- Kim Gilman
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
During our sabbatical two years ago, we enjoyed several visits to the Cotswolds, a designated scenic area in southern England known for its rolling hills and storybook villages. But we didn't get around to hiking on the 102-mile Cotswold Way, a public footpath that wanders through the hills and villages from Chipping Camden to Bath. The only exception was a short segment ascending to Broadway Tower, which was pretty glorious.
The Cotswolds were only accessible from our place in Oxfordshire by car, and I don't much like driving on the left side of the road. But this summer I discovered I could take a train from London to Stroud, hike a section of the trail, get a bus back to Stroud and meet up with Robin near Silchester, a place on our list to visit this summer. I made all the arrangements, then a 95+ degree heat wave struck! Our rental house (like most) does not have air conditioning, so I figured I might as well swelter on the trail as stay home and swelter.
My original plan was to take the first train of the morning, which would have put me on the trail around 9:15 AM. To beat the heat, I needed to start closer to dawn. So I revised my plan, took an evening train the night before, and found a nearby air-conditioned hotel room (added bonus!). The next morning, I still had to take one more brief train trip to my starting point in the village of Stonehouse, and the earliest train of the day got me on the trail at 5:25 AM.
It was all so worth it! I loved every step I took on the Cotswold Way. It was slightly challenging to map out since all the guides and websites cater to the vast majority of "walkers" who proceed North to South. Due to transportation logistics, I was going South to North. (And it was funny to get repeated comments from those out walking their dogs, or just enjoying a short stroll, such as "do you realize you're going the opposite way of most?") But everyone I met was very nice and interested to chat to a hiker with a backpack. I'm especially grateful to the woman out with her dog, who I met around Hour 1, not at all sure I was actually ON the Cotswold Way. No I wasn't! She gave me directions and within a few minutes I had descended from the path I was on (just a nice local one) and gotten onto the official trail.
The scenery was everything I imagined, and I was rewarded near the end of my hike with one of the best wildflower meadows ever. The section I had chosen passed through a long stretch of forest, affording some much-welcome shade. The only thing that really surprised me was the lack of sheep -- normally everywhere in those parts! I did meet some very friendly cows however.
Back to those logistics -- Google A.I. had described my route as 6.5 miles between my two chosen villages. At the end of the day, All Trails said I had done 10 miles. I'm going to believe the latter because 1.) it took me almost 7 hours and 2.) my legs were feeling it! I don't think I would have planned to walk quite that long on such a hot day, but what could I do but keep going?
As the day wore on, I met several hikers who were walking the entire 102-mile route. There is no camping available along the trail, so long-distance hikers stay in inns along the way. I considered whether I ever wanted to walk the whole thing, and I decided not. I love the Cotswolds and have enjoyed all the time I've spent in the area, but there are so many other walks to take!
Well, my train back to meet up with Robin was delayed a couple of hours, but I was happy to sit on a bench in the shade of the station and read the book I had carried with me. That evening we had dinner in the sweet garden of a country pub, and the next morning we enjoyed visiting the ruins of the ancient Roman city at Silchester. We capped off our little road trip by swinging past our old neighborhood in Oxfordshire, lunching at our favorite pub in Souldern (The Fox Inn), then heading home to Brentwood to wait out the heat wave.
Only the vast city walls and the foundation of the amphitheater remain of the major Roman city at Silchester, 2000 years old.
Here are drinks, dinner, and the relaxing garden at The Wellington Arms in Baughurst.
Next: we return to Biarritz, France for a long weekend of tournament bridge and some beach time; then in mid-July we begin our road trip to Scotland.
