Independent Trails: Fact File.COTW0
Cotswold Way ~ Chipping Campden to Bath
Trail Facts
Total distance: 98 miles (157 km)
Duration: 7 nights, 6 days walking
Minimum/maximum daily distances: 11 miles (24 km)/19 miles (30.5 km)
Waymarking: The trail is very clearly waymarked and is very easy to follow.
Season: All year
Starting point of holiday: Chipping Campden
End of holiday: Bath
Code: COTW0
Itinerary
Day 1: Travel to Chipping Campden.
Day 2: Chipping Campden to Winchcombe 17 miles (27 km)
Day 3: Winchcombe to Dowdeswell 11 miles (24 km).
Day 4: Dowdeswell to Painswick 18 miles (29 km).
Day 5: Painswick to Uley/Dursley 15 miles (24 km).
Day 6: Uley/Dursley to Old Sodbury 18 miles (29 km).
Day7: Old Sodbury to Bath 19 miles (30.5 km).
Day 8: Depart from Bath.
Extra nights/Rest days
Many people chose to have an extra night in Chipping Campden before starting the trail because there is so much to see. 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 the magnificent 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 a superb row of Almshouses built during the reign of James I in stunning symmetry. Winchcombe is a popular choice. It 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 1460s adorn its outer walls. Winchcombe is also a good base for exploring Sudeley Castle and its romantic gardens. The old wool town of Painswick with its ancient stone buildings dating from the 13th century is another good choice. The historic city of Bath with its glorious Georgian architecture is the most popular choice for an extra night or two. Buildings of note include the Roman Baths, the Pump Room, the Assembly Rooms that now house a Museum of Costume, the Abbey, Pulteney Bridge, the Royal Crescent, The Circus, Queen Square and Lansdown Crescent.
What's included
- 7 nights accommodation in en-suite rooms with private bathrooms (where available) in selected hotels, inns, guesthouses and farmhouse B&B's.
- Full English breakfast.
- Door to door luggage transfer along the trail.
- A set of maps with the route marked on and a guidebook describing the trail.
- An information pack containing an itinerary, detailed instructions on how to find your accommodation each night, town plans, information about facilities and places of interest along the trail and a kit list.
- Detailed travel instructions on how to get to the start of your holiday and back from the end of it.
- Emergency assistance
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 airports: London
Outward journey from London to Chipping Campden: There is a fast and frequent rail service from London Paddington to Morton-in-the-Marsh. The journey takes about 2 hours. Bus or taxi from Morton-in-the-Marsh railway station to Chipping Campden.
Return journey to London at the end of the holiday: There is a fast and frequent rail service from Bath to London Paddington (1 1⁄2 hours).