Experience the Great Outdoors with the Best Cotswold Walks
From gentle strolls to strenuous hikes, our guide to the best Cotswold walks is suitable for all abilities.
The Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is the largest AONB in England and Wales, spanning around 787 square miles. With over 3,000 miles of footpaths, you can find Cotswold walks woven throughout rolling hills and honey-coloured stone villages.
The 102-mile Cotswold Way is one of the most famous walks in the Cotswolds, starting in picturesque Chipping Campden and ending in historic Bath. The route may take up to 10 days to complete, but smaller trails still offer scenic views of the area. Join the route at Stanton and make your way to Snowshill, admiring Snowshill Manor as you go.
Alternatively, follow the Cleeve Hill Ring another of the best walks in the Cotswolds. Here you can wander over open hills, past streams, through woodlands and across limestone grasslands. Be sure to bring your four-legged friends along as there are plenty of dog walks in the Cotswolds that all the family can enjoy.
There are many other well-loved Cotswold walks; the Winchcombe and Windrush Ways are just two of many scenic examples. The Winchcombe is a 42-mile-long figure-of-eight trail, centring around the town, taking in the Cotswold’s historical sites and panoramic views. The Windrush Way links the Cotswold Way at Winchcombe with the Oxford Way at Bourton-on-the-Water.
Other leisurely Cotswold walks can be found around National Trust’s Dover’s Hill, the scenic River Coln, and Coaley Peak.
Keep reading to discover some more of the best Cotswold walks…
Image Credits: Judy Dean – CC BY-SA 2.0