I kicked off my Cotswold Way adventure journal series last week with a blog post about the preparations I made before heading out on this famous National Trail. If that first chapter was subtitled ‘on getting ready’, this post, should be considered ‘chapter two: the walking begins’.

And what a beginning it was!

We did the same first day as most people seem to when hiking the Cotswold Way; starting off reasonably big with 18.5 miles from Chipping Campden to Winchcombe. This combined the first two sections in the Cicerone guidebook, and would be a decent first chunk towards our goal of walking to Bath.

In a Good Mood

We walked up hills, across fields, in thick woodland, through villages, and past historical sites. We saw cows, horses and oh so many cute little lambs – complete with sticky out ears! There was a little over 2,300 feet of ascent, which was not insignificant, but this was nicely stretched out along the route, so while it wasn’t a complete breeze, it was a lovely and reasonably easy trail to walk.

The weather helped. We might have started with an unexpectedly foggy morning in Chipping Camden, but the heavy rain forecast for the afternoon didn’t materialise and we had lovely sunshine for most of the day. The temperature was perfect; warm enough to stuff my jacket into my pack after an hour, but cool enough that I didn’t sweat on the ascents.

One Day at a Time

My body clearly thought it was just on a single day hike, because it just let me get on with the miles and enjoy the trail without so much as a niggle until it knew we’d finished for the day. I think I must have tricked my mind into actually taking one day at a time for a change! In my journal that evening I wrote that I had felt truly comfortable, and I think that’s a fair evaluation.

We made great time, completing the first day in a little under seven hours including a decent lunch break and a nice long snack break on the perfect bench at the top of the last hill. We really did cruise along! I certainly felt the big and fast miles by the time we reached Winchcombe, but the aches were filled with happiness and satisfaction, not worries.

It’s fair to say that Fiona and I landed back at my house after day one of the Cotswold Way completely buzzing. We had such a great day on the tail, felt good, and were incredibly excited for the rest of the week. Let me tell you about it…

Cotswold Way Day 1

Saturday, Chipping Campden to Winchcombe, 18.5 miles

With all the preparations done, including those wait-until-morning ones such as filling up my water bottles, deciding I did need to start with my jacket on, and adding another snack or two just in case, it was time to actually get on and hike. We left home at 8.15am, chauffeured to Chipping Campden by my husband, and were stood at the starting point of the Cotswold Way around 8.45am.

These days the official start of the Cotswold Way is directly outside the old covered Market Hall on the high street in Chipping Campden. There’s a lovely circular plaque made from limestone with a brass acorn set in it (the symbol for all National Trails), created by Iain Cotton. Along with place names from along the Cotswold Way, the words carved around the edge of the plaque are by TS Elliott: “Now the light falls across the open field, leaving the deep lane shuttered with branches, dark in the afternoon”. 

On Our Way

We arrived at the same time as another couple who were also walking the Cotswold Way. They were as obvious as we were; decked out in walking gear, carrying packs, and having been delivered by a third non-hiking member of the team. The couple, and I failed to ask their names, were doing the trail in a similar way to us – a couple of day hikes thanks to a willing family member taxiing them around, followed by a few nights in B&Bs. We were booked into the same pub for dinner on Monday evening so would catch up with them then if we didn’t see them before. After that we would be on different schedules as they were aiming for a Friday afternoon finish.

Our task over the next week, was to reach the second Cotswold Way marker stone, which is set in the ground outside Bath Abbey, officially 102 miles away. And after a quick photo shoot, as is practically the law when starting a National Trail, we headed off to do just that.

A Foggy Start

As I mentioned above, we had an unexpectedly foggy start. It wasn’t unpleasant, just a little eerie, especially as we made our way out of the village and into the countryside. What could – should – have been big views were covered up by the low cloud. It made the beginning of the walk feel strangely personal, maybe the weather was trying to give us a deep and meaningful start to the adventure.

We were on top of our first hill – Dover’s Hill – in just 20 minutes. Our first trig pillar of the hike, sitting at 225m above sea level, should have provided clear views over the Vale of Evesham from this natural amphitheatre on a spur of the Cotswold ridge. Alas, no such views on this occasion, but I did my best to remember it from the last time I was here.

The Cotswolds’ Most Famous Landmark

We had our first taste of the expected mud by slipping and sliding along for half a mile before picking up Mile Drive and heading over crop fields to the picnic site at Fish Hill, by which time the cloud had lifted a little and we were treated to some blue sky.

This country-park-like area where the Cotswold Way crosses the A44 is known for its wildflowers, colourful woods, ‘Giants’ Steps’ and an old quarry. I really should come back here to explore properly sometime. We made use of the public loos – I’m not afraid of a wild wee but always make use of proper facilities when they are available – and continued on our way.

After crossing the busy A44, we wandered along the contour line on the edge of the escarpment to Broadway Tower. The Tower itself has an entry fee, and the car park here costs as well, but arriving on foot meant we could at least get up close to one of the Cotswold’s most famous landmarks (which features as the cover on the OS Explorer Map) for free. The Norman-style keep with rounded turrets was designed by James Wyatt in 1798, and sits on a grassy knoll surrounded by a country park, providing amazing views all around.

There’s a café if you fancy wandering through the parkland, but we were loaded up with tea and banana bread from home and had our eyes on a bench halfway down the steep descent to Broadway itself, which was a most suitable stop after our first couple of hours on the Cotswold Way.

Broadway

We saw the same trail runner three or four times as we made our way down the grassy meadow into Broadway. Honestly how to they do it? Hill reps up and down that particular hill (or any hill…) is hardcore – and at no point did he seem out of breath to me!  

The Cotswold Way heads right along the main street in Broadway, a very busy Cotswold village popular with tourists and full of upmarket shops and deli bistros. If you’re missing a bit of gear then you’ll find walking clothing and some accessories in Landmark Walking, a very dangerous place to enter if you like outdoor gear.

And if you need brunch, or just a proper coffee and a slice of cake, then you’re spoilt for choice, although my personal favourite is Leaf and Bean. Of course, we’d already done better with homemade banana bread thanks to Fiona just minutes earlier, so we walked on through and out the other side without giving into temptation or getting caught up in the business of this trendy place.

Stott Lamps

Our plan was to reach Stanton before we stopped for lunch. First, we had four-ish miles to walk, up and over a couple of hills which were each enough to make my lungs work hard (cue panting Zoe), but not terribly taxing on the legs. The second of those – Shenbarrow Hill – is the site of a large Iron Age hill fort, one of many such archaeological features we would see along the Cotswold Way.

The descent into the very small Cotswold village of Stanton was steep and slippery, but we both made it down the hill without falling on our butts (result!). We made a bench next to one of the famous Stott Lamps our home for a boots-off lunch break.

Baronet Philip Stott, an engineer and architect who had built cotton mills in England and on the continent, bought most of the buildings in Stanton in 1906, improving and restoring them. He completed a reservoir, extended the school and installed heating, built a swimming pool for the local children, provided a cricket field – and lit the main street with ‘Stott lamps’ powered by his own generator. Nice bloke!

As this was a day hike, I had packed my lunch at home in my favourite SIGG lunch box. I munched on a beef and cucumber roll, packet of mini cheddars, a few cherry tomatoes, and a handful of grapes. I also had a little dry bag with some of my favourite hiking snacks that I could dip in and out of as I liked – dried fruit and nuts, chocolate, sweets, bars, you know the kind of thing.  

Big Afternoon Views

Boots back on, the walk from Stanton to Stanway cut across meadows just a little bit higher than the lowlands that stretch out to the west, providing stunning views into the distance. We could see the route of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR) from here, which runs from Cheltenham Racecourse to Broadway. The air was so still that when a train did go by, the scene including the steam from the funnel was absolutely picture perfect. Shame I only had my phone with me.  

Stanway – Church Stanway – itself is tiny, even smaller than Stanton. Despite its small size, it’s packed full of beautiful old and interesting buildings, including a tithe barn, church, a Jacobean mansion (Stanway House), and a thirteenth-century water mill that once belonged to the monks of Tewkesbury Abbey. The Cotswold Way route takes you past each of these in turn – if it wasn’t for the tarmac lane and modern cars, you’d think you’d walked back in time.

Our last ascent of the first day started at Wood Stanway and took us up through Thrift Wood Farm. It felt long and steep, although I knew I’d have steeper the following day, so did my best to feel the burn without paying too much attention to it. In fairness, it was fine. Yes, I am still so incredibly slow going uphill, which I find personally frustrating (read more in my day zero post). I just need to learn to enjoy the plodding, take in the views, and work my way up at my own pace, something which I think I did manage on the Cotswold Way, and as such something I hope that will stay with me for future hikes.

A Perfectly Located Bench

It was even hot! Given that we’d started in such low cloud in the morning, we celebrated being too warm now the sun was out and the views were clear; all the more reason to make use of the most perfectly placed bench at the top of the hill for a snack break. Actually, this was a very important bench – earlier in the afternoon, and again while we made our way up the hill, Fiona had promised me there was a bench which would make an ideal stopping point. She remembered it from her first Cotswold Way attempt a couple of years ago. It’s a good job she was right as it was the thing that helped me up that hill!

We would soon start heading back downhill again, but first we walked through Beckbury Camp, a large Iron Age hill fort with a single ditch and rampart of around four metres high. In the corner of the hillfort there’s a nineteenth-century limestone pillar built on the site of a spring, which has alcoves, basins and an extending stone slab known as ‘Cromwell’s Seat’. Apparently, this is where Thomas Cromwell watched Hailes Abbey burning in the valley below following its dissolution. Charming.  

We walked down to Hailes Fruit Farm, where we decided to pass by the café in favour of promised treats in Winchcombe in a short while, and along to the remains of Hailes Abbey. Founded in 1246 by the Earl of Cornwall, Hailes Abbey was home to monks for nearly three centuries before Henry VIII had his issues in the 1500s. I visited here recently with my parents, and it’s a very interesting site, worth a mooch around if you have time (and English Heritage membership).

No Ice Cream in Winchcombe

The route into Winchcombe was gorgeous, one I’ll happily hike again. It was really pretty, especially the woodland with both bluebells and wild garlic. We walked down an easy-going rocky trail to the village, and then along the main street as far as St Peter’s Church.

I’ll be honest, I had very much hoped for an ice cream when we arrived in Winchcombe. Or maybe a milkshake. We wandered along the various streets, only finding one deli which didn’t look muddy-boot friendly, and a couple of closed cafes (it was 3.30pm on a Saturday). There didn’t seem to be anywhere serving ice cream cones, which was a missed opportunity in my eyes.

I noted in my journal that evening, that “I could have got a Twister from the newsagent, but that really wasn’t it”. I mean, when a lady wants proper ice cream, only proper ice cream will do! And spoiler alert, I had no ice cream the entire length of the Cotswold Way – not even in Bath at the end of the trail. Something wrong there, I think you’ll agree.

Being such a popular place for walking – and it really is, there are so many trails starting and passing through Winchcombe (I intend to finish the Winchcombe Way later this month!) – I had imagined there would be more informal eateries. I guess that’s part of the charm of it, though; it hasn’t been overrun by the desire to bring in the tourists like Broadway and some other Cotswold villages. No shade to Winchcombe, it’s a really beautiful place, but you know, no ice cream.  

If I’m wrong, and there’s a superb ice cream parlour in Winchcombe, please let me know – I’ll make sure I hot foot it to the village immediately to buy one!

Multi-Day Hike Evening Routine

Instead of spending an hour in a café, or mooching around licking sugary dairy, we called my husband – our taxi driver – and were home by 4pm. The fact that I got in my own car meant my body immediately decided it was done; my glutes and quads stiffened up, my feet ached, and my eyes drooped with tiredness. Not unpleasant issues to be worried about, just post-hike normalness.

Going home that evening rather than spending the night somewhere on the trail might have tricked my body into thinking it was only a day hike, but I was careful to make sure I still did all the right things to ensure I was ready to go again the following morning. I don’t know what kind of evening routine you have on multi-day hikes, but mine is pretty much set in stone and works well for me.

Once the boots and socks are off, I get a drink – preferably of the tea variety – and set about charging things and sorting out my pack. My rubbish goes in the bin, my water bottles get a rinse out, I swap over my maps, and replenish the snack bag. Being at home, I could take the next task – the post-hike shower – nice and slowly, put on completely clean cosy clothes, and spend the rest of the evening in foot-cream-treated bare feet. Bliss.

I also made my packed lunch ready for the follow day, and had time to sit and flick through all the photos I took (hundreds of them!) whilst sitting on my own sofa. That evening we dined on fish and chips from our local takeaway followed by brownies baked by Fiona as the rain that should have arrived in the early afternoon fell outside. I think we won Saturday!

Those Fitness Worries

I mentioned at the top of this post that Fiona and I were buzzing that evening, and that was true. It was a fantastic first day on the Cotswold Way – 18.5 miles of wonderful countryside, a few hills, big views, plenty of interesting features, some history to learn, and once the fog had lifted, really great sunglasses-on weather.

Fiona hikes fast (now based in the Lake District she has mountain fitness!), but I felt I could keep up without having to work too hard in the main. That is except on the ascents when I was much slower, but my newfound ‘just plod along’ confidence meant I was able to manage my own pace, and actually never ended up too far behind.

I was honestly so happy my body just let me get on with things without moaning on this first day, it did wonders for calming my fitness worries. That’s not to say I didn’t ache, because I did, but everything felt acceptable, good even. I panted going uphill, especially after Wood Stanway, and my knees ached going downhill, especially on the way into Stanton, but those things constitute normal life on the trail for me, and (importantly) disappeared when the hills did. Phew.

Weirdly, my ankles ached that evening, which isn’t something I’ve experienced before. I made a mental note to pay particular attention to how I laced my boots the following morning, and can happily say now that I didn’t get any more ankle issues all the way to Bath. A temporary glitch.

Reflections on Cotswold Way Day 1

Each day in my journal I jotted down what my most and least favourite moments were; I thought that would help me practice gratitude and remember a few extra stories to tell.

My highlight of day one on the Cotswold Way would have to be that perfectly placed bench at the top of the climb out of Wood Stanway. Fiona promised me a great spot for a snack, and she was absolutely right. The bench faced an amazing view which allowed us to see something of the distance we’d walked so far that day, the clementines I snacked on were so wonderfully juicy and citrussy I couldn’t help but make all the eating noises, and we got to take a moment or two to enjoy resting in the warmth of the spring sunshine.  

The worst bit? Well, the lack of ice cream in Winchcombe would definitely have to be up there. But trail wise, maybe the short section after Broadway when the Cotswold Way headed through a rather untidy farm along a very muddy – and smelly – farm track. In general, the trail itself was incredibly well kept, but this bit was a bit, er, nasty. It was short, though, thankfully over in just a few metres.

Having walked over half of the first day of the Cotswold Way before, thanks to a bunch of day hikes over the last few years, the trail immediately gave me what I was asking of it – joining the dots between places I already knew, and allowing me to see something more of the Cotswolds AONB. I went to bed that night feeling very grateful to have the opportunity to be out hiking this National Trail, and was very much looking forward to continuing the following morning.