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INTRODUCTION

Dodington Park, a series of graceful meadows between Tormarton and Old Sodbury (Stage 11, Southbound; Stage 3, Northbound)

Views were lost in a grey mist of rain that had not let up since breakfast, but needing a hot drink I sank onto a cushion of heather, settled back against a silver birch and dug my flask out of the rucksack. The tea was welcome; the rain and lack of views had not affected my spirits and I was aware of being immensely happy. It was a privilege to be there, to be walking this land of timeless beauty, absorbing its past and present, gleaning experience for tomorrow’s patchwork of memory. And as I wiped the steam from my glasses I noticed, among the swamps of nodding cowslips that crowded the hillside, early purple orchids standing sentry-like here and there, their helmets tossing minute cascades of spray as raindrops fell upon them…

The soft light of a June evening pushed shadows out of a stand of beech trees. From a pathside bank I watched the patch of darkness spread down the knoll as silvered galleon clouds drifted overhead and a blackbird piped his own last post from a hawthorn bush nearby. At the foot of the slope a roe deer slipped out of the woodland shaw and sprang across the long grass, as though leaping waves. Reluctant to break the spell I delayed my onward walk and sat, content to absorb the moment…

These are just two of the vignettes that spill unbidden from a host of memories gathered along the Cotswold Way, but each time I’ve walked the route end to end – and others when I’ve snatched isolated sections for the sheer pleasure of being there – I’ve been seduced by the region’s special attractions. There are the curving bays and spurs of the escarpment, the beech-crowned heights, open breezy commons, deeply cut dry valleys, mile upon mile of drystone walling from which anxious wrens dart and where snails cling limpet-like to the verticals.

Painswick, the ‘white town’ of the Cotswolds (Stage 6, Southbound; Stage 8, Northbound) (photo: Lesley Williams)

I think of honey-coloured cottages, roses wild and nurtured, carpets of bluebells, ramsons and wood anemones, kestrels hovering head-down above the cropped turf, larks warbling from dawn to dusk, a cumulus of sheep on the brow of a distant hill. I remember old churches, Civil War battlefields, and the even older burial mounds and hill forts that pepper the route. I recall beams of sunlight shafting onto the River Severn, clouds rolling over the Black Mountains far away. And the peace. Not silence, but peace. The peace of a countryside comfortable with itself.

A walker’s landscape is both a powerful stimulant and an inspiration. Certainly that is true where memories and dreams intertwine in a complex of pleasures on completion of the Cotswold Way.

The Cotswold Way

The Cotswold Way measures 102 miles (163km) on its journey from Chipping Campden to Bath, and it’s a devious route – a switchback, stuttering, to-ing and fro-ing, climbing and falling walk. For newcomers to long-distance walking, it may come as a surprise to find how demanding it can be. One moment you’re wandering along the scarp edge, with toy-sized farms and villages scattered across the plains far below, the next you’re heading down to them – to explore a magical village, or a small market town with age in its streets, whose cottages are ‘faintly warm and luminous, as if they knew the trick of keeping the lost sunlight of centuries glimmering about them’. Then you head up again, zigzagging back and forth in order to capture the best the wolds can offer.

Although it’s not the most challenging of National Trails, the amount of effort involved in the ascent and descent of so many steep slopes should not be underestimated – especially following periods of wet weather when the paths can be sticky with mud.

The history of the Trail

The Cotswold Way was developed by Gloucestershire County Council as a recreational route following a suggestion made by the district committee of the Ramblers’ Association as long ago as the early 1950s. As one of the county council’s major initiatives to mark European Conservation Year, the route was eventually launched in May 1970 during National Footpath Week. Five years later its full length was treated to a concentrated effort of waymarking, mainly by volunteers from the Ramblers and the Cotswold Voluntary Warden Service, and it subsequently became one of the most effectively waymarked long-distance walks in Britain.

In May 2007 the Cotswold Way became recognised as a National Trail, and with that recognition came financial backing which enabled the whole route to be re-signed and waymarked with the acorn symbol. In addition, countless stiles were replaced by kissing gates, and a few sections of footpath surfaced where before they were either eroded or boggy. Any further improvements will no doubt be posted on the national trail website (www.nationaltrail.co.uk/cotswold-way) and described in subsequent editions of this guidebook.

This is a route, like a number of others, that best repays an unhurried approach. There are so many places of interest nearby that no walker ought to resist the temptation to stray here and there in order to broaden his or her overall view of the region. ‘Intently haphazard’ is a term which admirably suits this attitude to walking the Cotswold Way.

Chipping Campden makes a worthy beginning, Bath a worthy end. Between the two the way follows a meandering course through woodlands, along the western rim of the escarpment for mile after mile, down into secretive coombes, along the banks of millstreams, over sunny belvederes, exploring one glorious village after another, and always seeking to reveal the very essence of the Cotswolds, the spirit of the region. And it works. It works supremely well.

Music drew me through twilit streets at the end of my first walking of the Cotswold Way. Rounding a corner I saw a busker in an old raincoat leaning against a wall, scraping Mozart from his violin. Directly ahead rose Bath Abbey. Deep in shadow below, bright in floodlight above, it rose out of the darkness into a shaft of white light as a symbol of peace and hope and beauty. Behind me stretched 100 miles and more of wandering through an enchanting, scenic part of Britain, and Bath Abbey represented its completion.

The Cotswold Way ended for me as memorably as it had begun. And in between? Well, in between there had been colour, history, romance, peace – an ever-evolving experience through a constantly changing series of landscapes. A walk, it was, of considerable beauty. What more could anyone ask?

May your experience of the Cotswold Way be as rich and memorable as each of mine has been.

PLANNING YOUR TRIP

Choosing an itinerary

The Cotswold Way skirts the drystone wall surrounding Dyrham Park (Stage 12, Southbound; Stage 2, Northbound)

For the purpose of this guide, the Cotswold Way has been divided into 13 separate stages dictated by the availability of overnight accommodation. Alternatively, you could devise your own itinerary by using the Trek Planner provided, which indicates where else it is possible to break your journey along the route.

The longest stage described here is 10 miles (16km), the shortest 6 miles (9.5km). How many days you take to walk the full 102 miles (163km) is naturally down to personal preference and ability but by combing some of these stages, the Cotswold Way could be walked in as little as five days for those who only have a week, rather than a fortnight, to devote to it. To do this, however, you have to be prepared to average a little over 20 miles (32km) a day, and this is most definitely a route best walked at a leisurely pace.

A FIVE-DAY ITINERARY

 Chipping Campden to Winchcombe – 18 miles (29km)

 Winchcombe to Birdlip – 21½ miles (34.5km)

 Birdlip to Dursley – 23 miles (37km)

 Dursley to Little Sodbury – 18½ miles (29.5km)

 Little Sodbury to Bath – 20½ miles (33km)

AN EIGHT-DAY ITINERARY

 Chipping Campden to Wood Stanway – 12½ miles (20km)

 Wood Stanway to Cleeve Hill – 11½ miles (18.5km)

 Cleeve Hill to Birdlip – 15½ miles (25km)

 Birdlip to Edge – 9 miles (14.5km)

 Edge to Dursley – 14 miles (22.5km)

 Dursley to Hawkesbury Upton – 15 miles (24km)

 Hawkesbury Upton to Cold Ashton – 14 miles (22.5km)

 Cold Ashton to Bath – 11 miles (17.5km)

As a rule of thumb, for a route of this length about 2½ miles (4km) an hour will probably be maintained by most regular walkers. When calculating how long any given stage is likely to take, do not forget to include time for rests, photography, consulting the map or guidebook, studying something of particular interest, or admiring a view – all of which add substantially to the day’s activity. In hot, wet or windy conditions your pace is likely to be slower than normal, so take the weather into account too.

Day walks

The Cotswold Way is not only for end-to-end walkers. A series of short circular routes have been created that enable visitors to tackle it in ‘bite-sized chunks’. Route details can be downloaded from the national trail website (www.nationaltrail.co.uk/cotswold-way).

Which way to walk?

So, should you begin in Chipping Campden or Bath? Well, the route has been signed in such a way as to make it easy to follow in either direction, and there’s a similar amount of uphill as there is downhill effort involved, whichever way you tackle it – though if anything it’s slightly more strenuous for the northbound walker. By walking northward (starting in Bath) you’ll probably have the prevailing wind at your back, some of the finest scenery teasing ahead of you, and one of the finest of all Cotswold towns as the climax.

On the other hand, heading south from Chipping Campden means that from the very start you are launched into full Cotswold grandeur, while the pilgrimage nature of the long-distance walk (and it seems to me that all long walks take the form of a pilgrimage) culminates with the heart-stopping sight of Bath Abbey, arguably one of Britain’s finest buildings, marking journey’s end. It is also physically easier to leave Bath by public transport at the end of the walk than it is Chipping Campden. This may be a deciding factor.

Whichever way you choose, both directions are described in this guide.

When to go?

The unpredictability of British weather can make planning an end-to-end walk along the Cotswold Way a hit-or-miss affair, with rain and strong winds taking no account of the season. However, Spring (April to June) provides lengthening hours of daylight, usually less rainfall than in other seasons, and an abundance of wild flowers. Apart from the period during late April/May when the 3-day Badminton Horse Trials take place, overnight accommodation should not be too difficult to arrange.

Summer (July to August) tends to be the most popular time to walk in the Cotswolds when daily temperatures are often in the low-to-mid 20s, although on average the highest rainfall is experienced in July. Towns and villages throughout the region can be besieged by visitors who increase the difficulties of finding single-night accommodation along the route of the Cotswold Way.

September heralds the oncoming Autumn – a perfect time to tackle a long-distance walk. Daytime temperatures are still mild-to-warm then, while in October the first frosts of the coming winter may be expected. These provide an opportunity to celebrate the beauty of the beech woods turning yellow and gold.

Winter stretches from November until late March: a challenging time to set out on an end-to-end walk, although for anyone living within easy distance of the Cotswolds, it is possible to take advantage of occasional days of mild weather to walk individual sections. But with shortened daylight hours and a fair chance of wild weather, only the keenest of walkers will attempt the whole route from Chipping Campden to Bath during wintertime. Those who do should bear in mind that the 4-day Cheltenham National Hunt Festival tends to put a great deal of pressure on accommodation for a week in March.

Self-guided or guided?

Should you prefer to walk with an organised group under the guidance of an experienced leader, several companies offer such holidays. The national trail website has a link (Holiday Planning) giving a list of such companies (see Appendix A).

Getting there and getting around

Getting to, from and along the Cotswold Way (if you wish to tackle the route in stages) by public transport is reasonably straightforward, although some homework may be needed concerning timing. See www.escapetothecotswolds.org.uk for details of bus and rail services.

Rail

Train services connect London with Bath (in 90 minutes), as well as Stroud, Cheltenham, Moreton-in-Marsh and Evesham. Stratford-upon-Avon is served by rail from Birmingham. The Birmingham to Bristol line gives an opportunity to reach the Cotswold Way from stations at Ashchurch, Cheltenham, Gloucester, and Cam and Dursley. At the time of writing bus services connect Chipping Campden with the rail network at Evesham, Stratford-upon-Avon and Moreton-in-Marsh.

National Express

National Express coaches serve Bath and Cheltenham.

Bus

Bus routes into and along the Cotswolds are operated by several companies, but since operators are free to change or cancel services provided they give six weeks’ notice to the county councils, it is not possible to give any reliable detailed indication of service provision here. For national bus timetable information call 0871 200 2233 or visit www.traveline.org.uk.

First nights and last nights

Chipping Camden

Chipping Campden is the loveliest of all the Cotswold market towns that owe their elegance to the wool trade. Take a leisurely stroll along the High Street where the walk officially begins. It is lined with historic buildings whose honey-coloured stone is typical of the district. Among the most eye-catching, the 17th-century Market Hall is a prominent feature with its graceful arches; the nearby Woolstaplers’ Hall and Almshouses are both monuments to the silk merchant Sir Baptist Hicks who built Campden House in 1615 (burned down 30 years later in the Civil War) close to the beautiful perpendicular wool church of St James. Today only two gatehouses and two restored Jacobean banqueting houses are all that remain of the Hicks estate. Meanwhile the town has a number of fine old inns, hotels and restaurants.

But if you arrive early enough, and have transport available, you might be interested in visiting the National Trust-owned Hidcote Manor Gardens, or the privately-owned (but open to the public) Kiftsgate Court Gardens in the village of Mickleton a short distance to the north of town. It’s also worth noting that in May each year Chipping Campden holds what has become one of the UK’s leading music festivals. For local up-to-date information, call in at the tourist office located in The Old Police Station in the High Street (01386 841206). Otherwise visit www.chippingcampdenonline.org, www.chippingcampden.co.uk or www.cotswolds.info/places/chipping-campden.

Bath

The Royal Crescent, Bath

Bath predates the Romans, but it is the rich combination of Roman Baths, Abbey and the Georgian splendour of its buildings, that makes it such a compelling place to visit today. With the River Avon flowing below, the Roman Baths and magnificent Abbey form an unforgettable centre-piece, while just a street or two away, the symmetry of the Royal Crescent is an elegant backdrop to the Royal Victoria Park. Before putting on boots and rucksack (or after you’ve taken them off), spare a day at least to explore this most interesting of cities. Even if you fail to take afternoon tea at the Pump Room, steam up your glasses at the 1900 year-old Roman Baths, bathe in the waters of the new Thermae Spa, or be inspired by the architectural majesty of the Abbey, there are museums and art galleries, a choice of theatres, and the river itself to enjoy, with boat trips available.

Accommodation? There are something like 250 options, and enough eating places to suit every taste and every pocket. The modern tourist information centre at Abbey Chambers has countless leaflets, maps and guidebooks available, but for a preview of what’s on and where in Bath, go to www.visitbath.co.uk or www.cotswolds.info/places/bath.

Accommodation

Although the Cotswold Way can be walked in day sections with the aid of private (and, in some cases, public) transport, this guide has been written with the long-distance walker in mind. Overnight accommodation along the way is therefore a prime concern, and I have indicated where such accommodation was available during research (with full contact details given in Appendix B). For current details you are advised to go to the national trail website www.nationaltrail.co.uk/cotswold-way which includes a useful link.

Cicerone will also be regularly updating an online version of Appendix B which will be available to anyone who has bought this guide. Go to www.cicerone.co.uk/member.

Walkers are advised to book their accommodation in advance, and note that beds are at a premium during the race week of the Cheltenham Festival (in March) and when the Badminton Horse Trials take place (late April/May).

There are very few facilities for campers along the Cotswold Way, although a few bed-and-breakfast establishments do allow camping in their grounds. Consult the national trail website mentioned above for details.

Facilities en route

Chipping Campden High Street

Each of the towns along the way, and most of the villages en route, have places where it’s possible to buy food or meals. Check the Trek Planner at the front of this guidebook before you finalise your itinerary and decide whether or not to pack supplies for a day’s walking.

There are banks where you can top up your cash on the route at Chipping Campden, Broadway, Winchcombe, Dursley, Wotton-under-Edge and Bath.

Baggage transfer service

If the prospect of carrying a heavy rucksack the full length of the Cotswold Way is rather forbidding, there are a few companies who will transfer your baggage for you from one overnight accommodation stop to the next. See Appendix A for a selection of companies currently providing this service.

What to take

The top of the cheese-rolling slope on Cooper’s Hill is a splendid viewpoint

Take clothing and equipment appropriate for the season. Waterproofs should be carried at all times of the year. Choose comfortable, well-fitting boots. A first-aid kit to deal with minor injuries and blisters is recommended. Carry map, compass and guidebook.

The Cotswold Way Hall of Fame

Walkers who complete the Cotswold Way, whether in one unbroken journey or in stages, can now enter an online Hall of Fame on the Cotswold Way website.

To be included, obtain a card via the website and have it stamped at the start and finish of the trail, as well as at a number of locations in between. When the card has been completed and submitted, walkers will receive either a brass pin badge or an embroidered patch to mark the achievement, and have their names entered in the Hall of Fame. For full details go to www.nationaltrail.co.uk/cotswold-way/hall-of-fame.

PLANNING DAY BY DAY

Using this guide

Drystone walls like this one at the end of the Mile Drive (Stage 1 Southbound, Stage 13 Northbound) are a feature of the Cotswolds

At the beginning of the description of each stage of the route, you will find the distance quoted in miles and kilometres (metric equivalents are rounded to the nearest half). Details are given of specific map sheets available, and a note of where accommodation and refreshments may be found. Throughout the route text you will find features that appear on the overview maps highlighted in bold, to help you plot your way across the maps, and lots of information on points of historical, geological or general interest passed along the way.

The stage-by-stage route description in this guide is accompanied by overview maps at a scale of 1:100K (1 cm to 1 mile). A more detailed map of the Way is supplied in booklet form, at a scale of 1:25K, at the back of the book. For the majority of the route, waymarking and signposts should be sufficient to make detailed guidebook descriptions superfluous but should you find that the route described here varies from that on the ground, you are advised to follow the CW waymarked alternative. (You can check for any route changes on www.nationaltrail.co.uk/cotswold-way.) Notification of any major changes along the way will be borne in mind for future editions of this guidebook, and details of any variations, errors or anomalies, sent to the publisher (see ‘Updates to this guide’ at the beginning of this guide), will be greatly appreciated.

Full information about any accommodation providers mentioned in the text is listed in Appendix B.

Stanton High Street is lined with attractive houses

Grid references

Occasionally grid references are quoted to allow you to locate a given position on the OS map, which is divided by a series of vertical and horizontal lines to create a grid (the British National Grid). Each of these lines is allocated a number which is quoted at the top, bottom and either side of the map sheet. Numbers increase from left to right for vertical lines (eastings), and from bottom to top for horizontal lines (northings).

To identify an exact position on the map from a grid reference, take the first two digits from the six-figure number quoted – these refer to the ‘eastings’ line on the OS sheet. The third digit is calculated in tenths of the square moving from left to right. Next, take the fourth and fifth digits, which refer to the ‘northings’ line, and finally take the sixth and last digit to estimate the number of tenths in the northing square moving up the sheet.

Additional mapping

While the maps in this guide show each stage of the route at 1:100K, and the map booklet shows the whole route on 1:25K OS mapping, you may wish to carry or consult the 1:50K mapping in order to gain a wider picture of the landscape. Five Landranger sheets cover the length of the Cotswold Way: numbers 150, 151, 162, 163 and 172.

Waymarking

The National Trail acorn symbol adorns Cotswold Way waymarks and signposts

Waymarks follow the national conventions, using different coloured arrows: yellow for footpaths, blue for bridleways, white for public roads. What differentiates Cotswold Way arrows from other route directions is the black acorn symbol of a national trail (the original CW symbol was a white spot painted on or by the arrowhead, and some of these still exist).

Where the route goes through a town, waymarks may be seen on kerbstones, on the posts of traffic direction signs, or on walls. Where it crosses a golf course (on Cleeve Common, Stinchcombe Hill, and Painswick Hill, for example), low wooden waymark posts will be seen. (Note that the original metal signposts along the Cotswold Way give distances in kilometres, while the new National Trail posts give them in miles.)

Health, safety and emergencies

When walking the Cotswold Way you’re unlikely to encounter the natural hazards associated with trekking in a mountain region, but common-sense precautions should nonetheless be taken to ensure you remain safe and healthy throughout. Be especially careful when descending steep slopes during or after rain when paths can become slippery – a trekking pole (or two) can be a great help in this, as well as reducing the chance of knee strain.

Avoid high, open ground if caught out by a thunderstorm, and do not shelter from a storm beneath isolated trees.

If you’re walking with a dog, be especially careful if there are any cattle in a field through which the path takes you. Cows can be extremely inquisitive or nervous when they see dogs, which may cause them to react out of character. Keep your dog under close control, but should you be threatened by a cow or cows, let the dog run free and the cows will chase after it – not you.

Ticks can be a hazard, since these tiny blood-sucking insects inhabit long grass, bracken and shrubs from which they attach themselves to animals or human beings. Walkers wearing shorts and sleeveless shirts are especially vulnerable. Once attached, the insect buries its head beneath the skin in order to feed off your blood. Usually this is painless, because the tick injects a toxin which anaesthetises the bite area, but since it may be carrying Lyme Disease, there’s a chance of infection. At the end of each day, carefully examine warm, moist areas of your body – in particular those pressure points where clothing presses against the skin, such as the back of the knee, armpits and groin. Should you discover a tick, remove it by firmly grasping the insect as close to the skin as possible (tweezers are best) and with a steady movement, pull its body outwards, without twisting or jerking which may otherwise leave the head beneath your skin. Cleanse the bite area with disinfectant. If you suffer lasting irritation around the bite area, or flu-like symptoms a few days later, consult your GP.

To avoid blisters, wear comfortable lightweight boots and well-fitting socks that you know from experience will not give you any problems – in other words, don’t set out on a 100-mile walk in brand-new, untested footwear. And do change your socks daily. Should you discover a ‘hot spot’ on heel or toe during the day, stop at once and fit moleskin or Compeed before a blister can develop.

Apply sunscreen and lip salve, and wear a wide-brimmed hat for protection against sunburn. Make sure you remain hydrated throughout the day by drinking plenty of liquids (not alcohol; leave that until the evening, if you must). Fill and refill your water bottle from reliable sources at every opportunity.

Carry a first aid kit and a mobile phone for use in emergencies (and hope you can get some reception, see below), and if you are walking alone, let a friend or family member know your itinerary.

Mobile phones, wi-fi and the internet

Mobile phone coverage is sporadic along the route; good in places, but non-existent in others. Most B&B establishments now offer use of wi-fi (free or for a small charge), but my advice is to enjoy a few days away from the internet. You may come to realise it is not essential to everyday living! There’s a real world out there: enjoy the freedom it offers.

The Country Code

And finally, as you set out to walk the Cotswold Way, please remember that the countryside needs your care and respect.

The Country Code evolved from principles set down by Octavia Hill, a champion of the countryside and one of the founders of the National Trust, who wrote in the early days of the 20th century:

Let the grass growing for hay be respected, let the primrose roots be left in their loveliness in the hedges, the birds unmolested and the gates shut. If those who frequented country places would consider those who live there, they would better deserve and more often retain, the rights and privileges they enjoy.

THE COUNTRY CODE

The path beside Dowdeswell Wood Nature Reserve (Stage 4, Southbound; Stage 10, Northbound) is flanked by drifts of ransoms (wild garlic) in springtime

1 Enjoy the countryside and respect its life and work.

2 Guard against all risks of fire.

3 Fasten all gates.

4 Keep dogs under close control.

5 Keep to public paths across farmland.

6 Use gates and stiles to cross fences, hedges and walls.

7 Leave livestock, crops and machinery alone.

8 Take litter home.

9 Help to keep all water clean.

10 Protect wildlife, plants and trees.

11 Take special care on country roads.

12 Make no unnecessary noise.

ALL ABOUT THE COTSWOLDS

Kelston Round Hill, from Prospect Stile (Stage 13, Southbound; Stage 1, Northbound)

The wolds form part of an extensive belt of oolitic limestone that runs from Dorset in the south to Yorkshire in the north. The highest and broadest part of this belt is an undulating tableland, raised on its western side and draining gently towards the east, down to the Thames Valley and the Oxfordshire Plain. On its western side, where the Cotswold Way goes, the scarp slope falls abruptly to the Severn Plain, revealing its most dramatic features. This sharp-edged tableland has long jutting prows and spurs, time-moulded coombes and island-like outliers, plateaus fuzzed with woodlands and a grid of drystone walls.

Numerous mounds provide evidence of a long history of occupation along the very rim of the escarpment, from which early man scanned the broad views, alert to approaching danger. Today the Cotswold wayfarer seeks those same vantage points as highlights of the walk, places on which to sprawl in the grass and dream among the flowers.

To read more about the Cotswolds see the list of recommended books in Appendix C.

Geology

About 180 million years ago, the region now known as the Cotswolds was covered by a warm, shallow sea. On its bed settled the shells of tiny creatures along with sediments of sand and clay. Over untold millennia these sediments were compressed into the oolitic limestone that was pushed up to form the very backbone of the land, and which provided the stone that has since been used for the construction of countless lovely cottages, manor houses and churches, not to mention the long miles of drystone walling seen almost everywhere.

The Cotswold mass has an eastward tilt, with the sharp face of the escarpment to west and north, and the limestone resting on several thicknesses of soft Lias clays. Thanks to that tilt, natural weathering processes are aided in their slow but steady destruction of the whole area: streams are constantly weakening the scarp slope, the clays slip and overlying rock crumbles without its former support. Thus the scarp has become a corrugation of bays and projecting prows, similar to a coastline, but without the tides of an ocean lapping at its base. Yet even without the wash of tides the scarp is being worn away and pushed further east and south. ‘Outliers’ such as Cam Long Down near Dursley, Bredon Hill near Evesham, and Dundry Hill to the south of Bristol, provide evidence of the former position of the Cotswold scarp and suggest that the wolds once spread throughout the Severn Vale.

At the end of the last ice age, some 10,000 years ago, the bare bones of the Cotswolds were given a flesh of vegetation. At first, no doubt, the wolds would have been colonised by deciduous woodlands, but in Neolithic times clearings were made and primitive forms of agriculture attempted on the virgin land. With successive generations the open spaces grew until, by the Middle Ages, the Cotswolds were one vast sheep walk. Then the process of agricultural evolution exchanged pasture for arable land and, following the Enclosures smaller fields were created. Now, it appears, the wheels of evolution are turning once more.

Plants and wildlife

Three seasons’ colours on the Cotswold Way

To the flower-loving wayfarer Cotswold limestone brings a rich treasury of orchids (green-winged and early purple in late April and May, common spotted, pyramid, musk, bee and frog in the full flush of summer), harebells and cowslips in the meadows, wild garlic (ramsons) massed with bluebells in damp, shaded woodlands in springtime, following a green carpet of dog’s mercury towards the end of winter.

Cleeve Common contains the highest land on the Cotswold Way, at over 1000ft (300m), and is one of the last remaining ancient grasslands. As many as 150 species of herbs and grasses may be found there, and it is now a Grade 1 site of special scientific interest.

White oxeye daises are abundant among the grasslands. Bird’s-foot trefoil, scabious, kidney vetch, thyme, salad burnet and hoary plantain, rockrose and knapweeds all combine to provide a tapestry of colour, while the hedgerows are often tangled with wild clematis (old man’s beard), and clumps of hawthorn shower the slopes with a froth of bloom in springtime.

Bullfinches and yellow hammers flash to and fro among the hawthorn bushes, alternating between thorn bush and gorse. Woodpeckers rattle the deadwoods, buzzards and kestrels hang seemingly motionless high above open hill slopes, alert for any sign of voles or mice far below. Pheasants will almost certainly threaten the unwary with heart failure as they practically explode from under your boots as you wander along the overgrown edge of a field, or through a woodland in autumn. Deer may be sighted in some of the larger woodlands and, with a short detour from the way into Dyrham Park, there’s a large herd of fallow deer, reckoned to be one of the oldest in Britain, while foxes and badgers, rabbits, hares and countless grey squirrels may all be seen along the way.

Man in the landscape

A steep wedge of a sunken track takes the Cotswold Way between North Nibley and the Tyndale Monument (Stage 9, Southbound; Stage 5, Northbound)

Man in the landscape could well be the walk’s theme. As we have seen, the Cotswolds have no vast wilderness, no raw mountains or trackless moorland; it is not a countryside that threatens or bullies, but one that welcomes. Man has lived in harmony with nature for a long time here, using as a basic building material the very substance of the land, exhibiting a rare degree of artistry in the moulding of wall, doorway and crooked roof, until even the villages themselves appear to be an extension of that land, an integral part of the landscape.

Instead of shunning habitation, as do many other long-distance paths, the Cotswold Way actively seeks out the timeless villages and towns that are among the loveliest features of the region. But timeless though they may seem, they are only comparatively recent additions to a landscape that has been worked, in some form or another, for 5000 years and more.

The first ‘Cotsallers’ were nomads, hunter-gatherers who drifted through what was then a heavily wooded region, but made little visual impact upon it. It was Neolithic man, around 3000BC, who first began to clear patches in the woodland cover and to till the soil, and in so doing started a primitive form of landscape management. These groups of New Stone Age agriculturalists left behind some 85 burial tombs scattered throughout the region, among the finest being Hetty Pegler’s Tump and Belas Knap, both on or very close to the Cotswold Way. These ancient relics are typical of what has become known as the Severn-Cotswold Group: large cairns of stone with a covering of soil, and internal passageways lined with drystone walling which open into burial chambers. It has been estimated that some of these tombs must have involved about 15,000 man-hours to build, which indicates a surprising level of social involvement and organisation.

As well as Hetty Pegler’s Tump and Belas Knap, there is another similar burial mound of the same period on Frocester Hill, while at Crickley Hill near Birdlip recent excavations reveal evidence of a 3 acre (1¼ hectares) Neolithic causewayed camp. This contained a village protected by earthwork defences of a double ditch and dry walling topped by a palisade. The discovery of flint arrowheads and items of charred fencing suggest that life in the New Stone Age was not entirely peaceful.

Neolithic man was replaced by tribes of immigrants from the Low Countries. These so-called ‘Beaker People’ of the Bronze Age lived a mostly nomadic existence, raising stock and undertaking a primitive form of cultivation before moving on. The most significant evidence of their occupation of the Cotswolds (although these are not always clearly visible) is in the form of round barrows, contrasting with the long barrows in which their predecessors had buried their dead. Although there are more than 350 of these round barrows, none of any importance are actually to be seen along the Cotswold Way.

The Iron Age

What is visible, however, is a series of hill and promontory forts dating from the Iron Age, which lasted from about 700BC until the Roman occupation. The work of Belgic immigrants known as Dobunni, it is thought that these defended enclosures served different purposes. Some clearly contained working communities with villages of long houses, some were market centres or animal corrals, and some of the smaller enclosures perhaps were the fortified homes of Dobunni tribal chieftains. Yet whatever their function, they conformed to set patterns, being protected by deep, rock-cut ditches and tall, near-vertical walls. Nowadays they invariably appear as rounded, grass-covered mounds, some saucer-shaped and distinctive, others perhaps with sections of wall having been lost under centuries of ploughing.

There are many fine examples of these hill forts along the route, the largest being at Little Sodbury, where Sodbury Hill Fort covers 11 acres (4½ hectares), enclosed by ditches and earth ramparts. Uleybury is even larger, at more than 30 acres (12 hectares), but is just off the route. Set on the escarpment above Dursley it had the additional protection of a 300ft (90m) drop down the scarp face. Other hill forts may be seen along the way on Cleeve Common, Leckhampton Hill, Crickley Hill and Painswick Beacon, among others.

The arrival of the Romans

The Roman baths, near Bath Abbey

When the Romans came in AD 43 they adopted some of these Iron Age camps for their own use. In addition they built a fortress at Cirencester and another near Gloucester, then linked the two with Ermin Street, which is met on the Cotswold Way at Birdlip. Away from the towns – and none is greater in this part of Britain than the world heritage city of Bath – agricultural estates were established and well-to-do citizens built villas for themselves, usually richly decorated with mosaics, on well-chosen sites that caught the sun. The Cotswold Way passes near two of these, one above Wadfield Farm near Winchcombe, the other at Witcombe below Cooper’s Hill.

The Saxon era

The Roman occupation of the Cotswolds ended in AD 410 with the withdrawal of the legions and the advance of the Saxons. The Dark Ages that followed are shrouded in mystery, but it is thought that these latest newcomers brought with them a way of life that was not ordered with the same degree of Roman culture and organisation, and there seem to have been many tribal differences to settle. It was during this period that Arthur rose as defender of Britain.

Tales of King Arthur are a muddle of historic evidence and legend, but that these were unsettled times cannot be in doubt. What seems certain is that towards the end of the sixth century a battle took place on Hinton Hill, near Dyrham, between West Saxon warlords Cuthwine and Cealwin, and three kings of the Britons. The kings – Coinmail, Condidan and Farinmail – were slaughtered and the Britons pushed back to Wales and Somerset leaving the towns of Bath, Cirencester and Gloucester in Saxon hands.

The Cotswolds were then ruled by West Saxons in the south, and Mercian Saxons in the north. The Mercian capital was established at Winchcombe where a monastery was founded. At the abbey at Bath, which became an important and substantial Saxon town, King Edgar was crowned the first King of all England in AD 973. The Church grew in power, and by the end of the Saxon period actually owned a good proportion of the Cotswolds. It was during this period that whole sheepskins were being exported to serve English missionaries on the continent, an export that began as early as AD 700.

Norman rule

Tormarton church and its table tombs (Stage 11, Southbound; Stage 3, Northbound)

Under Norman rule, following the invasion of 1066, the Cotswolds remained a place of some importance in the country, with England’s capital being very briefly centred at Gloucester. A new phase of building began, evidence of which can still be seen today, particularly in the churches. Horton Court, a few yards off the route of the Cotswold Way, also dates from Norman times and is still in use.

The Domesday Survey of 1086 showed that the region was already largely cultivated, but with woodland covering much of the western escarpment. More clearings were made during the following centuries and the open fields then turned to extensive sheep pasture. ‘In Europe the best wool is English; in England the best wool is Cotswold.’ This saying held true throughout the Norman era, when sheep outnumbered people by four to one and exports of Cotswold wool increased accordingly.

The traditional animal of these vast sheep-walks was known as the Cotswold Lion, a breed of sheep ‘with the whitest wool, having long necks and square bodies’. These long necks were adorned with a shaggy woollen ‘mane’, which led to their nickname.

By the Middle Ages the wolds were almost entirely given over to grazing these sheep, and the wool masters used their great wealth to build some of the grand houses and elegant churches (complete with lavish stained glass and intricate carvings) that now form such a feature of the Cotswold Way. Chipping Campden owes both its charm and its architectural splendour to the wool masters; its church is a monument built on the proceeds of wool sales, as are those at Wotton-under-Edge and several other places along the route.

The decline in the export of raw wool began in the early 15th century with crippling taxes. (Revenue from wool at one time accounted for more than half of England’s fortune.) But this decline was partly addressed by the home manufacture of cloth, when the new masters of the Cotswolds were mill owners and middlemen who built fine houses for themselves in Painswick and the Stroud Valley, taking over from the sheep owners as financiers of a fresh spate of church building, creating a new middle class in the process.

The Civil War and the enclosures

In the 17th century the Civil War was fought here, as elsewhere, forcing a temporary halt in the fortunes that were being made. Along the escarpment several battle sites are passed on the Cotswold Way, among them a hilltop area still known today as the Battlefields, where the Battle of Lansdown was fought on 5 July 1643. At the other end of the walk, Campden House, next to Chipping Campden’s parish church, was taken as a garrison for Royalist troops, but when they left in 1645 they destroyed it by fire. Painswick’s church still bears signs of a Civil War skirmish, and one of the last of the battles was fought on the slopes of Dover’s Hill.

Between 1700 and 1840 large areas of open land were enclosed by Acts of Parliament, which brought about the countryside’s greatest change in appearance for hundreds of years. This was when drystone walls and hedges began to divide the wolds into the criss-cross grid patterns we see today. Large estates were planted with shelter belts for the raising of game birds, while the Cotswolds as a whole became much less dependent on sheep and turned instead to a broader agricultural base with arable land replacing the sheep-walks of old.

To all intents and purposes, this is the landscape explored by walkers of the Cotswold Way in the early years of the 21st century.