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The Cotswold Way walk is the best way to see what the Cotswolds has to offer and enjoy the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty as it was meant to be enjoyed.
Many of our Cotswold pubs are nearby, where you can sample our impressive range of award-winning Butcombe beers and re-fuel with a satisfying classic pub meal made with local ingredients.
Station Road, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, GL20 7AN
32 Broad Street, Bath, Somerset, BA1 5LP
Tolldown, Dyrham, Gloucestershire, SN14 8HZ
Fleet Lane, Twyning, Nr Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, GL20 6FL
Burford, Oxfordshire, OX18 4HX
Whether you want to walk circular sections of the Cotswold Way, explore different parts of the Cotswolds with a linear walk, or you’re keen to get in the Cotswold Way Hall of Fame, we have everything you need to know about the Cotswold Way.
For excellent beer, excellent food, and friendly, welcoming staff, close to the Cotswolds and Cheltenham, you can’t do much better than The Beckford Inn. Before (or after) your trip to explore the Cotswold Way, treat yourself to your favourite pub meal, enjoy a refreshing pint of award-winning Butcombe beer in the beautiful beer garden, and relax in a rustic setting at The Beckford Inn.
Take a break from exploring the beautiful golden city of Bath, and stop in for a light bite, craft beer, win, or cocktail in our ground floor café/bar at Broad Street Townhouse, a stone’s throw away from popular Bath attractions like Thermae Bath Spa, the Roman Baths, and Bath Abbey, as well being within walking distance of the end point of the Cotswold Way.
If you’re in the mood for something more substantial, pop next door to their sister venue, The Pig & Fiddle gastropub, for a hearty pub classic meal.
The perfect base for exploring the Cotswold countryside, the Prince Of Burford is a quintessentially British pub, complete with a cracking selection of award-winning Butcombe beers behind the bar and a menu full of delicious, locally-sourced classic pub meals. If you’re feeling thirsty after your day exploring the Cotswold Way, we’ve got the perfect pint for you here.
Settle in front of the cracking open fire at The Crown in Dyrham with a pint of Butcombe real ale. With its rustic stone-clad interior, authentic wooden beams, and a beautiful beer garden, you can be sure of a relaxing drink at The Crown. We’re near to many local attractions, as well being positioned along the walking trail of the Cotswold Way. Sample the comforting menu at the on-site restaurant, chock-full of pub classics, with options for all dietary requirements, and the pickiest eaters.
If you’re looking for a riverside pub close to the Malvern Hills, Wye Valley, and Cotswolds Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, you’re in the right place at The Fleet Inn.
Expect a relaxing place for a pint, with an excellent menu of modern pub dishes, comfortable rooms, and a range of Butcombe beers to choose from – perfect before (or after) an exhausting day exploring the Cotswold Way.
If you want to tackle the entire 102-mile trail, it can take between 7-10 days, although if you’d prefer to visit a few sites, villages, or towns along the way, it could take longer.
However, if you’d rather walk part of the Cotswold Way, there are a range of circular walks for you to explore.
The routes below cover the entire Cotswold Way and are all within close proximity to our hotels (listed in brackets)
This walk is approximately 4 miles long and will take most walkers around 3 hours to complete. You will enjoy the wonderful views towards Wales when at Broadway Tower, though the historic high street of Broadway itself is equally as spectacular.
This isn’t an easy route, encountering some steep and muddy sections along the way, therefore isn’t suitable for novice walkers.
This walk is around 6 miles long and takes most walkers between 4-5 hours to complete. Stanton and Snowshill are both sleepy villages in the Cotswolds and you will walk between them while negotiating hills, valleys, woodlands and steep slopes.
As this can be quite a daunting walk, there is a shortcut that reduces the distance to approximately 3 miles and the duration to between 2-2.5 hours.
After wet weather, you will almost certainly encounter muddy conditions, so make sure you bring appropriate footwear.
This walk is approximately 5 miles long and will take most walkers around 4 hours to complete. Starting in the picturesque Cotswold town of Winchcombe, you will enjoy the unspoilt beauty before climbing up to Belas Knap and realising for yourself why so much fascination surrounds this ancient monument.
A shortcut exists for this walk, reducing the distance to around 3.5 miles and the duration to 3 hours or so.
This walk is around 6 miles long and takes most walkers between 4-5 hours to complete. This walk takes you across Cleeve Common, home to some of the finest limestone grassland in the Cotswolds. You will also pass through woodlands, over (or through) streams and across the hills.
The shortcut for this walk reduces the distance to approximately 4 miles and the duration to about 3 hours.
This walk is approximately 4.5 miles long and will take most walkers around 3 hours to complete. With ancient remains and Victorian quarries to take in, this particular route offers a Cotswold experience like no other.
There is no shortcut for this walk and it does contain some steep sections, so may not be suitable for novice walkers.
Old Sodbury is situated on the western edge of the Cotswolds, approximately 14 miles north of Bath. This circular walk is less than 3 miles long and should take most walkers less than 3 hours to complete.
Starting in Old Sodbury, you will take in the views of beautiful farmland as you climb up towards St John’s church. As you continue through the countryside enjoying the far-reaching views, you will come to an iron-age hillfort, which is known locally as Sodbury Camp.
For walkers following the Cotswold Way from north to south, you can continue from here towards the final leg of the Cotswold Way.
The final section of the Cotswold Way (when heading from north to south) begins in Lansdown, near to the Park & Ride.
This is a linear walk with a total distance of around 6 miles, of which the majority is downhill, so shouldn’t take much longer than 4 hours to complete.
You will take in the wonderful views from Kelston Round Hill as you descend into the city, where you will then start to see the beautiful Georgian architecture of the Royal Crescent and The Circus.
This walk is approximately 8 miles long and will take most walkers less than 4 hours to complete.
During this walk, you will take in the National Trust property of Horton Court before climbing up to Horton Fort to enjoy the breathtaking views of the Severn Vale.
The final stages of the walk includes passing through Dodington Park and into the beautiful village of Tormarton.
This walk is situated nearest to The Crown and passes around the perimeter wall of the nearby Dyrham Park.
From Dyrham, the trail takes you through Dyrham Woods and through unspoilt farmland into the village of Cold Ashton.
This route is around 7 miles long, and most walkers should complete it within 3 hours.
One of the most beautiful parts of the entire Cotswold Way walk, this walk takes you through charming villages and past historic battlegrounds, before giving you the first glimpses of the Roman city of Bath.
You will pass through Lower Hamswell, past Bath Racecourse and onto Bath Abbey, which marks the end of the Cotswold Way walk.
At approximately 10 miles in length, most walkers should complete this route in around 4 hours.
If you’re planning to walk the entirety of the Cotswold Way, it’s best to bring a backpack with:
A first aid kit
A refillable water bottle (there are places to stop along the way to fill it up)
Light snacks (although you can stop at one of our friendly pubs in the Cotswolds)
Comfortable walking boots that can withstand some mud
Spare pairs of thick socks (in case your feet get wet)
A waterproof jacket to suit the weather
Sun cream, whether it’s warm or cold
Your smartphone – most of the Cotswolds has good phone signal, but not necessarily 4G, although you can stop by one of our pubs with WiFi in the Cotswolds if you want to stay connected
A tent and camping equipment, or, if you’d rather pack light and sleep on a comfy bed, why not stay at one of our Cotswold hotels?
To remind our customers how much we appreciate them, we created the Butcombe Loyalty Club.
Turn points into pounds, enjoy 25% off food every Butcombe Wednesday, and receive extra rewards throughout the year.
To sign up, check your balance and more, head to our Loyalty Members area.
