Chris Johnson
From: Pickwick, Corsham, Wiltshire
Started: 15th Aug, 2017 — Finished: 21st Aug, 2017
Walked this in one go from North to South, finishing on my 60th birthday and raising funds for Julian House in Bath.Joined by various people at various points including my two sons, wife and other family members.Weather mostly good, and views spectacular.
DIANE BERESFORD/GREN MASON
From:
Started: 5th Aug, 2017 — Finished: 13th Aug, 2017
VERY ENJOYABLE WALK - A PERFECT END AT BATH ABBEY
Anne and Steve Hochwalt
From: Cincinnati Ohio, USA
Started: 5th Aug, 2017 — Finished: 13th Aug, 2017
We started in Chipping Campden, and soon wondered where the "rolling hills" were! The Cotswold Way Trail had more challenging hills than we'd anticipated but we always made it to the top and enjoyed the incredible views. The trail was well marked, the wildflowers were beautiful and we enjoyed meeting walkers from other countries along the way. It was so much fun encountering the many sheep, cows, horses we also shared the trail with. We were fortunate with only one day of rain but that created slipping and sliding up and down the hills - ugh. The English people were very warm and welcoming and the B&Bs (breakfast!) and pubs (lager!) we visited were quaint and charming. Each day was a new adventure. Little did we know there was a festival in Queen Victoria Park the day we completed the walk. A band was playing in the pavilion as we walked along the Royal Avenue - what a wonderful way to welcome us to Bath! We found the Cotswold medallion at the door to the Abbey and enjoyed a "job well done" smooch :-) The end was bittersweet as we thoroughly enjoyed every day of our Cotswold Way walk.
Florence Wickenden 6 years old
From: Bletchingley
Started: 5th Aug, 2017 — Finished: 12th Aug, 2017
Chipping Camden- Winchcombe Winchcombe- Dowdswell Dowdswell - Coopers Hill Coopers Hill- Painswick-stone house Stone House- Dursley - Wotton wotton- old sodbury Old sodbury- bath
Nancy Thompson & Stephen Thompson
From: 64 Stoneybeck
Started: 5th Aug, 2017 — Finished: 11th Aug, 2017
A good 7 days walk with fine views and interesting objects. Good weather although wood paths were a little muddy! A shortage of ice-cream parlours on the way. The path was well signed.
Geoff Lampshire
From: Exeter
Started: 3rd Jul, 2017 — Finished: 9th Jul, 2017
Report to Cotswold Way National Trail – contribution to Exeter campaign for Ataxia UK - June / July 2017
Situation : ataxia awareness campaign, Exeter, summer 2017
Inspiration: Bex Downing (my step-daughter) and friends, confronting and living with the challenges of ataxia
Motivation: spread awareness and raise money for Ataxia UK
Location: Cotswold Way, Chipping Campden to Bath, 102 miles, 7 days
Monday, 3rd July - starting point: Market Hall, Chipping Campden. Heavy rucksack, spare walking shoes, ataxia flyers, donation box; dressed in Ataxia t-shirt, shorts, hiking boots.
Sunday, 9th July – making my way through crowds of tourists near Bath Abbey. Stamp the final box on the Cotswold Way card at the tourist office – mission accomplished: unforgettable!
10 highlights encapsulating this unique experience:
• spectacular panoramas of Gloucestershire and the Severn estuary
• tranquillity of the wheat and linseed fields • sharing time with sheep, cattle and birds
• breezes in the trees and grass • exquisite taste of water melon at the end of a 22-mile Wednesday!
• chats with fellow hikers from all corners of the world
• historical monuments and architecture, from burial chambers to parish churches, battle fields to mill buildings
• steep upward climbs, with frequent stops to enjoy the view (or catch my breath!)
• opportunities to be in the moment, not dwelling on the past or worrying about the future
• the compassion and generosity of those who listened to the facts and donated to Ataxia UK To all our family and friends who encouraged and supported us in our endeavours to raise over £1100 for Ataxia UK – with sincere thanks.
Bob & Julie
From: Southampton
Started: 1st Jul, 2017 — Finished: 8th Jul, 2017
We started the walk in the picturesque Chipping Campden and headed south arriving in Bath the following weekend, stopping at a number of pubs and B&Bs - all very welcoming. One particular place of interest was the 'glamping' at a College near Cheltenham which provided a basic but well placed stopping point. the weather was beautiful throughout, an ideal mixture of sunshine and cloud, perfect for walking this wonderful national trail. A real national asset.
Dominic and Sharon Godwin
From: Melbourne, Australia
Started: 27th Jun, 2017 — Finished: 7th Jul, 2017
A great walk with many fabulous viewpoints on the way. Some of our highlights were:
· Cooper’s Hill (where the annual cheese-rolling competition takes place) with its surprisingly terrifying view from the top!
· The amazing golf course at Painswick Beacon – Krazy Golf on a large scale. Also, Painswick itself was probably our favourite village of the walk.
· Selsley Common. Great views after a hard climb up.
· Beautiful Stone walls (catch the new one just South-West of Tormarton).
· Eating at the Star Bistro at Ullenwood.
Tips:
· There are a lot of very steep climbs and descents – perhaps not by Lake District standards, but you must still be very sure on your feet and take boots with good grip. A walking stick would also be useful, especially as some of the paths can be slippery when wet. The Cotswold way is certainly no walk in the Park!
· The trailblazer guidebook is excellent, but take a map and compass too (in case you need a shortcut or emergency detour)
· If you’re scared of heights some parts of the Way won’t be much fun, so be prepared to check your map for alternative routes if it gets hairy. In particular the official path passing below the Barrow Wake car park is very “sporty” (Grid Ref SO 9310 1535). Just take the tarmacked path through the car park instead – much less scary.
John & Maggie Coats
From: Northwich, Cheshire
Started: 16th Jun, 2017 — Finished: 30th Jun, 2017
"Despite walking during the 5 day heatwave, the several woods along the Way provided much needed respite. Walking along the Western Escarpment provided many fine views across to the Malverns and down into Wales. We visited many places of interest along the Way such as Hailes Abbey and Dyrham Park, as well as exploring the villages and towns such as Broadway, Stanton, Painswick, Wotton under Edge and finally the glorious Bath. The Way is well maintained, well signposted and is full of interest."
Bob & Asher Luder
From: Finchley, London,
Started: 3rd Jul, 2017 — Finished: 30th Jun, 2017
I walked the Cotswold Way with my son Asher, starting at Chipping Camden on a lovely Monday, 3rd July ,having arrived on the London train to Moreton in Marsh that morning.
I had walked a lot of the trail myself before in sections,and indeed with the same son from half way near Stroud to Bath 5 years before, but never complete from end to end.
The whole week was very warm indeed, with only a smattering of rain on the first day, and probably a little to hot to be entirely comfortable! We stayed in Wood Stanway the first night, then at Cleeve Hill house hotel the second ,experiencing the lovely views from the ? Rising sun pub having dinner. On the third day, I found someone's money clip with £120 in cash and all his cards and driving licence. By my wife's efforts from home, amazingly, we managed to locate the chap, who had dropped it out running, and reunited him with it at a lovely hotel called Greenway hotel and spa! He was extremely grateful.
We then walked to stay in Painswick, finding an injured Young crow on the golf course, and tried unsuccessfully to get help for it from local vets and RSPCA. Next was Dursley, via going up the Tyndale Monument ,where we loved the town centre, and then the Fox Inn in Hawksebury , losing our way temporarily leaving the village trying to get back onto the trail! We then walked through the lovely named Pennsylvania village and Cold Ashton, to stay at Hill farm, where we had also stopped 5 years before. Finally, a brisk walk into Bath on Monday 10th to be picked up by my wife and driven to lunch!
It was very warm, very tiring and very up and down: but equally extremely rewarding with many fabulous views !
Chuck and his dear friend John
From: Downers Grove, Il. USA.
Started: 16th Jun, 2017 — Finished: 25th Jun, 2017
I did the walk in behalf of John, who passed away last fall! He was a dear friend and I was able to turn my hike into a fundraiser in his name! People from England and Canada even contributed to the fundraiser (scholarships for needy students at a private high school we both attended many years ago). The hike was a wonderful life experience! I need to come back to the Cotswolds as a tourist with my wife. We used Celtic Trails who did an awesome job for our accommodations. Towns like Painswick, Winchcombe, Dursley and Bath are to be treasured. The English people were friendly, the paths well marked (except for some need of repair/upkeep as we approached Bath) and the beer was always enjoyed in a welcoming pub! As of today, we will be planning another hike next spring, likely to Hadrian’s Wall. And, we have now convinced our wives (my travelling partner, Bill Chalberg, has been/is in separate contact with you) that we will be coming back for a tour of this wonderful area!
Michele, Betsy, Barbara, Ann
From: Leavenworth, USA
Started: 12th May, 2017 — Finished: 23rd Jun, 2017
We began The Cotswold Way, in Chipping Campden on Friday, May 12th, 2017. Completed in Bath, on Monday, May 22nd, 2017. Began with 4 of us. Michele Flood - Leavenworth, WA U.S.A. Betsy Weaver - Sammamish, WA U.S.A. Barbara Johnson - San Ramon, CA U.S.A Ann Davis - Tiburon, CA U.S.A. We met 2 other hikers on the first day in Chipping Campden, and hiked the entire route with them, start to finish. Lorraine Atter - Sheffield, U.K. Mark Atter - Sheffield, U.K. Walking the Cotswold Way was truly the trip of a lifetime for all of us. Each day a new adventure, enjoying the spectacular views from above, the abundance of wildflowers, from wild garlic to buttercups, and the delightful people we met along the way. Everyone we encountered was wonderfully welcoming, inquisitive about our journey, and so genuinely charming, that I believe chatting with fellow walkers became one of the unexpected highlights of our trip. I cannot say enough about the breathtakingly beautiful countryside… other than that I definitely want to return.
Kurt and Peggy Dunphy
From: Santa Rosa, California, USA
Started: 14th Jun, 2017 — Finished: 23rd Jun, 2017
We wanted a leisurely pace to enjoy the beauty, history, and culture of the several towns that we walked through. We used Mickledore Walking Holidays to make the arrangements and move our luggage from inn to inn. We were very satisfied with the level of service that we received.
Day 1: Chipping Campden to Stanton
Day 2: Stanton to Winchcombe
Day 3: Winchcombe to Charlton Kings
Day 4: Charlton Kings to Birdlip
Day 5: Birdlip to Painswick
Day 6: Painswick to King’s Stanley
Day 7: King’s Stanley to North Nibley
Day 8: North Nibley to Old Sodbury
Day 9: Old Sodbury to Cold Ashton
Day 10: Cold Ashton to Bath
Some high points:
· Historical town of Chipping Campden.
· Mount Inn Pub in Stanton. Great pub food and views from patio.
· Sudeley Castle in Winchcombe.
· Pub at the Lion Inn in Winchcombe. Upscale and great fish pie.
· Black Horse Inn in North Nibley. Great mussels and salmon.
· Rococo Gardens in Painswick.
· Dyrham Park in Chippenham. Could have spent all day here.
Low Point: The 40C + temperatures on June 21, 2017; the hottest day in England in over 40 years.
Shout out to Will and Martin; two fine gentlemen from Bristol who we ran into often.
Julian Clark and Natalie Hodgson
From: Doncaster
Started: 13th Jun, 2017 — Finished: 20th Jun, 2017
We walked from north to south. A great walk with some fantastic views. We also managed to take in a few pubs along the way as well. Having had some pretty wet days walking in the past we were pleased to see the weather forecast. Hot and sunny. However, nothing prepared us for quite how hot and sunny. For the first time ever whilst walking we were looking for shade when choosing a spot for lunch.
PAULINE AND DUNCAN INWOOD
From: 3 HALL DYKE, SPONDON, DERBY DE21 7LF
Started: 6th Apr, 2017 — Finished: 18th Jun, 2017
We walked the Cotswold Way from north to south over thirteen walking days during April, May and June. We stayed in four campsites and used twelve local buses and one taxi, and our own small camper van. We chose both the longer options on the Way and walked approximately twenty-three additional miles to and from starts and finishes. We had fantastic weather throughout ending on a very hot day into Bath. We loved the scenery and extensive views on every day of the walk. Lambs, flowers, villages, churches, archaeological interest, structures, varied landscape were all on the plus side. Not such fun was the aggressive peahen and our occasional disappointment when an expected refreshment stop had ceased trading! We finished with a great day in Bath on the hottest day of the year. We can't decide which long distance trail to attack next as it has to live up to this one, especially for those wonderful views.