From: London, UK
Started: 20230818
Finished: 20230824
What an experience but, don’t be fooled, this is a BIG effort in 7 days and we are regular walkers! You can opt for taking more time of course. Lots of steep ups and downs on uneven ground (we took 35 litre packs weighing around 7 kg), so we would suggest good ankle support as a major factor in your choice of well-worn boots. Your elevation gain will be 400m – 500m (with matching descents) every day, so a good level of fitness is paramount. In spite of us both having done big miles in our boots previously we still got blisters early on, so a blister pack/compeeds should be high on your packing list.
It’s often said that The Way is well marked which, for the most part, it is. However, in the summer months particularly, there are many sections where the markers are hidden in hedges and briars or local wits have removed them. There are also markers which unhelpfully point in a ‘general’ direction, which are the jokers in the pack. Take a good guide book with maps included (we used Trailblazer which, as it turns out, contains quirky, Winnie The Poo style maps of questionable accuracy), but we would seriously recommend the OS Maps app as this plots your position relevant to The Cotswold Way to within a meter or two; invaluable. Although the app is battery hungry, I can’t tell you how often we relied on it and would have consistently wandered off piste without it which, over a 100 mile trail, would not have been funny. We were so lucky with the weather; dry all the way. If it had rained, many of the steep paths would have been treacherous, so keep an eye on your weather app and be aware that this area is notorious for four seasons in a day.
Accommodation along the trail is ‘adequate’ at best, which is a shame. We used a mixture of b and b’s, pubs and a hotel, as most do, and were disappointed with almost all of them. Grubby rooms, 70s decor, apathetic staff and below standard food was the norm. Coming from London, we thought we’d entered a time warp. Don’t be put off by this though, its not a deal breaker, and all part of what is essentially a great experience. That said, boy, there’s a heck of an opportunity for hospitality entrepreneurs!
Overall though, this is a great and testing walk, taking in quintessentially English countryside, featuring amazing views, heart-achingly pretty Cotswold towns and some really lovely flora and fauna (spring and summer particularly). We hope you find our shared experience useful. Wishing you a great walk and happy memories. M and G.