Colin Park, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Outdoors
Winchcombe Cotswolds Walking Festival
Three days of guided walks from Winchcombe in May, led by local walkers on the Cotswold Way, Cleeve Hill and the valleys round Sudeley, with a meal and a quiz. Next 21 to 23 May 2027; book ahead.
The Winchcombe Cotswolds Walking Festival is a weekend of guided walks from Winchcombe in May, run by the town's Walkers are Welcome group. The next is from Friday 21 to Sunday 23 May 2027; the 2026 festival ran from 15 to 17 May. Walks must be booked in advance through the festival's website, and bookings close shortly before the weekend.
What happens
Local leaders take groups out on a programme of about 21 walks and a couple of social events, in 2026 a festival dinner and a quiz night. Each walk is booked and paid for separately: in 2026 they cost from £3 to £10 and the dinner £24. The walks range from short strolls to a 21-mile challenge on the Winchcombe Way, and use the paths round the town, where the Cotswold Way climbs to the hills above Sudeley Castle, as well as villages nearby. It suits anyone who wants to walk the Cotswold edge in company and with someone who knows the way, from first-timers to people training for longer walks.
Dogs are not allowed on the festival walks, except guide dogs. Wear boots and clothes for the weather, bring waterproofs, food and water, and arrive 15 minutes before your walk's start time to register.
Where the walks start
Most walks start from Abbey Fields Community Centre on Back Lane (GL54 5QH), where you register before setting off. Do not park at the community centre; the Back Lane car park, about 150m away, charges for the day and has toilets, and there are toilets in the centre too. A few walks start elsewhere: from the war memorial in Abbey Terrace, from Winchcombe station on the steam railway at Greet, and from Buckland and Beckford; for the walk from the station the organisers suggest parking in Becketts Lane or Market Lane, three minutes away. The festival's control centre opens at 8.30am each day (8am on the Saturday, for the challenge walk) and takes calls throughout.
The festival's story
Winchcombe became a Walkers are Welcome town in 2009, and the festival began the same year. It now draws walkers from across Britain and abroad. If you cannot make the weekend, the group publishes self-guided walks, and our own walks from the town include Winchcombe and Belas Knap and Winchcombe to Sudeley Castle. The town is in the guide to Winchcombe.
Offers from businesses near this event
Offers are published by the businesses themselves, which pay to be listed here. We have not checked them, and you deal with the business directly.
Where to stay for Winchcombe Cotswolds Walking Festival
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The White Hart Inn
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
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Sudeley Castle Cottages
Self-catering · Winchcombe
Nineteen holiday cottages on the Sudeley Castle estate at Winchcombe, sleeping three to fourteen, some dog-friendly, with free castle entry in season.
Dog-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
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The Lion Inn
Inn · Winchcombe
A restored fifteenth-century coaching inn on North Street, Winchcombe, with nine rooms, run by Butcombe.
Dog-friendly · Walker-friendly
Verified Oct 2026