Walking in the Cotswolds

30 circular walks in the Cotswolds AONB

Walking in the Cotswolds

30 circular walks in the Cotswolds AONB

Guidebook to 30 circular walks in the Cotswolds AONB, including Leckhampton Hill, Painswick Beacon and Crickley Hill and sections of the Cotswold Way. Includes information about history, geology and wildlife encountered along the routes.

A guidebook to 30 circular day walks in the Cotswolds. Exploring the Cotswolds National Landscape across Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, there’s something for beginner and experienced walkers alike.

The walks range in length from 9–19km (6–12 miles) and take between 3 and 6 hours to complete. Suggested extensions and shortcuts are also given for many routes allowing you to adapt the walks to you.

  • 1:50,000 OS maps included for each walk
  • Detailed information on refreshments and public transport are given for each walk
  • Easy access from Cheltenham, Gloucester and Bath
  • Local points of interest are featured including sections of the Cotswold Way National Trail 


Printed book

A guidebook with detailed route descriptions, stage breakdowns, accommodation listings, profiles and maps - everything you need on the trail.

ISBN
9781852848330
Availability
Published
Published
13 Apr 2016
Reprinted
9 Jan 2024
Edition
Second
Pages
176
Size
17.20 x 11.60 x .90cm
Weight
200g

eBook

The complete digital edition of the guidebook, with full route descriptions, accommodation listings, profiles and maps, ready to use on any device.


CONTENTS

Map key

Overview map

Introduction

Geology and landscape

Plants and wildlife

The impact of man

When to visit

Getting around

Where to stay

Terrain and what to take

Maps

Using this guide

Walk 1 Chipping Campden, Broadway and Broadway Tower

Walk 2 Bredon Hill

Walk 3 Stanton, Stanway and Snowshill

Walk 4 Long Compton and the Rollright Stones

Walk 5 Winchcombe, Hailes Abbey and Sudeley Castle

Walk 6 Winchcombe, Cleeve Common and Belas Knap

Walk 7 Temple Guiting, Guiting Wood and Guiting Power

Walk 8 Bourton-on-the-Water, the Slaughters and Naunton

Walk 9 Leckhampton Hill and Crickley Hill

Walk 10 Chedworth, Withington and the Roman Villa

Walk 11 Cranham, Cooper’s Hill and Painswick Beacon

Walk 12 Brimpsfield and Caudle Green

Walk 13 Painswick, Edge and Painswick Beacon

Walk 14 Miserden and Edgeworth

Walk 15 Laurie Lee’s Slad Valley

Walk 16 Haresfield Beacon

Walk 17 Toadsmoor, Bisley and the Golden Valley

Walk 18 Leonard Stanley, Coaley Peak and Selsley Common

Walk 19 Sapperton, Pinbury Park and Edgeworth

Walk 20 Minchinhampton and Rodborough Commons

Walk 21 Nailsworth and Avening

Walk 22 Uley Bury, Dursley and Stinchcombe Hill

Walk 23 Kingscote, Ozleworth and Ozleworth Bottom

Walk 24 Wotton-under-Edge, Wortley and North Nibley

Walk 25 Dyrham Park and West Littleton

Walk 26 Swainswick Valley and Little Solsbury Hill

Walk 27 Box, Slaughterford and Colerne

Walk 28 Saltford, North Stoke, Weston

Walk 29 Bath Skyline

Walk 30 Bradford-on-Avon and Farleigh Hungerford Castle

Appendix A Route summary table

Appendix B Long- and medium-distance walks in the Cotswolds

Appendix C Bibliography and further reading

Appendix D Websites and further information


Seasons

Cotswolds walks can be enjoyed all year round.

Centres

Evesham, Chipping Campden, Broadway, Tewkesbury, Winchcombe, Moreton-on-the-Marsh, Chipping Norton, Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Painswick, Stroud, Cirencester, Nailsworth, Dursley, Wotton-under-Edge, Tetbury, Malmesbury, Chippenham, Bristol, Bath and Bradford-on-Avon

Difficulty

The Cotswolds has plenty for less experienced walkers but there are also challenging walks for seasoned hikers. Ranging from 4 to 12 miles in length, the routes are graded from easy to strenuous.

Must See

The wide views from the Edge - especially from the likes of the wildflower-dotted, Jurassic grasslands of Cleeve Common, Leckhampton Hill and Selsley Common, or from the dramatic hillforts of Uley Bury, Painswick Beacon and Crickley Hill.


October 2025

Walk 11 - Cranham, Coopers Hill and Painswick Beacon

The car park is now for the church and allotments only, so cannot be used to park for the walk. 

There is some verge parking on the common up from the school in Church Lane or opposite the school itself. Alternatively, there is a fairly large car park about 50m past the pub along a narrow uphill road from the centre of the village. 

If parking there, the route would be - walk down the narrow road past the pub on the right to a road junction, turn right and walk along Main Street about 100m to the crossroads where the bus shelter is on the right. Turn left and onto the track. [as described in the book; end of 1st paragraph]. The telephone box in that paragraph also no longer exists. 

The bus shelter with a AED yellow defibrillator is now a more prominent feature. On the return journey, then to get back to the car park, take the Right of Way footpath about 100m past the signpost on the left in the book text for Scout HQ and Village Hall. The footpath takes you through the car park (GR 895 129). The car park is also used by the pub but there is nothing to say its solely for pub use.

Thank you to Ian Hunt for this update

October 2025

Walk 8

Page 63 the phone box now contains an AED defibrillator

The reference to crossing the road and walking along what is a busy and fast road can be avoided by using the well-waymarked permissive footpath on the left just before the road

Page 64 The farmyard no longer exists; turn left after the old farm buildings

Keeping to the field edge and wall etc – it is now enclosed and wire fenced off from the field, so easy to follow to the track. The track is now signed Hill Farm Barn. So the next paragraph stating the track bends Left is now a grand gate to Hill Farm Barn so you can only go straight down. 

The right of way goes left through the gated and enclosed grounds of Ben Pauling Racehorse Stables; be aware of racehorses on the RoW

Page 65 'When a gate leads to a lane go straight over...' If using the RoW/Windrush Way, it should say 'to a lane go LEFT on the lane for 50m then turn RIGHT. Go over...'

October 2021

Walk 26

The last sentence says to cross the A46 back to the start point. If traffic is very busy, follow a minor road under the A46 (GR 762 682) bearing left, then taking a track north for a very short distance, before picking up a bridle path and the original footpath back to the layby.

October 2021

Walk 14

There have been reports of damage to the bridge and there's the possibility of wet feet.

May 2021

2021 reprint updates

833 Reprint 2021 (5.517 MB)

February 2021

Walk 21

Walk 21 Nailsworth and Avening

We have been informed that there is a slight discrepancy between the map and route description. The amended description is below.

From the car park, cross the A46 with care, go right and slightly further uphill, then left up Tetbury Lane. Continue uphill past an Unsuitable For Motors sign at 0.5 miles. After the gradient flattens out turn left at a junction and soon after go straight ahead to leave the tarmac and go over a stile and into a field straight ahead, ignoring options to right and left.

Stick to the right as you follow the edge of three fields, gradually bending right and descending. Look for a yellow waymarker to go through a gap in a wall and carry on round to the right following the wall as you descend between trees, ignoring a couple of stiles and taking the one that goes directly through a hedge and into woods, briefly, before emerging by a house and onto a lane. (If in doubt, simply follow the stream to the lane.)

Turn right and follow the lane as it bends left and goes downhill into Avening by The Bell. Turn left on the B4014, pass some houses and turn left up steep Woodstock Lane. Go right at the first fork, going uphill, and right again at the second fork. The lane flattens out and turns into a bridleway, then a grassy path, with lovely views to your right; of Gatcombe Wood, Princess Anne's Gatcombe House and Minchinhampton (Walk 20). It can be a riot of colour in autumn along here. And hilariously muddy in winter.

Pass through a couple of gates to the left of a farm and continue uphill. Go through a gate into woods and take the path on the right. Ignore forestry tracks and a kissing gate on the left. At a junction of paths turn left, slightly uphill, between a wall and fence. At a junction of several paths, turn right into a field by a bridleway sign, and downhill past an old stone barn.

Go through a metal gate and back into the woods. Emerge from the woods and follow a fairly obvious path down the field, with promising views of Nailsworth ahead. Towards the bottom of the field head for the bottom left corner to take a track through a gate and out onto the road.

Continue in the same direction, past tennis courts. Turn left at a busier road, into the centre of Nailsworth and go left and uphill to get back to the car park.

July 2019

Update

page 125

New Inn in Dursley Opening hours are limited to Thur from 5pm and Fri-Sun 2.30pm until 11 pm and not to be confused with another pub named New Inn, which is off route.


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