Independent Trails: Fact File.COTR1
Total distance:
51 miles (81.5km)
Duration: 5 nights, 4 days walking
Minimum/maximum daily distances: 12 miles (19km)/14 miles (22.5km)
Season: All year
Starting point of holiday: Moreton-in-Marsh
End of holiday: Moreton-in-Marsh
Code: COTR1
Itinerary
Day 1:
Travel to Moreton-in-Marsh
Day 2: Moreton-in-Marsh to Bourton-on-the-Water. 12 miles (19km)
From Moreton-in-Marsh the route heads across the Evenlode valley to Sezincote
House, an unusual Indian-inspired mansion with an outstanding oriental garden,
and then passes through the delightful villages of Longborough and Broadwell
to Stow-on-the Wold. Stow is a charming town. Mellow stone houses, shops, inns
and hotels overlook the cross and stocks in the large market square; from the
square narrow alleys or 'tures' lead off invitingly, begging exploration. The
cross was erected as a reminder to medieval traders to deal honestly in a Christian
manner; the village stocks to punish those that didn't. The route then descends
through the picturesque villages of Upper and Lower Slaughter to Bourton-on-the-Water.
Bourton-on-the-Water is probably the most beautiful of all the villages in the
Cotswolds; the crystal waters of the River Windrush running through the village
beneath several little bridges creates a charming scene.
Day 3: Bourton-on-the-Water to Winchcombe. 13 miles (21km)
From Bourton-on-the-Water the route follows the River Windrush through the picturesque
villages of Naunton and Guiting Power, before crossing the wolds to Sudeley
Castle, the last resting place of Katherine Parr, the sixth and surviving wife
of Henry VIII, and the historic little town of Winchcombe. The trail enters
the town along Vineyard Street, once called Duck Street because of the ducking
stool down by the river. Winchecombe is an attractive small town with two or
three inns, Tudor houses, cottages with roses clambering over their porches
and a fine church containing an altar cloth worked by Catherine of Aragon, Henry
VIII first wife. 45 grotesque gargoyles, each representing a local character
from the 1460's adorns its outer walls.
Day 4: Winchcombe to Broadway. 12 miles (19km)
The trail leaves the town along the old pilgrim's route to Hailes Abbey, and
then climbs to Beckbury Camp, a large Iron Age fort, before descending to the
village of Stanway. Stanway is another village that rewards exploration - buildings
of interest include the Jacobean manor Stanway House with its magnificent renaissance-style
gatehouse and baroque watergarden, an enormous 14th century tithe barn and a
thatched cricket pavilion set upon straddle stones. From here the route cuts
across the fields to the pretty village of Stanton, whose church contains a
beautiful 15th century stained glass window removed from Hailes Abbey at the
time of the Dissolution. From Stanton the route climbs up to Shenbarrow, an
Iron Age hillfort and then follows the Cotswold Edge with some terrific views
over the Severn Vale past Snowshill Manor, before descending to Broadway. The
village started life as part of a nearby monastery and expanded in the 17th
and 18th centuries as a staging post for coaches. The picturesque 'broad way'
of the high street is lined with an avenue of red chestnut trees and shops,
inns and houses of golden stone with the typical Cotswold mix of tiled and thatched
roofs.
Day 5: Broadway to Moreton-in-Marsh. 14 miles (23.5km)
The route then climbs Beacon Hill to the Broadway Tower, an 18th century folly
that provides breathtaking views over 12 counties before descending to Chipping
Campden. Chipping Campden is the loveliest of all the Cotswold Market towns,
it is also the best preserved and most historically important. Buildings of
interest include the open-sided Jacobean Market Hall, built to shelter stallholders
from all weathers; the Town Hall, the 14th century Woolstaplers Hall, where
the fleeces were sold, which now houses the town's museum; opposite this is
Grevel House built in 1380. St James' Church is one of the best examples of
a Cotswold 'wool' church and contains the largest memorial brass in the county,
to William Grevel, 'the flower of the wool merchants of all England'. Next to
the church are the gateway and onion-topped lodges of the old manor of Campden,
the manor itself was destroyed during the Civil War. Nearby on a raised pavement
stands the row of Almshouses built during the reign of James I in stunning symmetry.
The walled dip opposite is an old cartwheel wash. From Chipping Campden the
route passes through Broad Campden, with its rare 17th century Friends Meeting
House, to the charming village of Blockley, an important centre for the silk
industry that thrived in the 18th and 19th centuries and then descends to Moreton-in-Marsh
past Batsford Park Arboretum.
Day 6: Depart from Moreton-in-Marsh after breakfast.
What's included?
Travel Information
Detailed instructions on
how to get to the start of the holiday and back from the end of it are sent
to you on booking. A summary is given below.
Most convenient major city and International airport: London
(Gatwick or Heathrow airports) or Birmingham Airport. Train from London Paddington
(1 hour 40 minutes) or Birmingham (2 hours 15 minutes).
Outward journey from London to Moreton-in-Marsh: Train from
London Paddington to Moreton-in-Marsh (I hour 40 minutes). Your first night's
accommodation in Moreton-in-Marsh is a short walk or taxi ride from the station.
Return journey to London at the end of the holiday: Short
walk or taxi to Moreton-in-Marsh railway station. Train to London Paddington
(1 hour 40 minutes).