The remains of Great Witcombe Roman Villa serve as a reminder of when the Romans were in Britain.įields of sheep are testament to the time in the Middle Ages when Cotswold wool was a highly sought after product and the wealth from the wool and cloth trade can still be seen in the form of beautiful manor houses, fine merchants’ houses and even a castle Sudeley Castle near Winchcombe. Along the way you pass two Neolithic Long Barrows, which are stone burial chambers covered by grassy mounds, as well as evidence of hill forts from the Iron Age. The route manages to chart the history of this part of England from prehistoric times onwards.
KOODA B WALKING THROUGH THE VILLE FULL
In fact, one of the first things that struck me about the route was that it was full of Canadians and small groups of fit and hearty-looking women of a certain age, ourselves included (apart from Gerald of course).īut it was not always so and walking the Cotswold Way does feel like a journey through time. Today it appears that the main industry of the Cotswolds, apart from farming, is tourism. The Cotswold Way is a journey through time Farmland stretched as far as the eye could see, with neat fields of grazing sheep divided by Cotswold dry stone walls. We passed fields of harvested wheat and walked through fields of corn so high it towered above our heads. The scenery along the route varies and includes miles of beech woodlands complete with overgrown and deserted quarries where once Cotswold stone was dug. From here the views are breath-taking at times and on a clear day you can see all the way across to the Black Mountains in Wales. With streets lined with thatched cottages, beautifully kept gardens and solid houses built of golden Cotswold stone, the Cotswolds reflect the ultimate rural idyll.įor the first few days of the walk the path follows an escarpment overlooking the Severn Vale and the cities of Cheltenham and Gloucester. In September I set off with my partner, two friends and a dog named Gerald along the Cotswold Way.ĭescribed as a ‘quintessentially English landscape’ the Cotswold Way offers walkers typical picture-perfect Cotswold Villages like Chipping Campden, Broadway and Stanton. It’s the perfect trail for London hikers as in less than two hours you can be in Chipping Campden ready to begin your walk. It’s the Cotswold Way, of course, a National Trail that is 102 miles long and runs from the market town of Chipping Campden in the heart of the Cotswolds to the city of Bath.
What National Trail in Britain takes you through an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a World Heritage site?
Angie Macdonald shares her recent experience of walking the Cotswold Way: a National Trail just two hours from London!