A little to the north and east of the Severn Estuary, within comfortable reach of London, the Cotswolds is an area of gentle hills and valleys. With its picturesque villages in their yellow local stone, it is commonly thought to be the essentially English region. The Cotswold Way was designated a local distance footpath in 1970 and a National Trail in 1998. It runs along the western escarpment, starting close to Shakespeare's Stratford and finishing in Bath.

On our Cotswold-Way web site you will find an accommodation service. Each of the main settlements along the path is listed, with details of accommodation available there. You can make your own bookings and take advantage of a range of other commercial services on offer. For assistance with your planning, look at the factsheet. The chat bulletin board enables you to tap the advice of experienced walkers. We review a range of guidebooks and maps in the Bookshop, and these are available for you to order.

If you haven't made up your mind exactly which long distance path is for you, explore some others by clicking on Links. We are constantly working on improvements and welcome your comments. Please mention Cotswold-Way when booking; this helps to assure the future of the site for the benefit of many more walkers following in your footsteps. Happy walking.