Cotswold Villages Trail
Explore the best Cotswold villages at your own pace on a circular self-guided walking holiday. Accommodation, luggage transfer and custom holiday pack included.
Cotswold Villages Trail
https://www.contours.co.uk/cotswold-villages-trail
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A selection of circular walks through the beautiful countryside of the Cotswolds.
From £365 per person
Strewn with countless pretty villages built by medieval merchants, the Cotswolds fulfils most people's idea of an idyllic English landscape. While walking in the Cotswolds, you will find neat fields, rolling green hills, ancient woodland and clear streams, combined with simple stone cottages and historical landmarks to create a truly unique picture of timeless beauty. Our selection of circular trails explores the scenery, settlements and stories that make the Cotswolds such a wonderfully special place to discover on foot.
Looking for the full Cotswold Way National Trail? Click here.
Dogs are welcome on select routes along this trail. Look for the pawprint icon when choosing your holiday.
From £640 per person
The Cotswold Villages Trail passes through twenty seven of the beautiful towns, villages and hamlets that make the Cotswolds so special. It visits the wool town of Stow-on-the-Wold, with its mellow stone houses overlooking the medieval cross and stocks in the market square, as well as Northleach, with its magnificent church and immaculate late-medieval cottages clustered around the central square; and Chipping Campden, arguably the loveliest of all the Cotswold market towns.
Along the way the trail also takes in a number of sites of historic interest, including Iron Age hill forts, a gothic folly, a ruined medieval abbey, Sezincote House and Sudeley Castle.
| Code | Tour | Duration | Price per person | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COTVT1 | A circular trail beginning at Moreton-in-Marsh | 4 days walking | £640 | |
| COTVT2 | A circular trail beginning at Moreton-in-Marsh | 5 days walking | £770 | |
| COTVT3 | A circular trail beginning at Moreton-in-Marsh | 6 days walking | £895 |
| Code | Tour | Duration | Price per person | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COTSB | A circular trail beginning at Bourton-on-the-Water | 2 days walking | £365 |
Kindly note that this trail is very popular, if you have flexibility with your start date, please advise this when booking. Please do not make any travel plans until we have double checked and confirmed availability for your booking.
Travel to Moreton-in-Marsh where your first night's accommodation will be booked
Moreton-in-Marsh to Bourton-on-the-Water. 11.5 miles (18.5km) / 820 ft (250 m) ascent
Bourton-on-the-Water to Guiting Power(L). 17 miles (27.5km) / 1640 ft (500 m) ascent
Guiting Power(L) to Broadway. 18 miles (29km) / 1886 ft (575 m) ascent
Broadway to Moreton-in-Marsh. 12.5 miles (20km) / 1640 ft (500 m) ascent
Depart from Moreton-in-Marsh after breakfast
This itinerary lists our preferred overnight stops for this tour. Sometimes there may be a shortage of available accommodation in a preferred location, in which case we will transfer you from the trail to your accommodation and back again at no extra charge. Overnight stops marked with a (T) will always require transfers as standard.
Overnight stops marked with an (L) have very limited accommodation, and therefore more often than not will also require a transfer, particularly on bank holidays and weekends. We will use non-transfer accommodation wherever possible.
The daily mileages quoted are average trail miles only and do not include the distance from the trail to your accommodation. We do not expect you to have to travel more than a mile from the trail to your accommodation in most cases; should your accommodation be further than this, transfers will be provided as standard if practical. A very limited number of stops will require you to travel on foot up to two miles off the trail, however these instances will be clearly communicated to you if applicable.
Further transfers may also be required due to some accommodations having a two-night minimum booking policy, especially at weekends.
Below are the additional costs that may apply depending on your requirements. Dog-friendly tours are subject to a Daily Dog Charge, which will be listed below if applicable. Our standard prices per person are based upon two people sharing a room; if you are on your own, or are part of a group but require a room of your own, then the Solo Traveller or Single Supplements apply respectively:
You can add rest days at any of the overnight stops:
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Visiting the quintessentially English villages of the Cotswolds, including Chipping Campden, Stow-on-the-Wold and Bourton-on-the-Water.
Discovering over a thousand years of history, from Iron Age hill forts to the stunning Sudeley Castle.
Admiring the classic Cotswold sights of dry stone walls, pretty landscapes and grazing livestock.
You can add rest days at any of the overnight stops:
To find out more about the weather forecast for your chosen holiday's general location, please see the following websites:
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“Thank you for a well-planned break. It was the right distance and terrain for our walkers.”Mrs Kiln, UK
“Good weather. Beautiful countryside and immaculate villages at every turn.”Mr Collings, UK
“It was all that I expected and more. Each day was different in terms of scenery and villages.”Mrs Edamura, Canada
“The holiday was splendid.”Dr Bentley, UK
“We had a wonderful time with the distances per day and accommodations being ideal for us. Lovely pubs at each village to provide genuine hospitality and great meals and welcoming hosts at our Bed & Breakfasts. The communication throughout the lead-up to our start was seamless. The printed directions and marked-up map gave us almost step-by-step instructions.”Mr Bamford, Australia
“I loved this holiday and would recommend this to anyone. I have already recommended this as far as anyone would listen!”Ms Kleynhans, South Africa
“A thoroughly enjoyable scenic walk, not too taxing. The Contours map and trail booklet worked very well. The taxi companies for the transfers were very helpful and on time. It is ideal for a group who appreciate tea shops to stop at and scenic villages without too many steep hills and climbs.”Mr Davey, UK
“This holiday had been delayed for two years because of Covid so we were really looking forward to the walk and the accommodation. Overall the holiday exceeded our expectations - thank you. The information provided and the accommodation arranged completely met our requirements. Your team acted immediately (on a Sunday morning!) when we needed to change our accommodation for that night due to the provider having covid. Well done to that person!!”Ms Corris, Australia
“Great walks. Good accommodation. Excellent baggage service.”Ms Thompson, UK
Dog friendly