Walking the Cotswolds
 

We're going to spend 4 days in the Cotswolds in August. We've decided to get a car, but we want to do a lot of walking as well. So far I've looked at Broadway and Burton-on-the-Water but I'm very open to suggestions. We want so stay somewhere not too large, but with plenty of eating establishments so that we can enjoy a bottle of wine with dinner and not have to drive.

My preference is to base somewhere where we can walk to other villages for lunch or tea, possibly returning by a different path, maybe even through a different village. We're good for several miles before a meal, but I'm not sure how close or far these smaller places are. Any information would be appreciated.
Thanks!

Try Burford -- I like it better than Broadway and personally wouldn't stay in Bourton-on-the-Water. Burford has several restaurants and pubs, shops, a terrific Wool church, plus several nearby villages and the River Windrush


Or Stow on the Wold is close to several villages.

Stayed in Broadway a couple of years ago. Didn't think there was a whole lot of restaurant choices (you'll appreciate having that car I am sure). As to Bourton...well, it is a lovely spot and a lot of other people think so, too, and they GO there.

Have friends who raved about Burford, also.

In general, the walks you refer to, not returning by the same route, are called circular walks. There are a great number of them and in the Cotswolds, I suggest you just choose a place you like the sound of and there will be walks for you, guaranteed. Often the Tourist Information office, TIC, will have a display of booklets for a small charge with circular walks in the vicinity. You don't have to choose the walks in advance and needn't use that as your criterion, just choose a nice town.

Here are some examples:

http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/cotsw...ditional-walks
http://www.walkingenglishman.com/cotswolds.html
http://www.visitthecotswolds.org.uk/...id=22&pgid=826

>>As to Bourton...well, it is a lovely spot and a lot of other people think so, too, and they GO there.<<

I GO there too (I've been there countless times) -- I just don't STAY there. Big difference.

We had friends who lived in Bourton on the Water many years ago in a house that had been a mill.

It had a room over the "river"with a trap door in the floor. We children would fish through the floor while our parents chatted and had drinks. It was even better than the model village.

If it is any consolation, the town was just as packed with day trippers in coaches sixty years ago as it is now. Like many places in Italy (San Gimignano, for example) it has always seemed a pleasant enough place after the tourist go home.

Practically any spot in the Cotswolds is within a hundred yards or so of several different footpaths. Most ultimately link into a 120,000 mile national network, of which 5,000-10,000 miles are within the Cotswolds.

A tiny handful of the 5-10 mile circular walks this generates in the area are specifically signposted: most need to be recce'd on a map before starting, or followed in a book or from an online source such as Mme Perdu recommends: signposting is clearish, but 99% of the signs merely say "public footpath". Most walk books show all pubs: so do the Ordnance Survey (OS) maps, which I won't go over unfamiliar paths without, but OS maps can't keep track of which pubs are still open, or of pubs opened within thge past 30 years.

There are about half a dozen microtowns (we get irritated if someone calls them villages) with enough eating places within walking distance of a range of the very limited number of hotels in the region: we don't like hotels, and by and large don't allow any more to be opened.

Access to a reasonably number of footpaths is easy from Burford, Chipping Campden, Northleach, Winchcombe, Stow on the Wold and, in the SW, Tetbury - which are all capable of assimilating reasonably painlessly the daytime tourist traffic in midsummer.

Broadway, to my mind, isn't able to handle them comfortably and Bourton on the Water most certainly isn't. I honestly don't know what they're like at night, though both do have a few eating places - and not that much fewer than the slightly larger places mentioned. They both verge on the horrid between 1100 and 1600 on summer weekends - but if you're walking you won't be there when the crowds are. Crowds ALL go back home by about 1700.

I've visited many places on day trips but only stayed for 2+ nights in the following: Chipping Campden and Bourton on the Water (BOTW). For an adults only visit, I would definitely recommend Chipping Campden as it has some good restaurants/pubs, great access to footpaths, and seems to be able to absorb daytrippers. I agree with other posters that BOTW can be pretty crowded during the day but by 6pm it was lovely and with just enough "buzz" so we really enjoyed our time. We stayed there primarily because we had our kids with us and it is great for kids with the river, auto museum, and toy shop... I have been to Broadway several times but would stay in either Chipping Campden or BOTW over Broadway as I just liked the vibe in those places better.

You've gotten excellent advice. I can only add that I'd visit the small, but charming town of Lower Slaughter to my list.

My vote goes to Burford . We stayed there last September and really enjoyed being there . There are actually quite a few good restaurants and pubs . If you like Indian food , the Indian restaurant in Burford is excellent . We are dinner there twice .

You were all really helpful. We ended up in the most lovely B&B, Mole End, in Stow on the Wold. Loved it! The town was just what we wanted, not highly touristed but with some nice eating places.(Highly recommend Treebus!)

Walked from Stow to BOTW. Charming but crawling with tour buses! But we were really in it for the walking. Passed through Lower Slaughter on the walk and totally agree with Nanabee! Walked from Broadway Tower downhill to Broadway. But then after lunch on the Lygon Arms terrace had to struggle back UP that hill.

Drove through several other small towns and loved just strolling. Great restaurant in Chipping Campdon--The Chef's Dozen. Have no idea what the name means, but you can't go wrong with a meal there.

Anyway, thanks again for input. We loved our time in the Cotswolds!

hi Lady,

thanks for coming back with your feedback and it sounds like you had a great time.

I've no idea what the chef's dozen means either; a baker's dozen is 13 [because bakers were severely punished if they sold short weight].

I <i>think</i> the Chef's Dozen comes from the menu. They do four courses w/ three options each. I've wanted to eat there but haven't made it (yet)

clever, JJ.

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