Today I want to share my favorite Cotswolds walks with you. If you love the English countryside, these country walking routes offer great paths to ramble to get a glimpse of some of the best rural scenery in Britain. With highlights like quintessential villages, bucolic rivers, and woolly sheep, they’ll show you a variety of the best walks in the Cotswolds. I’ve included detailed routes with maps, photos, and videos, too.
Cotswolds Walks
There’s no shortage of options when it comes Cotswolds walks. From the Monarch’s Way to the Cotswolds Way and the Heart of England Way, they cover a range of options with classic countryside scenery.
Whether you’re looking for pretty villages or open fields, walks through towns or rambles that follow in the footsteps of kings, this list has some of the best walks in the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
These walks are all easy day trips from London by train or car, so you can do them without needing to stay overnight. That said, staying in the area is a great way to get more walking in. You can book a place to stay in the Cotswolds here.
You can see additional walks in the area in the book 50 Walks in the Cotswolds, too. You can get it on Amazon here. I’ve also written about circular walks in the Cotswolds.
1. Moreton-in-Marsh Walk in the Cotswolds
The first of my Cotswolds walks is a Moreton-in-Marsh walk. This relatively flat 7-mile (11-kilometer) hike is one of my favorite country walks in Britain.
A circular route, it offers a great opportunity to get out into the English countryside in one of the most beautiful parts of the United Kingdom.
Along the way you’ll see everything from picture-pretty villages like Bourton-on-the-Hill to whimsical stately homes like Sezincote House and natural wonders like the Batsford Arboretum.
It’s worth stopping for lunch and drinks at one of the country pubs along the route, too. My friends and I went to The Coach & Horses in Longborough, and we had a great time sitting outdoors in the sunshine.
This country walk is for you if you want to explore the Cotswolds without a car, as it starts and ends at the train station in Moreton-in-Marsh. There are direct rail services from London, so it’s an easy trip from the UK capital.
If you want to stay a night, there are lots of great places to stay in Moreton-in-Marsh. You can book one here.
You can find the full route, map, photos, and video for this ramble on my Moreton-in-Marsh walk blog post.
2. Burford Circular Walk in the Cotswolds
Next on my list of the best Cotswolds walks is a Burford circular walk. This one follows a flat 5-mile (8-kilometer) route through picturesque villages, across fields, and beside the River Windrush.
Along the way you’ll spot classic thatched-roof cottages, historic churches with unusual interiors (they’re worth popping in to see), and bucolic waterfront scenery.
This country walk is for you if you want to discover the Cotswolds on foot and explore some of the lesser-known villages in this part of England.
This is a great day trip from London by car, as there’s no train station in Burford. But even if you can’t drive (or don’t want to), you can still take a train to Charlbury station and pre-book a taxi from there to Burford.
Alternatively, there’s a seasonal hop-on-hop-off bus service from Moreton-in-Marsh to Burford you can take on weekends and bank holidays during the warmer months.
You can also stay the night. When I did this walk, I stayed at the Burford House hotel. It was in a great location on the high street, and the historic interiors and four-poster bed were lovely. You can book a room here.
You can find the full route, map, photos, and video for this hike on my blog post about a Burford circular walk.
3. Bourton-on-the-Water to the Slaughters
Third on my list of the best Cotswolds walks is one from Bourton-on-the-Water to the Slaughters and back. This 5-mile (8-kilometer) walk will take you to some of the prettiest villages in the Cotswolds.
This walk starts in the village of Bourton-on-the-Water in Gloucestershire. There are lots of cafes and restaurants here, so it’s a great place to fuel up before heading off.
From Bourton-on-the-Water the route follows the Warden’s Way through bucolic countryside to Lower Slaughter, a village on the River Eye. It has a historic mill, beautiful Cotswold stone houses, and a stunning heritage hotel called The Slaughters Manor House.
From Lower Slaughter the walk continues to Upper Slaughter. It’s another classic village with a church, cottages, and a famous luxury hotel called Lords of the Manor.
This walk is for you if you’re looking for a ramble that packs a lot of pretty villages into one route. It’s a great way to see some of the highlights of the area on foot.
This is a great day trip from London by car, too, as there’s no train station in any of the villages. There are big parking areas in Bourton-on-the-Water, though, so it’s easy to do this trip if you’re driving.
That said, you can still do this trip by rail if you take a train from London to Kingham or Moreton-in-Marsh and pre-book a taxi from one of those stations to Bourton-on-the-Water.
You can see the details about this walk in my blog post about a Cotswolds day trip. There’s also a map that includes this route here.
4. Charlbury Circular Walk
Next on my list of the best Cotswolds walks is a circular walk in Charlbury. This 4-mile (6.4-kilometer) route will take you into the English countryside and through the ancient Wychwood Forest.
This walk is officially called “Circular Walk: Charlbury No.2 (Oxon Way)”, but it’s much more exciting than the rather clinical name suggests.
The route starts and ends in the town of Charlbury in the Evenlode Valley in Oxfordshire. There are great country pubs and beautiful streets here, so it’s worth spending some time eating and exploring before setting off.
Much of this walk follows the Oxfordshire Way. It’s a famous long-distance walk from Bourton-on-the-Water in Gloucestershire to the Thames in Henley. Along the way it crosses over the River Evenlode and passes wooded groves and copses.
This walk is for you if you’re looking for a mix of pretty town scenery and classic rural landscapes. It’s not as long as some of the others, so it’s a good one if you’re looking for something you can do in an afternoon.
This is also a great one if you don’t have a car, as there’s a train station in Charlbury near where the route begins. There are direct rail services from London, so it’s an easy day trip from the UK capital.
It’s worth staying longer to experience more of the town and surrounding area, though. If you have time to spend a night here, there are lots of great places to stay in Charlbury. You can book one here.
You can find the full route, map, photos, and video for this hike on my blog post about a Charlbury circular walk. There’s more in my post about spending 3 days in the Cotswolds without a car, too.
5. Kingham Circular Walk
Fifth on my list of the best Cotswolds walks is a circular walk in Kingham. This 10.5-mile (17-kilometer) walk will take you into the English countryside and to some pretty villages and towns.
The route will guide you to a local pub for lunch in Churchill, into Chipping Norton for some exploration, and back to Kingham at the end.
Along the way you’ll go up gentle hills, over culverts, through stiles, and past ha-has. You’ll also walk by the eye-catching Bliss Tweed Mill, a historic building that looks like a cross between a stately home and a factory.
This walk is for you if you’re looking for a longer route with lots of countryside scenery and quintessential towns and villages.
It’s is also ideal if you don’t want to drive, as there’s a train station in Kingham not far from where the route begins. There are direct rail services from London, so you can do it as a day trip from the UK capital if you leave early.
It’s easier to spend a night, though. There are lots of great places to stay in Kingham, and the village is worth a visit. You can book accommodation here. My favorite is the The Kingham Plough.
This walk is a combination of two separate routes. On the way out you can follow the Cotswolds Conservation Board’s “Walk Eight: Kingham and Churchill“.
On the way back, you can follow the board’s “Walk Eleven: Mills and Meadows” route backwards. There’s lots more about it on my blog post about a Kingham circular walk and my aforementioned post about 3 days in the Cotswolds without a car.
Other Walks in the Cotswolds
If you’re looking for more challenging routes, you can do long-distance walks in the Cotswolds. These include the Monarch’s Way, the Cotswolds Way, the Fosse Way, and the Heart of England Way.
These footpaths offer multi-day journeys that will take you through the highlights of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and beyond.
The Cotswolds Way is a particularly good one to do if you want to see the area from Gloucestershire in the north to Somerset in the south.
This 102-mile (164-kilometer) walking route goes from Chipping Campden to Bath and passes through famous villages like Painswick and Broadway along the way.
Cotswolds Walking Map
As promised, I created an interactive map of all the Cotswolds walks I mentioned. You can find it here. If you click on the pins, you can see my relevant blog posts about each one. I hope it helps you plan the perfect ramble!
Cotswolds Walks
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about these Cotswolds walks. They’re great ways to see the best of the English countryside and get some exercise at the same time.
I’ve published a lot of other walks and compiled them in my country walks near London blog post, too. It’s a helpful resource if you want to see all my walking routes and maps in one place.
I’ll add more Cotswolds walks to this post as I do them, so you can bookmark it or Pin it on Pinterest for future reference. Happy walking!
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