The Cotswold Way

The Cotswold Way is a 102-mile (164km) National Trail walk from the Market Hall in Chipping Campden to Bath Abbey, along the Cotswold escarpment in 15 sections. The official guidebook suggests seven to ten days. It is hard going for its length and its steep climbs, with pubs, cafés and rooms in the towns along the way.

It passes Iron Age hill forts, Neolithic long barrows and stately homes, and looks west across the Severn vale for much of its length. Our guide to the Cotswold Edge covers the escarpment around Winchcombe and Cleeve Hill, where the trail reaches its highest ground.

How long the Cotswold Way takes

Most walkers take seven to ten days, the official guidebook's suggestion. That is 10 to 15 miles a day. The sections run from 4.7 to 10.2 miles, and the Trail warns that many walkers are surprised by how often the path climbs, so plan short days where the climbs are steep. Allow longer if you want time in the towns on the way.

Which way to walk

Either way works: the trail is signed in both directions, and the National Trail says there is no right or wrong way. Most guidebooks run north to south, from Chipping Campden to Bath, the views that way are often the more striking, and Bath has more trains and buses for the trip home. At each end is a carved stone disc, one by the Market Hall in Campden, unveiled in 2014, and its partner, by the same carver, Iain Cotton, set in the pavement outside the west doors of Bath Abbey.

Waymarking and the ground underfoot

The trail is well waymarked, with the National Trail acorn or the trail's name on stiles, gates and signposts, yellow arrows on footpaths and blue on bridleways. Carry a map or a guidebook all the same, because phone reception is patchy along the edge. Most of it is footpath across farmland: about 19 per cent is on tracks or bridleways and only about 8 per cent on roads, mostly quiet ones. It is not stile-free.

It can be walked all year. Winter gives the clearest views from the edge, April and May bring bluebells and wild garlic to the woods, and mid to late October the autumn colour.

The fifteen sections

The National Trail divides the Cotswold Way into fifteen sections of 4.7 to 10.2 miles, and we describe each as a walk of its own, with directions stage by stage, a map, a GPX file and how to get back to the start.

From Chipping Campden to Painswick, sections 1 to 8: Chipping Campden to Broadway, Broadway to Wood Stanway, Wood Stanway to Winchcombe, Winchcombe to Cleeve Hill, Cleeve Hill to Dowdeswell, Dowdeswell to Leckhampton Hill, Leckhampton Hill to Birdlip and Birdlip to Painswick.

From Painswick to Bath, sections 9 to 15: Painswick to King's Stanley, King's Stanley to Dursley, Dursley to Wotton-under-Edge, Wotton-under-Edge to Hawkesbury Upton, Hawkesbury Upton to Tormarton, Tormarton to Cold Ashton and Cold Ashton to Bath, which ends at Bath Abbey.

Chipping Campden to Winchcombe: sections 1 to 3

The first three sections run 17.9 miles from Chipping Campden along the northern edge to Winchcombe, past a tower, two hill forts and an abbey.

Section 1, Chipping Campden to Broadway, is 6 miles (9.6km). It climbs to Dover's Hill, home of the Olimpick games, the turning point of our loop from Campden to Dover's Hill, then follows the edge to Broadway Tower and drops into the village. The circuit from Broadway to the tower comes back down that last mile.

Section 2, Broadway to Wood Stanway, is 6.5 miles (10.5km) with 248m of climbing, up to the Iron Age fort of Shenberrow Camp and down into Stanton, then past the Jacobean manor at Stanway. We describe it as a walk of its own, the Cotswold Way from Broadway to Wood Stanway. Broadway, Pye Corner and the Cotswold Way joins it above the village, and the loop from Stanton to Snowshill climbs the same stretch of edge.

Section 3, Wood Stanway to Winchcombe, is 5.4 miles (8.8km), with views across the Vale of Evesham to the Malverns. It passes Beckbury Camp and the ruins of Hailes Abbey with its little church, then follows Puckpit Lane into the town. Our walk from Hailes up to Beckbury Camp takes in the middle of it.

Winchcombe to Painswick: sections 4 to 8

Sections 4 to 8 cover 30 miles from Winchcombe to Painswick, and include both the biggest climb of any section and the highest part of the whole trail.

Section 4, Winchcombe to Cleeve Hill, is 5.6 miles (9km) with 330m of climbing. It crosses the Sudeley estate to Belas Knap, the Neolithic long barrow, drops through Breakheart Plantation by Postlip Hall and climbs again to the golf club house. We have it as the Cotswold Way from Winchcombe to Cleeve Hill, and two loops from the town share it: Winchcombe and Belas Knap, and the longer Winchcombe, Belas Knap and Cleeve Common.

Section 5, Cleeve Hill to Dowdeswell, is 5.5 miles (8.9km) across Cleeve Common, which the National Trail calls the highest part of the entire trail, with views over Cheltenham, then down through Dowdeswell Wood to the reservoir. Our loop over Cleeve Common and Cleeve Cloud starts from the main road at Cleeve Hill.

Section 6, Dowdeswell to Leckhampton Hill, is the shortest at 4.7 miles (7.6km), but climbs 275m: through Lineover Wood to Seven Springs, which some believe to be the source of the Thames, and over Charlton Kings Common to the Devil's Chimney. The loop from Seven Springs and Leckhampton Hill and the Devil's Chimney both follow it.

Section 7, Leckhampton Hill to Birdlip, is 5.6 miles (9km) by Crickley Hill Country Park and the grassland of Barrow Wake. Section 8, Birdlip to Painswick, is 8.6 miles (13.9km) through beech woods, over Cooper's Hill, where the cheese is rolled on the spring bank holiday, and across the ramparts and golf course on Painswick Beacon to the Rococo Garden and the town, which the Trail counts as its midpoint. Our Painswick Beacon loop walks the end of it.

The Cotswolds Info newsletter

Events, new places and the best of the season, about once a month. Unsubscribe at any time.

Leave this field blank

Your name

Your email address

Yes, send me the Cotswolds Info newsletter

Sign me up

Painswick to Wotton-under-Edge: sections 9 to 11

Sections 9 to 11 run 22.3 miles along the western edge, above the Stroud valleys and the Severn, to Wotton-under-Edge.

Section 9, Painswick to King's Stanley, is 7.8 miles (12.6km) with 315m of climbing, over Edge Common and Haresfield Beacon, an Iron Age hill fort with views of the Severn, and through Standish Woods, known for bluebells and wood anemones. Near the end you choose between the Stroudwater Navigation and Selsley Common or the way by King's Stanley. Our walk round Haresfield Beacon and Standish Wood is a loop on this section.

Section 10, King's Stanley to Dursley, is 7.2 miles (11.6km), by Middleyard and Pen Wood to the picnic area on Coaley Peak, past a disused quarry that shows the strata of the rock, and over Cam Long Down, with views all round.

Section 11, Dursley to Wotton-under-Edge, is 7.3 miles (11.8km), or 4.8 miles by the shortcut across Stinchcombe Hill from the golf club. It passes North Nibley and the Tyndale Monument, then the walled clump of trees on Wotton Hill planted in 1815 for the Battle of Waterloo. Our ridge walk from Wotton Hill to the Tyndale Monument follows it, and the longer loop by the monument and Coombe Hill adds North Nibley.

Wotton-under-Edge to Bath: sections 12 to 15

The last four sections run 31.9 miles from Wotton-under-Edge to Bath, and finish with the longest section of the trail.

Section 12, Wotton-under-Edge to Hawkesbury Upton, is 7.4 miles (11.9km) with 300m of climbing, by Alderley, the National Trust's Newark Park, the millstream at Lower Kilcott and the Somerset Monument. Wotton-under-Edge and the Cotswold Way uses the trail on Wortley Hill, just south of the town.

Section 13, Hawkesbury Upton to Tormarton, is 7.7 miles (12.4km), past an old drovers' pond, the National Trust's Horton Court, which the Trail calls probably the oldest vicarage in England, and the hill fort above Horton, then through Old Sodbury and Capability Brown's parkland at Dodington. Our stile-free loop from Old Sodbury climbs the trail to the hill fort of Sodbury Camp, and the nearest of our town guides is Chipping Sodbury, 2 miles west.

Section 14, Tormarton to Cold Ashton, is 6.6 miles (10.6km) through Dyrham Park, a William and Mary house in an ancient deer park, and Dyrham Woods. Section 15, Cold Ashton to Bath, is the longest at 10.2 miles (16.5km), with 400m of descent: over the Lansdown battle site, past the Little Down hill fort and Bath Racecourse to Prospect Stile, now a kissing gate, where Bath first comes into view, and down through Weston to the Abbey.

Diversions in 2026

The trail is diverted near Birdlip for at least six months from 3 July 2026, while the A417 is re-routed. In its first stage, of 12 to 14 weeks, the diversion followed the pavement along Leckhampton Hill for about 250m and then a permissive path through National Star. National Highways' leaflet gives the signed temporary route by Ullenwood, Rushwood Kennels and Birdlip Radio Station, adding 4km (2.5 miles), or 50 to 60 minutes on foot. The National Trail says it adds about an hour and passes a large road construction site, with busy roads to cross, so take care. The car park, paths and café at Crickley Hill are not affected. The Trail also lists a permanent diversion at North Nibley, an ongoing one at Tormarton by Beacon Lane Plantation, and a temporary one near Wortley, closed after drought and high winds, which was due to end in September 2026 but was still listed when we checked in October. Check the National Trail's notices before you set out.

Food, drink and places to stay

Pubs, cafés and rooms are in the towns and villages along the way rather than on the open edge, so plan each day's stops; the National Trail's interactive map shows food and drink, water points and visitor facilities. Accommodation fills quickly in peak season, so book early, and there is no right to wild camp: use the campsites on the map, or ask the landowner.

At the start, the Bantam Tea Rooms are on Campden's High Street, and our pages on places to stay in Chipping Campden, Broadway, Winchcombe and Painswick cover the first half of the trail. Our place guides along it name the pubs and cafés in each town.

Getting to the start and home again

The nearest main-line station to the start is Moreton-in-Marsh, from where the 1 and 2 buses run to Chipping Campden; Bath, at the finish, has its own station. The nearest airports are Birmingham and Bristol, and local buses link the towns near the trail, with times on Traveline's planner.

Four firms carry bags between overnight stops: A2B Cotswold Travel, Carryabag, Cotswold Luggage Transfers and Sherpa Van, and many walking holiday companies arrange the whole trip. The Cotswold Voluntary Wardens lead monthly guided walks along the trail in stages, booked and paid for in advance, with no dogs other than assistance dogs.

Dogs, livestock and stiles

Dogs are welcome, and many walkers have done the whole trail with one, but keep them on a lead unless you are told otherwise. Cattle, horses and sheep graze freely, so keep at least 10m from them, and remember that cows and horses protect their young. Pick up after your dog even where there are no bins, and check that your rooms take dogs, since some accommodation and campsites do not.

The trail is not stile-free, and it crosses golf courses at Cleeve Hill, Painswick Beacon, Stinchcombe Hill and Lansdown. For walkers with restricted mobility, an off-road scooter can be hired at Crickley Hill Country Park.