Places To Stay Along The Cotswold Way
Our wonderful Cotswold hotels are ideally located to rest your head after an action-packed day exploring the Cotswold Way. Treat yourself at our on-site restaurants serving delicious meals, paired with our award-winning Butcombe beers.
The Beckford Inn
The Beckford Inn is a beautiful and newly refurbished 19th-century Cotswold pub and hotel in the village of Beckford, near Tewkesbury. With 12 boutique bedrooms full of comfy furnishings and personal touches, we offer the ideal base to recharge before or after a day exploring the Cotswold Way, while also offering easy access to Cheltenham, Stratford-upon-Avon, and the M5. Inside, you’ll find cosy interiors, stone floors, open fires and an open-plan restaurant space where you can enjoy a delicious meal. Outside, you can relax in our spacious beer garden with a pint of our award-winning Butcombe ale.
Broad Street Townhouse
See all that the beautiful city of Bath has to offer with a stay at Broad Street Townhouse hotel, a Grade II-listed building based in the heart of the Roman city. Each of the 11 luxurious boutique rooms offer the ideal surroundings to relax after an exhausting day exploring the Cotswold Way walking trail. Guests can take a break in the ground floor café/bar, or enjoy a more hearty meal at our sister venue next door, The Pig & Fiddle pub. Find out why The Sunday Times voted Broad Street Townhouse one of the Best Hotels in the South West, and book your stay today.
The Prince Of Burford
The Prince Of Burford is a traditional pub and hotel converted from an 18th-century coaching inn, located in Burford on the edge of the Cotswold hills. We have 16 charming and comfortable ensuite rooms with dog-friendly and family-friendly options available, offering the ideal base for exploring the Cotswold Way, the Oxfordshire countryside and the historic city of Oxford. On the menu, our focus is locally sourced seasonal dishes and exciting takes on pub classics, with a cracking selection of award-winning Butcombe beer, cocktails and wines behind the bar.
The Crown
Just a stone’s throw from Dyrham Park and within easy reach of Bath, The Crown inn has 9 welcoming ensuite rooms, perfect for a sound night’s sleep after exploring the Cotswold Way.
On the menu at the on-site restaurant, you’ll find a cracking selection of hearty pub classics, perfectly paired with a variety of Butcombe beers behind the bar.
The Fleet Inn
Welcome to The Fleet Inn, in Twyning, near Tewkesbury. We are a riverside pub, hotel, and restaurant with a history dating back to the 1800s, three boutique bedrooms, a huge beer garden, and heated pergola terrace. We’re ideally positioned for guests who would like to trek the Cotswold Way, Cheltenham (and its world-famous racecourse), Tewkesbury and other famous Cotswold attractions. On the pub menu, our focus is locally sourced produce, seasonal ingredients and pub classics, while behind the bar, we offer a wide range of real ale, craft beer, lager and cider from our award-winning brewery, Butcombe, and a cocktail menu with all the classics.
How Long Does It Take To Walk The Cotswold Way?
If you want to tackle the entire 102-mile trail, it can take between 7-10 days, although if you’d prefer to visit a few sites, villages, or towns along the way, it could take longer.
However, if you’d rather walk part of the Cotswold Way, there are a range of circular walks for you to explore.
The routes below cover the entire Cotswold Way and are all within close proximity to our hotels (listed in brackets)
Broadway & The Tower (Beckford Inn, Prince Of Burford & The Fleet Inn)
This walk is approximately 4 miles long and will take most walkers around 3 hours to complete. You will enjoy the wonderful views towards Wales when at Broadway Tower, though the historic high street of Broadway itself is equally as spectacular.
This isn’t an easy route, encountering some steep and muddy sections along the way, therefore isn’t suitable for novice walkers.
Stanton, Snowshill & The Edge (Beckford Inn, Prince Of Burford & The Fleet Inn)
This walk is around 6 miles long and takes most walkers between 4-5 hours to complete. Stanton and Snowshill are both sleepy villages in the Cotswolds and you will walk between them while negotiating hills, valleys, woodlands and steep slopes.
As this can be quite a daunting walk, there is a shortcut that reduces the distance to approximately 3 miles and the duration to between 2-2.5 hours.
After wet weather, you will almost certainly encounter muddy conditions, so make sure you bring appropriate footwear.
Winchcombe & Belas Knap (Beckford Inn, Prince Of Burford & The Fleet Inn)
This walk is approximately 5 miles long and will take most walkers around 4 hours to complete. Starting in the picturesque Cotswold town of Winchcombe, you will enjoy the unspoilt beauty before climbing up to Belas Knap and realising for yourself why so much fascination surrounds this ancient monument.
A shortcut exists for this walk, reducing the distance to around 3.5 miles and the duration to 3 hours or so.
The Cleeve Hill Ring (Beckford Inn, Prince Of Burford & The Fleet Inn)
This walk is around 6 miles long and takes most walkers between 4-5 hours to complete. This walk takes you across Cleeve Common, home to some of the finest limestone grassland in the Cotswolds. You will also pass through woodlands, over (or through) streams and across the hills.
The shortcut for this walk reduces the distance to approximately 4 miles and the duration to about 3 hours.
The Leckhampton Loop (Beckford Inn, Prince Of Burford & The Fleet Inn)
This walk is approximately 4.5 miles long and will take most walkers around 3 hours to complete. With ancient remains and Victorian quarries to take in, this particular route offers a Cotswold experience like no other.
There is no shortcut for this walk and it does contain some steep sections, so may not be suitable for novice walkers.
Old Sodbury – The Hillfort & The Church (Broad Street Townhouse)
Old Sodbury is situated on the western edge of the Cotswolds, approximately 14 miles north of Bath. This circular walk is less than 3 miles long and should take most walkers less than 3 hours to complete.
Starting in Old Sodbury, you will take in the views of beautiful farmland as you climb up towards St John’s church. As you continue through the countryside enjoying the far-reaching views, you will come to an iron-age hillfort, which is known locally as Sodbury Camp.
For walkers following the Cotswold Way from north to south, you can continue from here towards the final leg of the Cotswold Way.
Journey’s End – The Walk Into Bath (Broad Street Townhouse)
The final section of the Cotswold Way (when heading from north to south) begins in Lansdown, near to the Park & Ride.
This is a linear walk with a total distance of around 6 miles, of which the majority is downhill, so shouldn’t take much longer than 4 hours to complete.
You will take in the wonderful views from Kelston Round Hill as you descend into the city, where you will then start to see the beautiful Georgian architecture of the Royal Crescent and The Circus.
Hawkesbury Upton To Tormarton (The Crown Inn)
This walk is approximately 8 miles long and will take most walkers less than 4 hours to complete.
During this walk, you will take in the National Trust property of Horton Court before climbing up to Horton Fort to enjoy the breathtaking views of the Severn Vale.
The final stages of the walk includes passing through Dodington Park and into the beautiful village of Tormarton.
Tormarton To Cold Ashton (The Crown Inn)
This walk is situated nearest to The Crown and passes around the perimeter wall of the nearby Dyrham Park.
From Dyrham, the trail takes you through Dyrham Woods and through unspoilt farmland into the village of Cold Ashton.
This route is around 7 miles long, and most walkers should complete it within 3 hours.
Cold Ashton To Bath (The Crown Inn)
One of the most beautiful parts of the entire Cotswold Way walk, this walk takes you through charming villages and past historic battlegrounds, before giving you the first glimpses of the Roman city of Bath.
You will pass through Lower Hamswell, past Bath Racecourse and onto Bath Abbey, which marks the end of the Cotswold Way walk.
At approximately 10 miles in length, most walkers should complete this route in around 4 hours.
What Do I Need To Bring To Walk The Cotswold Way?
If you’re planning to walk the entirety of the Cotswold Way, it’s best to bring a backpack with:
A first aid kit
A refillable water bottle (there are places to stop along the way to fill it up)
Light snacks (although you can stop at one of our friendly pubs in the Cotswolds)
Comfortable walking boots that can withstand some mud
Spare pairs of thick socks (in case your feet get wet)
A waterproof jacket to suit the weather
Sun cream, whether it’s warm or cold
Your smartphone – most of the Cotswolds has good phone signal, but not necessarily 4G, although you can stop by one of our pubs with WiFi in the Cotswolds if you want to stay connected
A tent and camping equipment, or, if you’d rather pack light and sleep on a comfy bed, why not stay at one of our Cotswold hotels?