Daniel Bonson
From: Hereford
Started: 9th Jun, 2018 — Finished: 17th Jun, 2018
I started the trail by completing the Heineken 'Race to the Tower' and enjoyed it so much that I returned the next weekend to finish off all the sections not covered during the race. Lucky with the weather, not a drop of rain until I literally reached my finish point !
Mark Baker
From: Bristol
Started: 7th Jun, 2018 — Finished: 11th Jun, 2018
Fantastic experience... Will do this walk again but completing it in 4.5 days is not recommended to appreciate the scenery. I hiked and camped, carrying all my provision for 4/5 days... a fantastic challenge/achievement... but next time 8 days with B&Bs over night! The scenery is stunning. A lot of the hills (and there are a lot of hills!) are cruel. The experience... priceless
Nicky Handcock
From: New Malden, Surrey
Started: 31st May, 2018 — Finished: 10th Jun, 2018
Wonderful walk, with stunning far-reaching, often 360 degree views. Some tough hills, but worth every step. I walked South to North which meant I had the bonus of meeting many walkers coming in the other direction, as most walkers go North to South. Highlights were Painswick, Stanway, Cleeve Hill and Broadway Tower.
Kolja Thestorf + Agnes Krüger
From: Berlin, Germany
Started: 2nd Jun, 2017 — Finished: 8th Jun, 2018
Dear Cotswolds Way team, Cotswolds Way walkers and Hall of Fame members! Nearly one year after we finished the Cotswolds Way we finally found some free time to share our experiences with all Cotswolds Way walkers. We had a nice stay for two days in Bath and did the Cotswolds Way the other way round as we walked the Bristol-Bath Railway path first, directly after we arrived in Bristol. We started our adventure at the 2nd of June and finished at the 8th of June. On our way we rested at small B&B's in Old Sodbury (Dogs Inn) and Dursley (best stay ever!) as well as in a nice apartment in Moreton-in-Marsh with the family, who picked us up once on the journey and released us at the same spot of the path again after a day off. We enjoyed the scenic walk, the landscape and panoramic views from the hilltops but sometimes (really just very short periods of time) cursed the muddy slippery path, steeper slopes or the rain (unfortunately we had lots of it), but kept on walking. We had impressive moments on the 160 km walk from Bath to Chipping Campden where we finished our walk in the evening (9pm). Unfortunately this late arrival hindered us to get our walk confirmed, but we decided to make a picture in the city centre instead. The walk was really worth it. Not only due to the sights like Tyndale Monument, long barrows (e. g. Belas Knap) or the small towns and churches in the countryside, but also because of the nature which was really stunning and other people we met on our way and had a chat with. Our daily trips had between 30 and 42.2 kilometres in length and due to the weather conditions on two days we decided to have a day off, relax and visit other sights of the Cotswolds. One important lesson we had to learn on our way was, that you really shouldn't underestimate the ups and downs of the route (when you come from a very flat place on earth) and that you should always be prepared for changing weather conditions. We would like to thank the Cotswold Way team for keeping the trail in a very good condition. Especially the signs which tell you where to go were really helpful, although we had the two books (which were worth having as well) dealing with this Way. Thank you very much for this experience! Best regards from Berlin, Germany
Mike Brotherton
From: Bristol
Started: 6th Jul, 2018 — Finished: 8th Jun, 2018
Janis E Kenderdine
From: Tyngsborough, Massachusetts, United States of America
Started: 1st Jun, 2018 — Finished: 6th Jun, 2018
After doing Offa's Dyke Path, the Cotswolds Way was a "walk in the park!" The locals obviously love their Cotswolds, and once out of the suburbs of Bath and into the hills, it was something else following the footsteps of neolithic peoples along their forts and long-barrows while looking out across the Severn to Hay Bluff where I'd been only a week before.
Carolyn Bookholt , Sarah Poole, & the other Walkie Talkies
From: Baltimore, MD (but living in Cheltenham, UK)
Started: 15th Mar, 2017 — Finished: 5th Jun, 2018
We have the amazing experience of being able to live in the Cotswolds for 3 years. In this time, we decided we needed to complete the Cotswold Way - so we formed the Walkie Talkies walking group. It's a group of 5-10 (depending on the day) Americans (plus an Australian!) walking the Way one chunk at a time. Mostly we walked once a month as schedules permitted, and sometimes squeezed two in (as we took summers off with kids home). We did 14 walks in 15 months from Chipping Camden to Bath. Ending in Bath allowed us to spend the late afternoon at the Spa before having a nice dinner and heading back home to Cheltenham.
Ken Johns and Rita Wilpers
From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Started: 22nd May, 2018 — Finished: 3rd Jun, 2018
Fantastic! Everything in bloom. Great temps, great scenery, towns, villages, and lots of Spaniels! Went from north to south with an extra day in Painswick. Rain and fog only on the few days that promised the best viewpoints.
Samuel Cheshire
From: Whiteparish, Salisbury
Started: 26th May, 2018 — Finished: 31st May, 2018
Completing the cotswolds way in 6 days was tough (15-10-15-20-20-20). I am thankful that I had family around me for the first 4 and did not have to hike it all with a huge bag, especially as it rained on the last two days. The walk itself is Stunning. All the way from end to end there is very little to not enjoy. I started in Chipping Campden down to Bath which felt like a nice way round to do it.
Gillian and Paul Whiteside
From: Ashford Surrey/England
Started: 30th Mar, 2018 — Finished: 27th May, 2018
Fantastic views, picturesque villages, even the weather was varied. One of the best.
David A Johnson and Susan W Johnson
From: Boise, Idaho, USA
Started: 17th May, 2018 — Finished: 27th May, 2018
Amazing views of the countryside; songbirds in grand shaded forests; sheep, cows and horses grazing peacefully in green pastures, fields of wildflowers and wheat, old dry stacked stone walls, ancient churches and even more ancient barrows. Monuments, grand houses, iron age forts and 17th century battlefields. It was an awesome 10 days of walking (with a rest day in Painswick) we will never forget. Thank you for creating and maintaining this walk!
John Gifford
From: Bournemouth
Started: 20th May, 2018 — Finished: 25th May, 2018
Christy Foote-Smith & Bob Stupp
From: Wardsboro, VT, USA
Started: 10th May, 2018 — Finished: 24th May, 2018
We were gifted with two weeks of the best weather with which to enjoy the pastoral beauty of the Cotswold Way. The openness of the trail as it followed the summit of much of the escarpment and provided magnificent views of green pastures dotted with sheep and cattle made the numerous steep climbs out of the villages, themselves beautiful, well worth the effort. Hard-work but a delightful journey. People along the way were wonderfully helpful. So many gorgeous views! So many memories to cherish. More sheep than we could count! And blue bells!
Laura Elmont & Jan Willem Oortwijn
From: Eindhoven, the Netherlands
Started: 13th May, 2018 — Finished: 23rd May, 2018
"Going to England? Make sure you bring a raincoat!" That was the advice most people gave us before we started. So, we started, with a enormous 15 kg backpack full of warm clothing and rain gear. How wrong people can be! We had 11 days of splendid weather, for a trail that had everything. From wonderful woodlands with birds and plants, to nice valleys with many sheep, or cows. With so many nice people we met in inns and B&B's and of course real English ales in lovely pubs. We had an absolute perfect time in the Cotswolds and enjoyed every mile from Chipping Campden to Bath.
Rick Lausten, Anne Billiard, Laura Barber, Dan Elder
From: Brentwood, Tennessee, 37027 USA
Started: 13th May, 2018 — Finished: 23rd May, 2018
We had a splendid hike with exceptional weather. It only rained for an hour or so prior to arriving in Old Sodbury. Bluebells, wild garlic, wisteria and horse-chestnut trees were in bloom. We decided to take our time and enjoy the English countryside, so we scheduled 11 days on the trail vice the standard 7. The highlight was chatting with various people we met along the trail and in the local pubs. The trail itself was moderately easy. We generally hiked down in the afternoon to villages and up in the morning to get back to the Cotswold Edge. There were a few steady uphill sections that got our hearts beating with vigor, but generally, it was a pleasant walk. I was the oldest of the group at age 71.