If you are a keen walker, have a week to spare and would like to enjoy a taste of medieval England 'frozen in time', then why not try the Cotswold Way.

Introduction
The Cotswold's, in the heart of England, consist of a limestone escarpment with a long dipping slope. It rises up gently from the east and drops steeply to the west. The 'Cotswold Way' takes the edge of that scarp, keeping to the high ground as it explores the area from Chipping Campden (just south of Stratford Upon Avon) at the northern end to Bath in the south about 100 miles away. The path links these two major tourist destinations.

Unusually for a long-distance footpath, the 'Cotswold Way' seeks out villages and towns. The land has been tamed for centuries, but it is very pretty countryside and has many delightful villages with their honey coloured stonework.

In medieval times, wool was the basis of England's wealth and sheep fared well on the Cotswolds. The wool merchants grew fabulously rich and competed with each other to display their wealth. This resulted in the magnificent 'wool' churches of the area. The villages remain relatively unchanged from those times because of the dramatic decline of wool trade in the 17C. Even today, it is still a very affluent area. The walk encompasses other periods of English history including prehistoric hillforts, Roman ruins, medieval villages and fine stately homes.

It poses no problems in terms of terrain or weather conditions but there can be some muddy sections and slippery slopes. There are some short steep ascents, but the highest point is only 330m high.

The 'Cotswold Way' is generally marked very well, with small arrows and a white dot in the centre, but you may miss an occasional path because the entire area is criss-crossed by hundreds of footpaths and stiles. Use the excellent Ordnance Survey maps 150,151,162,163 and 172 as a guide.

You can walk the route from either direction, but this brief guide will take you from north to south: All destinations have Tourist Offices where you can find out about available accommodation of either Bed and Breakfast or hotels or will help plan your entire week.

Getting to the start: Chipping Campden
Stratford upon Avon and Evesham can be reached by rail or National Express coach and there are regular buses from there to Chipping Campden, which lies north of the A44 between Oxford and Evesham. Chipping Campden is described in my other article in the Europe Travel Guide.

Day 1: Chipping Campden to Broadway (6 miles)
Start at St James Church, which is visible for miles. Climbing up to Dover Hill, you reach the start of the Cotswold Edge. You follow Mile Drive across the fields to Broadway Tower, an elegant 1798 folly. Then descend to the touristy but picturesque village of Broadway.

Day 2: Broadway to Winchcombe (12 miles)
Climbing to Broadway Coppice, you pass Buckland village. If you have time, consider a visit to the interesting Snowshill Manor. The Way climbs to Shenbarrow, an Iron Age hillfort and drops down to Stanton, a picture postcard village.

Crossing the fields to Stanway House you then climb to another Iron Age fort, then descend to the medieval ruins of Hailes Abbey. Nearby, the tiny St Nicholas church still has its walls decorated with fading 13th Century murals. You then follow an old pilgrim's route to Winchcombe, an old silk making town.

Day 3: Winchcombe to Cheltenham (11 miles)
Passing Sudeley Castle just outside the town, you climb up to Belas Knapp, a 4000-year-old Neolithic burial barrow. The way then winds around Cleeve Common, but you could cut off a few miles by cutting straight across. The views from the top are excellent. The route drops steeply down to Dowdeswell Reservoir.

You leave the route for the Cheltenham suburb of Charlton Kings where accommodation is available or head for the town centre. Cheltenham is an elegant regency town tainted with ugly shopping centres, but it has the best facilities on the walk.

Day 4: Cheltenham to Painswick (19 miles)
Returning to the reservoir, you climb up through the pretty Lineover Wood eventually reaching the Seven Springs Inn. At Leckhampton Hill, the 'Devil's Chimney' is just off the edge of the plateau. This 'natural' rock pinnacle was actually made by 19th Century quarryworkers.

Walking through Crickley Hill Country Club, you reach the village of Shurdington. Then on to Birdlip, through more woods, passing close to the Roman villa remains at Great Witcombe. After crossing Cooper's Hill, you pass near Prinknash Abbey and eventually enter the village of Painswick with a wide choice of accommodation. St Mary's Church dominates the centre.

Day 5: Painswick to Dursley (16 miles)
Ascending to Haresfield Beacon, you pass through Standish Wood and gradually drop down to the Frome River. Climbing back up through more woods, you pass the Nympsfield long barrow and another one called Hetty Pegler's Tump. After the Uleybury hillfort, there is a steep climb across fields to Cam Long down and an undulating walk along the top of this long ridge. Eventually you descend to Dursley.

Day 6: Dursley to Old Sodbury (20 miles)
Cut off two miles to the summit of Stinchcombe Hill by walking across the golf course, rather than around it. Then descend to North Nibley. Another climb takes you to the Tyndale Monument (William Tyndale made the first translation of the Bible into English in the 16th Century).

Continuing through Westridge Woods, you emerge to a lookout above Wotton-under-Edge at Jubilee Clump. Then drop steeply to the once prosperous wool town. The route climbs up and then down to Alderley. Passing the towering 1846 Somerset Monument you walk onto Horton village, Little Sodbury, through the Sodbury hillfort and onto Old Sodbury.

Day 7: Old Sodbury to Bath (19 miles)
Your last day continues through fields and Tormarton, then skirts Dyrham House's deer park. After Pennsylvania, you reach Cold Ashton. The route crosses more fields to the Granville Monument, a 1642 Civil War battleground. Onto Penn Hill, with occasional glimpses of Bath below. A brief diversion into Weston's suburban sprawl takes you onto Royal Victoria Park, Royal Avenue and past Royal Crescent into the centre of Bath where the 'Cotswold Way' ends at the Abbey.

Bath
The town's fortune has revolved around its hot springs for 2000 years, which were first utilised by the Romans and can still be visited. During the 18th Century, Bath was a fashionable and elegant city, which was enhanced by its glorious Georgian architecture. UNESCO has since classed it as a World Heritage Site. It has since joined the "must see" list of any tourist.

Questions?
If you want more information about this area you can email the author or check out our Europe Insiders page.