{"id":17696,"date":"2022-07-13T17:30:15","date_gmt":"2022-07-13T15:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/?p=119082"},"modified":"2022-07-13T17:47:17","modified_gmt":"2022-07-13T15:47:17","slug":"best-walks-in-the-cotswolds","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/best-walks-in-the-cotswolds\/","title":{"rendered":"Best walks in the Cotswolds"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Daniel Graham\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 13 July 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

The Cotswolds is a vast landscape in southern England, spanning the counties of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, as well as parts of Worcestershire, Somerset, Warwickshire and Wiltshire.<\/p>\n

Covering almost 800 square miles, the Cotswolds<\/a> was designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1966, making it the third largest protected area in England.<\/p>\n

Within its limits, peace and charm are never hard to come by. Spend the weekend pottering around one of the area\u2019s many markets towns or picturesque villages. Book a walking holiday on the famous Cotswold Way<\/a>, spend an afternoon relaxing in a classic Cotswold pub, or simply step out onto the trail and get your dose of the AONB on foot.<\/p>\n

This guide takes a look at some of the Cotswold\u2019s best walking routes, including Broadway<\/a>, Bradford-on-Avon<\/a> and the striking Cotswold Escarpment.<\/p>\n

Dover\u2019s Hill, Gloucestershire<\/h3>\n

3.7 miles\/6 km | 2-3 hours | moderate<\/em><\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
View from the top of Dover\u2019s Hill near the village of Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds\/Credit: Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Taking place at the summit of Dover\u2019s Hill and older than the Olympics proper, the Cotswold Olimpicks is an annual tournament of rural games that dates back to 1612 and includes events such as shin-kicking and tug-of-war. <\/span><\/p>\n

The occasion is heightened by the drama of the setting. Dover\u2019s Hill \u2013 named after Robert Dover, the Games\u2019 founder \u2013 is one of the highest points on the Cotswolds scarp. It is a breezy, knobbly, thistly hulk of a hill, gnawed by sheep and granting colossal views over the Vale of Evesham.<\/span><\/p>\n

A fine way to see it is on this (sometimes steep) National Trails-endorsed circular walk from Chipping Campden.<\/p>\n

Dover\u2019s Hill walking route and map<\/a><\/p>\n

Winchcombe, Gloucestershire<\/h3>\n

4.5 miles\/7.2km | 3.5 hours | moderate<\/em><\/p>\n

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The rural and quaint town of Winchcombe in the Cotswolds\/Credit: Tim Graham, Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Prosperity is reflected in the buildings of Winchcombe, from the magnificent church with its array of alarmingly fierce gargoyles to the many grand merchants\u2019 houses, mainly built out of warm, golden Cotswold stone.<\/p>\n

It is a town that repays time spent wandering its streets, but for those needing something longer, it is also the perfect centre for country walking as it stands in the valley below the Cotswold escarpment. This is a walk that will take you back long before the Middle Ages to where rituals took place some 4000 or more years ago.<\/p>\n

Winchcombe walking route and map<\/a><\/p>\n

Marshfield, Gloucestershire<\/h3>\n

7 miles\/11.3km | 4 hours | moderate<\/em><\/p>\n

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The clear waters of the Broadmead Brook hold a few trout, bullheads and crayfish\/Credit: Raymond Bird<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Most people think of the Cotswolds as being north of the M4 \u2013 those exquisitely charming honey-stoned towns and villages often clogged with visitors.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s a secret Cotswolds between the motorway and Bath \u2013 it\u2019s just as beautiful but few people visit and it feels more authentic. So here is a taste of the Cotswold escarpment, a beguiling hamlet and a perfect lost valley.<\/p>\n

Follow our seven-mile river and woodland walk starting in Marshfield in South Gloucestershire.<\/p>\n

Marshfield walking route and map<\/a><\/p>\n

Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire<\/h3>\n

4.4 miles\/7km | 3 hours | moderate<\/em><\/p>\n

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Wotton-under-Edge in Gloucestershire\/Credit: Philip Halling<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

The market town of Wotton-under-Edge dates back to 940 AD, when it was known as Wudetun, Saxon for \u2018the wooded town\u2019.<\/p>\n

The strange ditches found near the woods are remains of the Iron Age fort and can\u2019t fail to stir the senses. This, combined with the hauntingly atmospheric Ancient Ram Inn, make this market town on the Cotswolds escarpment a fine setting for a hike.<\/p>\n

Wotton-under-Edge walking route and map<\/a><\/p>\n

Broadway<\/h3>\n

5.2 miles\/8.4km | 3.5 hours | moderate<\/em><\/p>\n

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Wisteria cloaks the stone walls of Broadway in early summer\/Credit: Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

The picturesque village of Broadway, with its warm, honey-hued cottages, is the perfect base for a countryside stroll.<\/p>\n

Take time to meander along the high street past pubs, caf\u00e9s, tea rooms and shops \u2013 offering art and antiques, country clothing and gifts \u2013 then head into the Cotswold hills.<\/p>\n

Broadway walking route and map<\/a><\/p>\n

Bradford-on-Avon to Bath, Wiltshire\/Somerset<\/h3>\n

9.7 miles\/15.6km | 5 hours | moderate<\/em><\/p>\n

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The River Avon slinks through the Wilshire town of Bradford-on-Avon\/Credit: Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

The Kennet and Avon Canal is a huge success story; over many years it has been transformed from a derelict, watery resting place for shopping trolleys into a leisure hub.<\/p>\n

You can walk, cycle or hire a canoe or a barge to enjoy the canal\u2019s stunning surroundings at your own pace, and there\u2019s also an abundance of wildlife, good fishing and fine pubs along the way.<\/p>\n

The beauty of this walk, from the pretty Wiltshire town of Bradford-on-Avon to the Georgian splendour of Bath in Somerset, is that you can tackle it however you please. Trains run regularly between Bath Spa and Bradford, so you can walk one way and get the train back, or if you\u2019re driving, you could park the car at a point along the canal and then walk in whichever direction you choose.<\/p>\n

Bradford-on-Avon to Bath walking route and map<\/a><\/p>\n

Castle Combe, Wiltshire<\/h3>\n

4.5 miles\/7.2km | 3 hours | moderate<\/em><\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Castle Combe is the setting for numerous films and TV shows\/Credit: Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

With its soft, golden Cotswold stone weavers\u2019 cottages, medieval church and packhorse bridge, Castle Combe demonstrates all the credentials needed to play the quintessential sleepy English village in many films and TV series \u2013 from Dr Doolittle, Dick Turpin and Robin of Sherwood to the 2007 fantasy adventure film Stardust.<\/p>\n

So it\u2019s no surprise that producers chose the village as the backdrop to one of Agatha Christie\u2019s most famous mysteries, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. In this memorable episode, Poirot attempts to escape the wickedness of the city and retires to sleepy King\u2019s Abbot (Castle Combe) to cultivate his garden and grow the perfect marrow. But Poirot\u2019s peace is shattered when his friend Roger Ackroyd is killed and the great detective is drawn back into the world of murder and intrigue.<\/p>\n

Castle Combe walking route and map<\/a><\/p>\n

Laurie Lee Wildlife Way, Gloucestershire<\/h3>\n

5 miles\/ 8km | 3 hours | moderate<\/em><\/p>\n

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The Cotswold village of Slad viewed from Swifts Hill Nature Reserve\/Credit: Stephen Dorey, Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

\u201cT<\/span>he sides of the valley were rich in pasture and the crests heavily covered in beechwoods\u2026 For weeks on end the trees moved in the wind with a dry roaring that seemed a natural utterance of the landscape. In winter they ringed us with frozen spikes, and in summer they oozed over the lips of the hills like layers of thick green lava.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The beech woods Laurie Lee describes so voluptuously in his childhood memoir Cider with Rosie<\/i> still frame the Slad Valley, their lava-like appearance further enhanced when they erupt into flame-coloured hues in autumn.<\/span><\/p>\n

They were Lee\u2019s playground as a child, where he raced up and down the steep slopes and ate beech leaves \u2013 a \u201ctight-folded salad of juices\u201d. The woods are now linked by the Laurie Lee Wildlife Way, a five-mile circular trail opened in 2013 to mark the centenary of his birth.<\/p>\n

Laurie Lee Wildlife Way walking route and map<\/a><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n

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By Daniel Graham Published: Wednesday, 13 July 2022 at 12:00 am The Cotswolds is a vast landscape in southern England, spanning the counties of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, as well as parts of Worcestershire, Somerset, Warwickshire and Wiltshire. Covering almost 800 square miles, the Cotswolds was designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":17697,"template":"","categories":[1,115],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"7"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/07\/best-walks-in-the-cotswolds-scaled.jpg",2560,1707,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/07\/best-walks-in-the-cotswolds-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/07\/best-walks-in-the-cotswolds-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/07\/best-walks-in-the-cotswolds-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/07\/best-walks-in-the-cotswolds-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/07\/best-walks-in-the-cotswolds-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/07\/best-walks-in-the-cotswolds-2048x1365.jpg",2048,1365,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Daniel Graham Published: Wednesday, 13 July 2022 at 12:00 am The Cotswolds is a vast landscape in southern England, spanning the counties of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, as well as parts of Worcestershire, Somerset, Warwickshire and Wiltshire. Covering almost 800 square miles, the Cotswolds was designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/17696"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}