Gloucestershire Tourist Guide - Articles

The Cotswold Way is a long-distance footpath of just over 100 miles mainly on the edge of the Cotswold escarpement with good views over the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham. It is due to be officially designated as a National Trail on 24th May 2007, and several new rights of way will have been created.

It runs from Bath to Chipping Campden through or near to the following towns:

* Old Sodbury, near Chipping Sodbury
* Wotton-under-Edge
* Dursley
* Stroud
* Painswick
* Cranham
* Leckhampton
* Cheltenham
* Winchcombe
* Stanway
* Broadway

Because it closely follows the scarp of the Cotswold Edge, the Way usually affords good views, mainly to the North and West - starting in the south with the Severn Estuary and bridges, the meanders of the River Severn above Sharpness, the Forest of Dean, the Welsh hills of Monmouthshire and the Black Mountains on the Welsh border to the west. The distinctive shape of May Hill is visible for much of the route, as is the long spine of the Malvern Hills. Gloucester Cathedral can also be seen from the path.

Further north on the path, above Cheltenham, there are old quarries containing rock features such as the Devil's Chimney at Leckhampton. After
Cleeve Hill the escarpment starts to turn to the east, giving views across the Vale of Evesham. The classic Cotswold villages of Stanton and Stanway are visited, then Broadway village, before the final steep ascent to Broadway Tower and the scenic descent to Chipping Campden.

The Cotswold Way passes numerous places of interest, including the site of the Battle of Lansdowne (pictured above), the Somerset Monument, theTyndale Monument, Sudeley Castle, Cleeve Hill, Hailes Abbey, and the Broadway Tower. In total the walk is 166km long (103 miles). With the exception of a small stretch around Broadway (which is in Worcestershire), the entire walkway is within Gloucestershire (including South Gloucestershire) and Somerset (including Bath & North East Somerset).

Besides being popular with walkers, the Way is presently run annually as a 10-stage relay from North to South, usually in early July. The winning team typically takes an aggregate time of about 12 hours. It is run under Fell Runners' Association rules and organised by City of Bath Athletic Club.

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