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Walker’s Britain: The Cotswolds

Tourcode: WMR
Revised: 
October 2011
 

This holiday is intended to appeal to those who want a 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 (7 nights)

Season: April to October.  Starting point: Stratford-upon-Avon End of tour: Winchcombe

Most convenient major city and international airport: London (Heathrow or Gatwick).

Accommodation: The hotels described are our usual accommodation, however if these are not available then alternatives are used.

Breakfast: in the UK will generally consist of sausage, bacon, eggs etc, cereals and fruit will also be available. It is important for you to tell us if you have any dietary requirements when you book your holiday so that we can inform everyone that you are staying with.

Baths/showers: Many rooms with ensuite/private facilities have a shower rather than a bath, usually because of limited space. Some hotels/guesthouses may however have a separate room in the house where a bath is available to guests.

Single Supplements: are payable on most of our tours. The single supplement guarantees the privacy of your own room, however, rooms can at times be small and in some places may not enjoy the same facilities as double/twin rooms. 

Luggage: When staying in hotels, sometimes your luggage will have been taken to you room awaiting your arrival. However don’t be surprised if your luggage is waiting for you to take it up to your room. Please politely ask someone if you need assistance.

Route Notes: Please note that 1 set of route notes per room booked is included in the cost of the holiday. If you require more sets of notes then there is a charge of £25 per set ordered.


Grade

We grade this walk as Easy - Moderate in relation to our other UK tours, the route is hilly, but not mountainous, the weather is rarely too bad for walking, and there are generally quite a number of villages enroute. Days of up to 13 miles are not too long for most reasonably fit people. Trails are footpaths (generally waymarked) and parts of the Cotswolds Way (generally well waymarked). However an ability to use maps is important to trace the route on the ground as it crosses fields and woodlands (a compass is also useful to have as well). One feature of the tour are plenty of stiles (little ladders over fences).


Getting to the Start 

Outward journey from London to starting point:  By train from London Paddington to Stratford.  Taxi to hotel. 

Inward journey to London at end of tour: Bus/taxi from Winchcombe to rail station at Cheltenham to London.

National Rail website is www.nationalrail.co.uk if you want to look at the journey involved.

Outline Itinerary

q       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.

q       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).

q       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).

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

q       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.

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

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

q       Day 8: End of tour                                        


Your Accommodation

Below is described the normal accommodation that we use on this tour. At the time of booking please be aware that other places might be used instead if these choices are full or closed for whatever reason. 

q       Night 1:  Your accommodation tonight in Stratford upon Avon is a very welcoming 4* guesthouse, which is located close to the town center and train station.

q       Night 2:    Your accommodation tonight is conveniently situated in the village of Mickleton. Our 3* hotel is home to the famous Pudding Club. It has an award winning restaurant. NOTE: There is a supplement of £20 per person if you stay here on a Friday or Saturday night. No supplement from Sunday-Thursday inclusive.

q       Night 3: Our accommodation is only minutes from the centre of town. This welcoming 4* guesthouse offers a warm welcome and all rooms are ensuite.

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

q       Night 5: Your guesthouse (4*) 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.

q       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 (4*) in a picture postcard setting, offers every comfort and a particularly welcoming atmosphere.

q       Night 7: We use a variety of guesthouses in the busy village of Winchcombe but our first choice is an enticing 15th century black & white timbered house, where the restaurant holds AA 2 Rosette Award.

PLEASE NOTE: It is generally normal practice when staying in hotels that you check-in on or after 2pm and checkout by 10am the following morning. Guesthouses/bed & breakfast establishments are normally check-in on or after 4pm and checkout by 10am.


What’s Included

Bed & breakfast and ensuite facilities. Luggage transfers from Inn to Inn.  Full route notes and map package.

   
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