We list 14 long walks in the Cotswolds, each over 10km (more than 6 miles): day loops of 6.3 to 10.2 miles, most of them three to five hours, a section of the Cotswold Way and the 102-mile National Trail itself. They follow the edge at Winchcombe and Wotton, cross the North Cotswolds to the Slaughters and Naunton, and reach Blenheim, Bibury and the By Brook valley.
19 walksAll walks
19 walks
Walk · Starts in Biddestone · 2 hrs, 30 mins · Circular
A 6.5-mile (10.5km) circular walk from Biddestone village hall, two to two and a half hours, moderate with stiles and short steep climbs. It goes round the green, over the fields to Slaughterford's paper mill and the White Hart at Ford, and back down the By Brook.
Walk · Starts in Bourton-on-the-Water · 5 hrs · Circular
A 10-mile (16.4km) circular walk from Bourton-on-the-Water, four to five hours of moderate walking with stiles and steep slopes. It follows the Wardens' Way through Lower and Upper Slaughter to Naunton, then comes home down the Windrush valley on the Windrush Way.
Walk · Starts in Chipping Campden · 3 hrs, 45 mins · Circular
A 9-mile (14.5km) circular walk from the Noel Arms in Chipping Campden to Blockley and back, about three and three quarter hours of moderate walking with 306m of climbing. It goes by Broad Campden, the Monarch's Way and Norcombe Wood, with five stiles and 200m of busy road.
Walk · Starts in Coln St Aldwyns · 2 hrs, 45 mins · Circular · Dog-friendly
A 6.5-mile (10.6km) circular walk from Coln St Aldwyns, moderate and two and a half to three hours: up the River Coln and through Oxhill Wood to Bibury and Arlington Row, then back over the open wold by the Roman Akeman Street to the village pub and shop.
Walk · Starts in Woodstock · 3 hrs · Circular
A 6.7-mile (10.8km) circular walk from Combe, moderate and about three hours: over stiled fields to East End, into Blenheim Park, mostly on its public footpaths, past Fair Rosamund's Well and the lake, north to the park wall and back down the western edge to Combe's green.
Walk · Starts in Broadway · 3 hrs, 15 mins · Dog-friendly
A 6.5-mile (10.5km) one-way walk on the second section of the Cotswold Way, from Broadway's green, moderate and three to three and a half hours: a long climb to Shenberrow, a steep descent into Stanton, then field paths by Stanway's church and gatehouse to Wood Stanway.
Walk · Starts in Marshfield · 6 hrs · Dog-friendly
A 10.2-mile (16.5km) one-way walk on the last section of the Cotswold Way, hard and about six hours: from Cold Ashton down to Lower Hamswell, up to the Lansdown battlefield, along the top past Bath Racecourse, and down through Weston to the stone disc at Bath Abbey.
Walk · Starts in Dursley · 4 hrs, 30 mins · Dog-friendly
A 7.5-mile (12km) one-way walk on the eleventh section of the Cotswold Way, moderate and about four and a half hours: from Dursley round the rim of Stinchcombe Hill, down to North Nibley, up to the Tyndale Monument and along the ridge to Wotton-under-Edge.
Walk · Starts in the South Cotswolds · 4 hrs, 15 mins · Dog-friendly
A 7.2-mile (11.6km) one-way walk on the thirteenth section of the Cotswold Way, moderate and about four and a quarter hours: from Hawkesbury Upton down Bath Lane, over two Iron Age hill forts, through Old Sodbury and across Dodington Park to Tormarton.
Walk · Starts in Stroud · 4 hrs, 15 mins · Dog-friendly
A 6.7-mile (10.8km) one-way walk on the tenth section of the Cotswold Way, moderate and about four and a quarter hours: from Middleyard up through Stanley Wood to Coaley Peak, along the edge past two long barrows, over Cam Long Down and down into Dursley.
Walk · Starts in the South Cotswolds · 3 hrs, 45 mins · Dog-friendly
A 6.6-mile (10.6km) one-way walk on the fourteenth section of the Cotswold Way, moderate and about three and three quarter hours: from Tormarton over the M4, round the wall of Dyrham Park, through Dyrham village and up through Dyrham Woods to Cold Ashton.
Walk · Starts in Wotton-under-Edge · 4 hrs, 45 mins · Dog-friendly
A 7.8-mile (12.6km) one-way walk on the twelfth section of the Cotswold Way, moderate and about four and three quarter hours: from Wotton-under-Edge up past Newark Park, along Wortley Hill, through Alderley and Lower Kilcott to the Somerset Monument and Hawkesbury Upton.
Walk · Starts in Guiting Power · 3 hrs, 30 mins · Circular
A 6.3-mile (10.1km) circular walk from Guiting Power's green, moderate and three to three and a half hours with two stiles: south on the Windrush Way round Gazeley Wood past Aylworth, up by the golf course above Naunton, and home on the Wardens' Way.
Walk · Starts in the Cotswold Edge · 3 hrs, 15 mins · Circular
A 7.5-mile (11.9km) circular walk from the Hunters Hall Inn at Kingscote, moderate and three to three and a half hours: across the fields to Bagpath, down to Ozleworth's six-sided church tower, along the wooded floor of Ozleworth Bottom, and back by Lasborough Park.
Walk · Starts in Stanton · 4 hrs, 30 mins · Circular
A 6.6-mile (10.6km) moderate loop from Stanton of three and a half to four and a half hours, with steep sections and stiles: up the Cotswold Way, through Littleworth Wood to Snowshill and its manor, then back along the top to the Mount Inn, or 2.5 miles by a short cut.
Walk · Starts in Tetbury · 3 hrs · Circular
A 6.5-mile (10.5km) moderate circular walk of about three hours from Tetbury's Goods Shed, with stiles: along the old railway line, over the fields to Ashley and its Norman church, and back on the Monarch's Way past a brick pillbox, walking towards the town's spire.
Walk · Dog-friendly
The Cotswold Way is a 102-mile (164km) National Trail walk from Chipping Campden to Bath along the escarpment, in 15 sections; the official guidebook suggests seven to ten days, and its frequent steep climbs make it hard going.
Walk · Starts in Winchcombe · 4 hrs, 15 mins · Circular · Dog-friendly
A 9.2-mile (14.8km) moderate loop of four to four and a half hours from Winchcombe: up the Cotswold Way through the Sudeley estate to Belas Knap, west along the byways to the top of Cleeve Common, then down by Postlip's Norman chapel and Breakheart Plantation.
Walk · Starts in Wotton-under-Edge · 4 hrs, 15 mins · Circular
An 8.5-mile (13.5km) moderate loop of four to four and a half hours from Wotton-under-Edge, with three big climbs: to the Tyndale Monument, down to North Nibley, north towards Stinchcombe Hill, round by Hermitage Wood and Waterley Bottom, and back over Coombe Hill.
The longest loop starts in Bourton-on-the-Water: a 10.2-mile day on the Wardens' Way through Lower and Upper Slaughter to Naunton, and home by the Windrush Way in four to five hours. It has stiles, 400m on the B4068 and two crossings of the Fosse Way.
From Chipping Campden, the 9-mile loop to Blockley has 306m of climbing, five stiles and 200m of busy road. From Guiting Power, a 6.3-mile loop, which its leaflet subtitles from dovecotes to racehorses, takes three to three and a half hours. From Stanton, a 6.6-mile loop climbs the Cotswold Way and crosses to Snowshill and its manor, with a 2.5-mile short cut.
On the Cotswold Edge, the 9.2-mile loop from Winchcombe climbs to Belas Knap, the Neolithic long barrow, and the top of Cleeve Common, about 353m in all, in four to four and a half hours. The 8.5-mile loop from Wotton-under-Edge has the most climbing of our day loops, about 410m in three ascents.
Walkers on the Wotton loop say take water for yourself and a dog, as there is none on the way. Between Nailsworth and Wotton, the 7.5-mile walk from Kingscote follows Ozleworth Brook along the wooded floor of Ozleworth Bottom, past a six-sided church tower and a castle mound. Above Stroud, the 6.5-mile figure of eight from Eastcombe runs through steep beech woods; in 2026 walkers found forestry work closing part of its northern loop, so check for notices.
From Coln St Aldwyns, a 6.5-mile loop goes up the River Coln to Bibury and back over the high fields, with the pub and shop at both ends; take water, as there are no shops between the villages. Near Woodstock, the 6.7-mile walk from Combe crosses Blenheim's park mostly on public footpaths, which are free to walk; about 570m by Queen Pool follows an estate road that is not a right of way, so check the signs at the gates.
In the South Cotswolds, the heritage trail from Biddestone runs 6.6 miles to the paper mill at Slaughterford and the White Hart at Ford, and back down the By Brook. The 6.5-mile loop from Tetbury follows the old railway line to Ashley and its Norman church, and comes back on the Monarch's Way, aiming for the town's spire.
The Cotswold Way is a National Trail of 102 miles (164km) from the Market Hall in Chipping Campden to Bath Abbey, waymarked with the acorn, and the official guidebook suggests seven to ten days to walk it all. The National Trail divides it into 15 sections, two of which we cover as walks of their own.
The second section, Broadway to Wood Stanway, is 6.6 miles one way, with a long climb to the top of the edge at Shenberrow and a steep descent into Stanton. Walkers say there are no toilets or cafés between Broadway and Wood Stanway, so take water and food, and plan the way back before you start.
Ten miles through the Slaughters, Belas Knap and Cleeve Common, the hidden valley of Ozleworth Bottom and the Coln to Bibury.
All walks starting here
Walk · Starts in Bourton-on-the-Water · 5 hrs · Circular
A 10-mile (16.4km) circular walk from Bourton-on-the-Water, four to five hours of moderate walking with stiles and steep slopes. It follows the Wardens' Way through Lower and Upper Slaughter to Naunton, then comes home down the Windrush valley on the Windrush Way.
Walk · Starts in Winchcombe · 4 hrs, 15 mins · Circular · Dog-friendly
A 9.2-mile (14.8km) moderate loop of four to four and a half hours from Winchcombe: up the Cotswold Way through the Sudeley estate to Belas Knap, west along the byways to the top of Cleeve Common, then down by Postlip's Norman chapel and Breakheart Plantation.
Walk · Starts in the Cotswold Edge · 3 hrs, 15 mins · Circular
A 7.5-mile (11.9km) circular walk from the Hunters Hall Inn at Kingscote, moderate and three to three and a half hours: across the fields to Bagpath, down to Ozleworth's six-sided church tower, along the wooded floor of Ozleworth Bottom, and back by Lasborough Park.
Walk · Starts in Coln St Aldwyns · 2 hrs, 45 mins · Circular · Dog-friendly
A 6.5-mile (10.6km) circular walk from Coln St Aldwyns, moderate and two and a half to three hours: up the River Coln and through Oxhill Wood to Bibury and Arlington Row, then back over the open wold by the Roman Akeman Street to the village pub and shop.
The tops, monuments and rivers the day walks reach.
Sight · Common or park · The Cotswold Edge
Gloucestershire’s largest common: more than 400 hectares of open limestone grassland on the Cotswold Edge above Cheltenham, with the highest point of the Cotswolds at 330m, an Iron Age hillfort, a Bronze Age cross dyke and views to the Malverns and the Black Mountains.
Sight · Monument · Wotton-under-Edge
The Tyndale Monument is the tower on Nibley Knoll above North Nibley, built in 1866 by S. S. Teulon in memory of William Tyndale, translator of the first printed English New Testament. Grade II*; usually open to climb, free, with a key nearby if locked.
Historic houses and heritage · Winchcombe
A Neolithic long barrow on the hill above Winchcombe, with a false entrance and side chambers, free to visit and on the Cotswold Way.
Walker-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
Sight · Historic building · Chipping Campden
The open arcade of 1627 in the middle of Chipping Campden's High Street, built by Sir Baptist Hicks as a sheltered market for butter, cheese and poultry, saved from sale to America in the 1940s and now the National Trust's. Grade I; the Cotswold Way starts beside it.
Sight · River · Cirencester and the Coln Valley
The limestone river of the south Cotswolds, rising near Sevenhampton and running south-east past Chedworth, Bibury and Arlington Row, Coln St Aldwyns, Quenington and Fairford to join the Thames at Inglesham above Lechlade. Five of our walks follow or cross it.
Sight · River · Castle Combe
The By Brook is the wooded valley stream that runs through Castle Combe and south by Long Dean, Ford and Slaughterford, in north-west Wiltshire. It once had some twenty watermill sites, for corn, cloth and paper, and public footpaths follow much of it.
Pubs and inns that begin or end a long walk on this page, several with rooms for the night before.
All places
Inn · Nailsworth
A coaching inn at Kingscote, about 5 miles by road south-west of Nailsworth, with 13 rooms in a converted stable block, a beer garden and a play area.
Dog-friendly · Family-friendly · Walker-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
Inn · Winchcombe
An inn with sixteen rooms on Winchcombe's High Street, with dog-friendly rooms and a restaurant and bar open all day to non-residents.
Dog-friendly · Wedding venues · Walker-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
Inn · Coln St Aldwyns
A 16th-century coaching inn with rooms in Coln St Aldwyns, reopened in 2020 by Baz and Fred, with a Garden Suite and food every day.
Verified Nov 2026
Inn · Chipping Campden
A Grade II listed inn with 27 rooms on Chipping Campden's High Street, with a restaurant, parking, accessible rooms and dogs by arrangement.
Dog-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
Pubs · Biddestone
A dog-friendly pub on the green at Biddestone serving pub classics, with a garden at the back, curry night on Thursdays and a quiz on the first Tuesday of the month.
Dog-friendly · Walker-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
Inn · Guiting Power
A racing pub with six bedrooms in Guiting Power, once Ye Olde Inn, bought in 1996 by Nigel Twiston-Davies and Raymond Mould, with dogs welcome throughout.
Dog-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
Pubs · Wotton-under-Edge
A neighbourhood pub and kitchen on Haw Street, Wotton-under-Edge, serving pub classics from South West producers, open Tuesday to Sunday from midday.
Family-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
Pubs · Bourton-on-the-Water
A Fuller's pub on the High Street in Bourton-on-the-Water, open from 10am, with a garden and outside seating, food all day, and dogs and families welcome.
Dog-friendly · Family-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
New routes and what walkers report on the paths, from a full day on the edge to the Cotswold Way, about once a month.
The Cotswold Way, a National Trail of 102 miles (164km) from Chipping Campden to Bath, which the official guidebook suggests walking in seven to ten days. The longest circular walk on our list is the 10.2-mile loop from Bourton-on-the-Water by the Slaughters to Naunton, at four to five hours.
Of the day loops, Wotton, the Tyndale Monument and Coombe Hill, with about 410m in three main ascents over 8.5 miles. Allow four to four and a half hours, and take water for yourself and a dog. Winchcombe, Belas Knap and Cleeve Common comes next, with about 353m.
Yes. The National Trail divides it into 15 sections. We cover the second, Broadway to Wood Stanway (6.6 miles), and the fourth, Winchcombe to Cleeve Hill (5.6 miles). Both are one way, so plan the way back before you start.
Yes. The 6.5-mile loop from Coln St Aldwyns to Bibury starts and finishes by the New Inn and the village shop, and the 7.5-mile loop from Kingscote starts and finishes at the Hunters Hall Inn. Walkers report roadside parking near the shop in Coln St Aldwyns that fills by about 11am, and a large free car park by the Hunters Hall Inn. The Wotton loop ends about 170m from the Royal Oak in Wotton-under-Edge, but both pubs out on its route may be closed.
Most are. Walkers found the Combe and Blenheim Park walk deep in mud, with parts flooded, in January 2026, and heavy mud on the Coln St Aldwyns loop in October 2026. On the Eastcombe walk the last single-track stretch is sloppy after rain.
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