Jean and Al LaPrade
From: New Hampshire, USA
Started: 13th Sep, 2023 — Finished: 24th Sep, 2023
My husband and I completed the Cotswolds Walk on September 24, 2023. It was a beautiful and wonderful experience. We felt like we were stepping back in time to mid-evil days. I hope this area never modernizes. There was so much history to observe and learn as we walked along. The scenery was spectacular. We loved walking through pastures, grasslands as well as walking through the small villages. The instruction packet that we received from Cotswolds Walk was great and the trail was well signed. My husband & I chose to not download the GPS on our phones as suggested, we chose to rely on our topo map of the area. That worked very well but was not helpful when we came into villages & tried to find our accommodations that were not right on the trail. We relied on asking local people for help. We found people were so friendly and helpful and it was a pleasure be able to meet and talk with them. They gave us more history of the town.
We loved the variety of accommodations along the Walk. They were all great but we did have some favorites. We spent more than one night at Lygon Arms and started to feel part of their family. The Woodland House gave lots of personal attention and a more homey atmosphere and the Bell Inn was great and offered more than we expected by giving us a ride back to the trail in Old Sodbury where we stopped the day before. And then it was a wonderful ending to the long walk to arrive at the Queensbury Hotel in Bath 2 days later. We were not expecting such luxury and sure enjoyed our 2 night stay.It was a special treat. We also loved the variety of places for meals from pubs to local restaurants and Take-aways. We loved trying the foods of the locals and found them all to be very good.
We had many memorable moments along the way but the ones that stuck out the most were: 1. crossing the summit of Heresfield Beacon while Hurricane Lee crossed over England. The strong wind actually blew me over twice as we walked the edge of the escarpment. My husband & Andy had to help me stay upright. The strong winds and heavy rain lasted 2 days; and the other memorable moment was when we heard that the old and famous Sycamore tree on Hadrien’s Wall was cut down. We had walked Hadrien’s Wall in 2016 and remember that tree very well! Such a sad tragedy!!
Ron & Julie Shaffer
From: Mesquite, NV USA
Started: 10th Sep, 2023 — Finished: 22nd Sep, 2023
Linda Somers and Miles the teddy bear
From: Sandhurst, Berkshire, UK
Started: 11th Sep, 2023 — Finished: 21st Sep, 2023
I was supposed to walk with a friend but, due to illness, ended up walking solo with just my Teddy for company poking out of my rucksack (when it wasn’t raining or hailing!).
I really loved the chocolate box, picturesque villages of the northern section. I found poles incredibly useful - along with waterproof socks and a poncho. Had one very scary experience with a field of bullocks just before Kings Stanley, but adored the belted Galloways and the plethora of sheep. My favourite day has to be Leckhampton Hill/Crickly Hill if only for the views.
I don’t think anything can prepare you for the constant hills - if you’re not going up or coming down you’re walking sideways along one!
I found very few people along the way but those I did, whether they were locals, golfers or long distance walkers were always so friendly. I think a few people followed me because of my bear so it was nice to be greeted by name!
Zosia Young
From: South Gloucestershire
Started: 16th Sep, 2023 — Finished: 17th Sep, 2023
I completed the Cotswold Way as part of Cotswold Way Century Ultramarathon. I have previously ran sections of the CW but this was the first time I ran the whole 102 miles from Chipping Campden to Bath in one go, 27 hours 13 mins. Such a beautiful route with some tough climbs but definitely worth it for the views.
Sander en Nienke
From: Netherlands
Started: 6th Sep, 2023 — Finished: 16th Sep, 2023
Worth the trip .
Beautiful scenery.
Met realy nice people .
Ben and Rachel Miller
From: Orlando, Florida
Started: 3rd Sep, 2023 — Finished: 11th Sep, 2023
What a BLAST and an epic way to say "hello" to our 30s! We shared our entire experience on our YouTube channel - Off Day Adventures!
Henry Huijbregts and Patricia Mulders
From: Netherlands
Started: 21st Aug, 2023 — Finished: 29th Aug, 2023
Gareth Hiscock
From: Weston-super-Mare
Started: 30th Aug, 2022 — Finished: 29th Aug, 2023
Split over 6 solo legs, using Public transport (mainly trains).
105.65 miles in total. Good weather throughout, a bit too hot at times. Bagged 10 trig points over the journey, some with small diversions. So much to see along the way.
Amber, Lisa and Paul
From: Gloucestershire
Started: 29th Jan, 2023 — Finished: 28th Aug, 2023
Amber, aged 9, wanted to walk the Cotswold Way as her New Year's resolution challenge. We planned to walk it in 14 stages. We have loved the undulating walk and have loved the views along the way. We have enjoyed the villages along the way and we have met some lovely people. We climbed up the Tyndale monument, explored new places to eat and even shared some sections with other family members. We found Cam Long Down very steep to climb up and we missed a few markers so we walked a few more miles but we really enjoyed it.
Marcus and Giselle Vere
From: London, UK
Started: 18th Aug, 2023 — Finished: 24th Aug, 2023
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.
Nathalie
From: Switzerland
Started: 4th Aug, 2023 — Finished: 15th Aug, 2023
Catriona & Liberty Irvine
From: Bristol, UK
Started: 11th Mar, 2017 — Finished: 31st Jul, 2023
When my dad went into a home with Dementia, over 6 years ago, my daughter and I thought it would be a good idea to walk the Cotswolds Way and raise money for BRACE - a dementia research charity in Bristol. Sadly, my dad died nearly 2 years ago now and we had to start in very small chunks as my daughter was 11 when we started - but we've finally finished! (she's 17 now and much taller than me!) We had a big break for Covid and for her GCSEs and we used all manor of transport to get us to and from the trail - taxis, lifts, buses and even steam trains! It was a nice little adventure and a chance to spend time with my daughter, who will be going off to university next year. I'm sure my dad would have approved.
James Blagg & Dave Turner
From: Bristol
Started: 10th Oct, 2021 — Finished: 16th Jul, 2023
Jocelyn Suiter, Wendy Pugh, Patrick Suiter
From: Melbourne Australia
Started: 8th Jul, 2023 — Finished: 16th Jul, 2023
Beautiful way to enjoy the English countryside
Chris McIntosh and Erica Melton
From: Portland, OR USA
Started: 26th Jun, 2023 — Finished: 4th Jul, 2023
What an epic journey! So many ups and downs and twists and turns…and not just describing the trail itself! We met all sorts of friendly and welcoming people along the way—fellow CW trekkers, locals walking dogs around the commons, pub regulars, groups of boisterous Duke of Edinburgh candidates and of course the amazingly hospitable BnB and hotel hosts.