Discovering the Village Charm: Finishing the Cotswold Way

May 18, 2022

After 55 miles and four days on the Cotswold Way National Trail in England, we had hiked a little more than halfway on the 102-mile path. We were excited about the variety of historical sites, wooded areas, and expansive parks we had seen. There would be more of this in the coming days, but we would also be discovering the village charm that makes the Cotswold area famous. So, as we continued north, we looked forward to a big finish to our trek.

Hiking to the Bus Stop and a Rest Day

We left Painswick on our fifth day of hiking with a 14.7-mile stage to complete. The trail had a moderate elevation profile, with about 2,000 feet of ascent and descent. There was no rain in the forecast, so we hoped for some quick miles as we were looking forward to a rest day at the conclusion of our stage.

After a big climb at the beginning, the path took us through a string of nice views and wooded areas.

Although most of the trail traversed through the woods or farmland, there were a few sections along roads. We encountered a short segment that took us along a busy highway, complete with a roundabout (traffic circle) crossing, before we ventured back into the woods.

After leaving the highway we reached a prominent archaeological area: Crickley Hill. Evidence gathered here pointed to civilization dating back to between 4,000 and 3,000 BC. Later, Iron Age settlers built housing here. Today, only a large hilltop remains.

From Crickley Hill we still had about five miles to go to the bus stop. The bus left only once an hour, so we were motivated to arrive just before the scheduled time to minimize waiting by the side of the highway. We figured that we could just make the 3:45 pm bus if we picked up our hiking pace. The trail was pretty flat, so we were able to cover the five miles in two hours and 10 minutes. That placed us at the Seven Springs bus stop with about 10 minutes to spare.

After a three-minute bus ride, we reached the hotel. We spent the next day relaxing and giving our legs some needed rest after hiking about 70 miles over the first five days.

Reaching the Highest Point on the Trail

After our rest day we were eager to get back on the trail. The bus deposited us next to the path at about 8:30 am. Even though we had about 1,800 feet in elevation gain during our 14-mile stage, the climbs were much gentler and the miles went quicker as we trekked north.

We entered a peaceful area through Lineover Wood with some beech trees up to 600 years old.

The trail also continued to take us through farmland.

Since we were walking the Cotswold Way opposite of most hikers, we had to pay special attention to the trail markers on gates and posts. We also had the GPX course on Darren’s watch, but when there were several parallel paths next to each other, the watch didn’t always pick up the correct route. We tried to rely on the trail posts, but sometimes had to pause when there were many markers at some path intersections.

As we made our way up to Cleeve Hill, the highest point on the trail at 1,083 feet, we came across paths going off in every direction. And, as it was Saturday, there were many people enjoying the nice day outside. This meant we got a little more off course than usual, but eventually we made it to the viewpoints at the top of the hill.

Gazing out at the vista felt like looking out of a plane window at the terrain below.

Reaching Cleeve Hill also signified that our trekking vistas would be coming to an end as the trail began to turn east, away from the escarpment’s edge.

We had one more historic site to visit before ending the day – the Belas Knap chamber tomb.

The trail took us right to the tomb area, dating from about 3,000 BC. At least 26 burials have been found in the four different chambers.

We only had about 2.5 miles to Winchcombe and picked up the pace to end our stage.

On the outskirts of Winchcombe we could see a large church.

We spent the night at a pub in the center of the quaint town.

Into the Heart and Charm of the Cotswold Villages

With now only 18 miles to go to Chipping Campden and the trail’s end, we were entering the heart of the Cotswold villages. We wanted to relish our remaining time, so we took the day’s stage at a more relaxed pace.

We entered another large park area where we saw more sheep. This time there were some beautiful multi-colored lambs.

As we trekked, we noticed many more hikers coming toward us, walking in the preferred direction. Some groups had more than 10 people, led by a guide.

Our 12-mile stage took us through several picturesque villages, with Wood Stanway and Stanway being the first places that we visited.

The village of Stanton is regarded as one of the best in the Cotswold area. We soon understood why as we emerged from the trail onto its High Street. The road was quiet and there were few other people around, making it idyllic and peaceful as we walked through.

In keeping with our desire to enjoy the stage, we decided to stop for lunch at the main village pub. To get there required an uphill walk of a couple of blocks off the path.

When we arrived at the pub, it seemed that we weren’t the only ones with the lunch idea. The pub was packed with other walkers and sightseers taking a lunch break. While we could buy drinks, we were told that the kitchen was too busy to serve us food. So we split a beer and were on our way again.

With only four miles to go to the town of Broadway, we had one more climb to make and then it was flat and downhill for the remainder of the day. The weather was changing, so we sped up on the path.

We approached Broadway just as a little rain began to fall.

A well-known Cotswold town, Broadway was full of shops, pubs, and restaurants. Like every town and village we had trekked through thus far, it had a charming character all of its own.

We checked into a hotel just off the main street and set off to explore the town before dinner.

Since it was Sunday, we couldn’t resist ordering another roast for dinner, similar to what we had done on the very first day of our trek a week earlier.

A Towering Hike to the Finish

Our last day was just six miles. We took our time leaving Broadway by walking down one more street to view some last buildings before rejoining the trail.

The stage had just a steep climb and one major site to visit. We found it somewhat appropriate that our ascent out of Broadway was through another field full of sheep.

At the top of the 1.5-mile climb stood the 65-foot tall Broadway Tower. It was designed in 1798 for the sixth Earl of Coventry.

Viewing the tower, with flowering trees and sheep around it, kept us busy as we took many pictures on both sides of the structure.

Finally leaving the Broadway Tower behind, we continued toward Chipping Campden and the trail’s end. Another short ascent about three miles later took us to Dover’s Hill and the last major vista of the trek.

We stopped to eat a late morning snack on a picnic bench while admiring the view.

With the path all downhill, the last 1.5 miles went quickly. Soon, we entered Chipping Campden. We turned on its High Street, following the final few signs of our trek.

The signs pointed us down the street to the market hall, built in 1627, where the trail officially ended.

Just outside the hall was the identical trail marker where we had stood at the Bath Abbey nine days earlier.

Next to the marker was a post. We asked another hiker take a photo of us in front of it.

Posing at the post at the trail’s beginning / end

Not only were we happy to finish, but we had just beaten the rain, which began in earnest about 15 minutes later.

From the rolling hills of the wold, to the historic sites, and to the monuments and towers along the trail, we so enjoyed our trek through the Cotswold region. Walking north allowed us to venture deeper into the area each day and gain an appreciation for the beauty of the vistas and woods. And experiencing the charm of the villages and towns at the end provided a fitting finale to our hiking. We were satisfied with all we had seen on our eight-day trek over nine days.

After a day in Chipping Campden to relax, we will visit the cities of Warwick and Liverpool before beginning our next trek, Hadrian’s Wall Path, in ten days’ time.