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 Cotswold Way National Trail
 Chipping Campden to Bath
 163km/101 miles
Signed

A scenic, undulating route through quiet countryside following the ridge through the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) via the villages of Broadway, Winchcombe, Dursley and Wotton-under-Edge. An attractive and popular trail that offers beautiful rural surroundings with facilities and services always near to hand.

The low limestone hills and agricultural valleys should cause no problems for anyone who is reasonably fit, but there are a few steep slopes, rising to the highest point at Cleeve Cloud near Winchcombe (330m/1,083ft). Some paths can be muddy or hazardous in winter and boots are recommended.

The route was proposed by a Ramblers member in 1950 and established by Gloucestershire Ramblers members and the Cotswold AONB in 1970. In 1998 the route was designated a National Trail and is currently being upgraded. The old white spot waymarks are being replaced by National Trail acorns, and the whole trail should be relaunched in 2007.

Together with the Cross-Cotswold Pathway and Cotswold Link, the path forms part of the Cotswold Round, a a 331km/207-mile circuit of the Cotswolds (see Macmillan Way).

Update. In some locations the Cotswold Way is being diverted from its old route along new and improved paths. Where this occurs, the old path will remain open but will no longer be signed as the Cotswold Way. Full details of new sections already open are on the website below and walkers are advised to read these alongside the current guide to the route.

Public Transport

  • Rail. Bath, Stroud, Cheltenham, Moreton-in-Marsh and Evesham are on the Great Western main lines from London Paddington, and Statford-upon-Avon has a service to Birmingham. The Birmingham to Bristol line runs parallel to the Way with stations at Ashchurch, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Cam and Dursley.
  • Coaches serve Bath, Cheltenham and Broadway, and pass within 5km/3 miles of Chipping Campden.
  • Bus. There are bus services to numerous points along the Way including Cold Ashton, Tormarton, Hawkesbury Upton, Wotton-under-Edge, Dursley, King's Stanley, Painswick, Birdup, Leckhampton, Cleeve Hill, Winchcombe, Wood Stanway, Broadway and Chipping Campden (buses to Cheltenham, not Sundays). However few of these services run on Sundays.

For more detailed information, see the booklet Walk and explore the Cotswold Way by public transport, available from the National Trail Office (see below) or to download from the National Trail website -- see Getting to the Cotswold Way under Planning a trip. Also available from the same source are three information sheets describing how to walk the Way as a series of days out from Bath, Stroud and Cheltenham, using public transport links.

For more on finding out about public transport, see Public Transport for Walkers.

Publications

Available from the Ramblers' Association:











  •  
  • The Cotswold Way by Mark Richards
    ISBN 1873877102
    Order here! £4.95
    Detailed route guide with maps
  • The Cotswold Way Handbook & Accommodation List, edited by Mavis Rear, Gloucestershire Ramblers
    ISBN 1901184625
    Order here! £2.95
    Essential companion to route guide, with notes on the route, suggested schedules, mileage chart, travel information, catering and accommodation.
  • The Cotswold Way National Trail Guide by Anthony Burton
    ISBN 1854109146
    Order here! £12.99
    Official route guide including 1:25,000 scale Ordnance Survey mapping.

Also available:

  • The Cotswold Way by Kev Reynolds, ISBN 1 85284 449 3. Cicerone £12.
    Guide describing the route in both directions. OS 1:50 000 map extracts, background and practical information [08/05]
  • The Cotswold Way Interactive CD-ROM, ISBN 1 873877 38 2.  Reardon £12.99
  • The Cotswold Way Video presented by Mark Richards, PAL version, ISBN 1 873877 20 X.  Reardon £12.95 (also available in other formats)

Contacts

Regions
 Southwest England
West Midlands

Local authorities
 Bath and Northeast Somerset
Gloucestershire
South Gloucestershire
Wiltshire
Worcestershire

Connecting routes
 Bristol and Bath Railway Path
Cheltenham Circular Footpath
Cotswold Link and Cross-Cotswold Pathway (see Macmillan Way)
Donnington Way
From the Wye to the Thames (see Wye Valley Walk)
Frome Valley Walkway
Gloucestershire Way
Heart of England Way (E2)
Jubilee Way (South Gloucestershire)
Kennet & Avon Walk
Limestone Link
Monarch's Way

River Avon TrailSabrina Way

Samaritans Way South West (via River Avon Trail or Bristol and Bath Railway Path)
Wardens' Way
Windrush Way
Wychavon Way

Parks and countryside
 Cotswolds AONB

Maps
Explorer OL45, 155, 167, 168, 179
Landranger 150, 151, 162, 163, 172
Route is shown on maps.
 Strip map of whole route, waterproof: Cotswold Way, ISBN 1 85137 342 X. Harvey £9.95. Order here!
More about maps

Visitor information
 Bath
Cheltenham
 Chipping Campden
Cirencester
Gloucester
Pershore
Stratford Upon Avon
Stroud
Winchcombe
 Wotton-under-Edge

Accommodation
 Click to begin your search Click here for
 B&B listings
See also Publications (left). Pre-booking advisable, especially in summer.
YHA Hostel: Bath

Booking and luggage transfer
Compass (Carry-a-Bag)
Sherpa Van

Holiday operators
 Celtic Trails
 Contours
 Cotswold
Discovery
Explore Britain
Freedom