Trek Notes - England

The Cotswolds

The Cotswolds

This holiday is intended to appeal to those who want a very gentle introduction to walking in the English countryside; the Cotswold's are hilly rather than mountainous - the highest point being little more than 1000 feet above sea level. Officially designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Cotswold landscape is an entrancing mixture of parkland, cultivated fields with dry-stone walls of Jurassic limestone, and patches of unspoilt woodland. Stone-built, also, are almost all the cottages, farmhouses, villages, and small towns that our route passes. About half of our itinerary, around 50 miles (from Stratford-upon-Avon to Winchcombe), coincides with the Cotswold Way, a 102 mile Long Distance Path that is claimed to be the best waymarked in England.

General Information

Duration of tour: 8 days (seven nights).

Season: April to October.

Starting point: Stratford-upon-Avon End of tour: Winchcombe.

Accommodation

Night 1:Your accommodation tonight in Stratford upon Avon is an elegant Victorian residence set within a conservation area close to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

Night 2: Your accommodation tonight is conveniently situated in the village of Mickleton. This elegant house, built in the Georgian period benefits from large airy rooms that are all ensuite.

Night 3: Our accommodation this evening offers a full range of facilities, including a TV, a telephone and full en suite bathroom in every room.The building dates back to 1575, and is built in a traditional style from Cotswold stone and timber.

Night 4: A small Bed and Breakfast Inn provides us with comfortable en suite facilities tonight.All rooms are equipped with a TV, and tea & coffee making facilities.The Inn is very quiet, being situated on the edge of the village away from the main roads.

Night 5: Your hotel tonight is family run and who take great pride in providing all guests with a warm welcome on arrival and every care is then taken to assure a comfortable and pleasant stay.

Night 6: Our accommodation for tonight is situated in a small and isolated typical Cotswold village that has allowed time to pass it by. Our accommodation, formerly an inn, is now an attractive guesthouse in a picture postcard setting, offers every comfort and a particularly welcoming atmosphere.

Night 7: Our final night is spent in a 500-year-old black and white cottage located within walking distance of Sudeley castle. This centrally heated cottage is full of oak beams and some stonewalls. There is a visitor’s sitting room with colour TV.All bedrooms have private facilities.

PLEASE NOTE: It is generally normal practice when staying in hotels that you check-in on or after 2pm and checkout by 11am the following morning. Guesthouses/bed & breakfast establishments are normally check-in on or after 4pm and checkout by 11am.

Itinerary

Day 1 Stratford
Travel to start point (the birth place of a certain William Shakespeare). Stratford-upon-Avon is accessible by direct train from London Paddington via Reading and Oxford.

Day 2 Mickleton
Stratford to Mickleton.We suggest you stop off at Hidcote gardens en-route- not open every day but highly recommended (12 miles 5 1/2 hours).

Day 3 Broadway
Mickleton to Broadway via Chipping Campden Fish Hill and Broadway Tower. Lots of antique shops in the market town of Broadway. (9 miles 4 hours).

Day 4 Blockley
Broadway to Blockley via Buckland, Laverton, Stanton and Snowshill (12 miles 6 hours).

Day 5 Bourton
Blockley to Bourton on the Water via Batsford, Stow on the Wold and Lower Slaughter (13 1/2 miles 7 hours).Bourton is well known for its footbridges over the river Evenlode and for the scale model of the village.

Day 6 Guiting Power
Bourton to Guiting Power. A tiny gem of a place tucked in the hills (9 miles 4 hours).

Day 7 Winchcombe
Guiting to Winchcombe via Hailes Abbey and Sudeley Castle (12 1/2 miles 6 hours).

Day 8: End of tour.

What’s Included
Bed and breakfast with private (mostly en-suite) facilities. Luggage transfers from Inn to Inn.Full route notes and map package.