The Cotswold Way is a 102-mile (164 km) National Trail from Chipping Campden to Bath, following the crest of the Cotswold Hills. Perfect for self-guided walking holidays and multi-day outdoor adventures, it blends golden-stone villages, long escarpment views, and centuries of heritage with welcoming places to stay. From Broadway and Winchcombe to Painswick and the Georgian streets of Bath, expect ridge walks, woodland paths, Iron Age hill forts, and meadow lanes — with Cleeve Hill the high point and a classic photo stop. With pre-booked accommodation, luggage transfers, and maps/GPX files, you can walk light and enjoy every stage.
Begin in Chipping Campden, then climb to the escarpment for big views over the Vale of Evesham. Drop to Broadwayand Stanton for stone cottages, country pubs, and quintessential Cotswold scenes.
Continue to Winchcombe for Sudeley Castle and Belas Knap; then ascend Cleeve Hill, the highest point, with sweeping Severn Vale vistas.
South of Painswick, the “Queen of the Cotswolds,” woodland and meadow paths lead to open commons and rolling farmland.
Finish along Lansdown Ridge, descending through Bath’s terraces to a triumphant end in a UNESCO World Heritagecity.
The Cotswold Way is set up for self-guided walking holidays: country inns, boutique B&Bs, and cosy cottages are spaced at natural day ends in Chipping Campden, Broadway, Winchcombe, Painswick, Dursley, and Bath. Most operators arrange door-to-door luggage transfers, pre-booked stays, and route notes with maps/GPX so you can travel with a daypack. Detour for gardens, viewpoints, and historic sites like Hailes Abbey and Bath’s crescents.
