Shakespeare's Way Section 1: Stratford-upon-Avon to Shipston-on-Stour

Length: 15.5 miles / 25km

Difficulty: Strenuous

Walk Leader: Beth (07956242703)

Please note this can be either a day trip or an optional weekend away/overnight trip.

Following the success of walking The Ridgeway in 2023, the Chiltern Young Walkers have set themselves a new challenge of walking Shakespeare's Way in 2024!

A 146 mile route that winds its way through the Cotswolds, the Chiltern hills and along the Thames between Shakespeare's Historic Birthplace and The Globe Theatre in London. Its a beautiful fully signposted route that goes through towns such as Chipping Norton, Woodstock and Marlow as well as the beautiful city of Oxford and of course a long section along the River Thames in London.

We're kicking the challenge off with a double bill, which you can do either part of as a day trip or stay for an little weekend away!

We'll be be meeting at 10:00 am outside Shakespeare's Birthplace to start the walk, please plan time to park and walk to the start point as its at a town-centre location. Appreciate its a early start but as we are tied to the buses at the end need to factor some contingency time in.

The longest day happens to be the first day, but that means if you're planning on doing the whole thing you'll know that you've already got the longest section out of the way! The route meanders south of Stratford-upon-Avon, through picturesque villages  and crossing over the River Stour a number of times. We'll stop in either Alderminster or Halford for a swift pub stop enroute before finishing in the charming town of Shipston-on-Stour we're we'll catch the bus back to Stratford.

***Key info for Saturday***

Some key info for Saturday's walk now I've recce'd the first stage and checked out the buses and parking in person. Apologies in advance that I have to be a bit less flexible than usual but as I'm sure you can imagine, this is quite a complex weekend to plan.

1. Parking: here is a link to car parks in Stratford, they're all pretty much the same price for 12 and 24 hours (https://www.stratford.gov.uk/parking-roads-transport/car-parks-in-stratford-upon-avon.cfm) - i.e. £11 or £13.20 respectively. I would suggest Bridgeway Multi-Storey, Arden Street or Windsor Street car parks as the closest.

2. Timings: the part of the day that is the trickiest is actually the bus back at the end of the day. Essentially, there should be a bus back at 16.10, 17.00 and 18.18 respectively and I'm aiming for the 17.00, but it only appears on the PDF timetable and not the live search which worries me slightly. What I ask is that you come mentally prepared for us to spend an hour in the pub waiting for the later bus and bear with me a bit on the day if the 17.00 doesn't appear, or we don't quite make it. In theory, we have around 45 mins contingency, not including a lunch/pub stop in the middle. This means the latest we will be back is around 20 to 7 but could well be much earlier!

3. Timings cont.: similarly, we will need to start walking by 10.15 latest. For reasons above, have to be pretty strict on this but if you do miss us, catch the bus to Alderminster for about midday and you can join us then. Similarly, if anyone is struggling with the walk, you have the opportunity to leave the walk around 8 and 10 miles in and jump on the bus back instead :) Please contact me on 07956242703 on the day if you think you might not arrive by 10am.

4. Route: the river has burst its banks in Stratford (or had as of Sunday) and there is another footpath later on that was completely flooded, so I'll have to reroute. This adds ~ half a mile on max. Please come prepared for lots of mud and if you have gaiters, bring them but I'm hopeful it should just be muddy and no wading involved!

5. Prep: bring plenty of water, snacks and a packed lunch. Wet weather gear and good walking shoes/boots (bonus if water-resistant) recommended. No plimsoll type trainers please.

Finally, for those coming to the meal in the evening, its at 20.15. If you haven't booked a spot and I've asked you for a pre-order I'm afraid there's no spaces left.