or ends in Bath over a weekend (Friday & Saturday or Saturday & Sunday) there is a 2 night minimum stay required.
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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