About | The Cotswold Way

thecotswoldway.org is an independent planning guide to the Cotswold Way National Trail, the 102-mile route along the Cotswold escarpment from Chipping Campden to Bath. We bring together the practical information walkers need, section by section, in one free resource.

Who runs this site

Hi! I’m Sam and I’m the author of thecotswoldway.org. I’m an avid hiker and am making it my mission to walk and document all the National Trails in the UK.

I first got into hiking in 2023, when I set out to explore the North Downs Way from Farnham to Dover. That experience opened my eyes to the pitfalls of navigating long-distance footpaths, where missing or misleading signage made getting lost a frustratingly regular occurrence. So I decided to publish my own maps and guides to help future hikers stay on the right track!

So far I’ve documented the North Downs Way, the Thames Path, the Ridgeway and now the Cotswold Way, with many more still in the works. All of these sites are updated regularly to make them as helpful as possible for readers.

How our guides are put together

Our section guides are researched and written from first-hand accounts of UK National Trails, so we want to be clear about where our information comes from:

Route and distances are based on the official National Trail route. Our interactive maps are built from GPS route data using GPS Visualizer.
Landmarks and history are checked against the organisations that look after them, such as the National Trust, English Heritage and Historic England. We link to their pages from each section guide so you can read more.
Published guidebooks, including the ones on our Trail Guides page, help us cross-check route details.

Where something can change, such as opening times, facilities or transport, we point you to the official source rather than repeat details that may go out of date.

Keeping it accurate

Paths get diverted, pubs close and bus routes change. We review our section guides and maps periodically to make sure information stays up to date.

If you spot something that’s wrong or out of date, please let us know. We aim to check and correct reported errors within a few weeks at the latest.

Walked the Cotswold Way? Share what you learned

We’d love to hear from people who’ve walked the trail, whether it was the whole route or a single section. Tips about tricky navigation, good pubs and cafés, places to stay or things you wish you’d known all help the next walker.

With your permission, we’ll add your tips to the relevant section guide and credit you by name. Send us your tips.

How the site is funded

The site is free to use. It’s paid for by adverts and by affiliate links to guidebooks on Amazon, accommodation on Booking.com and the Cotswold Way Guide route planner. If you buy through one of these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

We do accept payment for accommodation listings, but whether a place is listed depends on it being feasibly reachable from the main Cotswold Way route. We do our best to list places that are close to the trail and accept one-night bookings.

Our privacy policy explains how ads, analytics and affiliate links use cookies.

Get in touch

Questions, corrections or tips are all welcome. Use the contact form or email walkingtheuktrails@gmail.com.