Overview
A six day, self-guided walking holiday through quintessential English landscapes and charming villages, in the Wiltshire Cotswolds. Walking from one elegant and historic town or village to the next, this circuit starts and finishes in Bath, the world-famous UNESCO city that dates back to Roman times. This is a moderate level walking holiday, with around 4-6h of walking and distances ranging from 13-22km. The word wolds means gentle hill in ancient English after all, and this feels like a very gentle and gentrified part of England. Stay in small, locally-owned inns and hotels, with luggage transfers.
- UNESCO city of Bath
- Kennet And Avon Canal
- Castle Combe
- Sham Castle
- Bradford-on-Avon
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Bath
Arrive in Bath, a stunning UNESCO World Heritage Site full of classical Georgian architecture. The city dates back to Roman times when its baths and temple were created. We recommend a visit to the Royal Circus and Royal Crescent overlooking the city, Bath Abbey or, for Jane Austen fans, a visit to The Jane Austen Centre.
- Accommodation: The Royal Hotel or similar in Bath
Day 2: Bath – Bradford-on-Avon | 21.4km
Starting from Bath, walk to Sham Castle with great views over the city. Continue along the canal, heading away from Bath towards Farleigh Hungerford. Pass the magnificent tithe barn at Barton Farm and continue towards Bradford-on-Avon, an elegant market town with a 17th-century bridge, Georgian townhouses and a complete Saxon church.
- Walking for the day: 21.4km, ↑283m, ↓275m
- Accommodation: Priory Steps or similar in Bradford-on-Avon
Day 3: Bradford-on-Avon – Lacock | 17km
Leaving Bradford-on-Avon behind, head out across rolling hills towards Monkton Farleigh. From here, with views of the Wiltshire Downs, it is a short stretch on to the village of Box. After Box, the next stop is Corsham, noted for Corsham Court, an Elizabethan mansion housing a fine art collection. Meet your driver to be transferred to tonight’s overnight stop in Lacock. Lacock (pronounced Lay-cock) is a traditional Cotswolds village that feels so unchanged by time that it’s used as a filming location for period dramas.
- Walking for the day: 17km, ↑253m, ↓260m
- Accommodation: The Red Lion or similar in Lacock
Day 4: Lacock – Castle Combe | 13km
Start the day with a transfer back to Corsham to start today’s walk to Castle Combe. A well known Cotswolds village with its famous bridge, crystal clear stream and 14th-century market cross still standing today.
- Walking for the day: 14km, ↑263m, ↓225m
- Accommodation: The Castle Inn or similar in Castle Combe
Day 5: Castle Combe – Bath | 21.7km
This final day of walking takes you back to Bath. The route covers varied terrain as it heads through St. Catherine Valley to Batheaston on the outskirts of Bath. Along the way head past Eagle House, a grade 2 listed building and a place of recovery and memorial for suffragettes. The walk can be shortened by catching a bus into the centre of Bath if tired, or continue walking along the River Avon to complete your journey.
- Walking for the day: 21.7km, ↑137m, ↓197m
- Accommodation: The Royal Hotel or similar in Bath
Day 6: Departure
Departure after breakfast.
What to expect
Accommodation
Accommodation on this tour includes a mix of mostly small, locally-owned hotels, B&Bs and traditional guesthouses. They have been carefully selected based on a variety of criteria including their location, warm hospitality, fine local food or commitment to responsible tourism. All rooms have en-suite or private bathrooms.
Click to view default hotels
- The Royal Hotel (Bath)
- Priory Steps (Bradford-on-Avon)
- The Red Lion (Lacock)
- The Castle Inn (Castle Combe)
Accommodation is subject to availability. In the event of a particular hotel or guesthouse being fully booked for your chosen dates, we will replace it with a hotel of equal value and quality level. We will provide exact accommodation details to you upon booking confirmation.
Meals
Breakfast is included on all days. When no restaurant location is available on the route, lunches and snacks can either be bought from local shops, or packed lunch can be pre-ordered from your hotel the night before. You can have dinner at the guesthouse you are staying at or at the village pubs and restaurants.
Difficulty and terrain
This tour is rated moderate, with 4-6h of walking on most days and distances ranging from 14-22km. The terrain is varied, but these are gentle wolds and not mountainous areas (read more about difficulty grades).
The trail follows well-maintained footpaths, bridleways, open fields and some minor roads. The route is not specially designated and waymarked, so check carefully against your guidebook. Generally, the route is easy to navigate and we will provide you with detailed road notes and maps, and you can call our 24/7 local assistance phone number anytime. More detailed info on route navigation will be included in your holiday information pack.
When to go
This trip is available from mid-March until late-October.
The flexibility of self-guided holidays means that there are no fixed dates and you can start your trip on any date during the season.
The weather in the Cotswolds is generally mild throughout the year with temperatures ranging from 10-26C during the spring and summer months.For more information, see our blog, Best time to visit England.
Getting there
Up-to-date travel advice on the United Kingdom is available here (for Canadian citizens) and here (for US citizens).
Click to view travel options
By plane
Our recommended airports for this tour are Birmingham Airport (BHX), Bristol Airport (BRS) or Heathrow (LHR).
By train or bus
- If you are able to travel to Bath without flying, this holiday is reachable by rail with a train station in the city centre. For more details, see Trainline.
- Bath is served by frequent trains from Bristol (50mins) and London Paddington (1h 20mins). As this is a circular route, you will be walking back to your starting location to depart by the same means you arrived.
UK Visa and entry requirements:
IMPORTANT: From 2025, the UK is implementing a new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for many countries around the world. Up until 08 January, the ETA requirement only applied to nationals from Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE.
On 08 January 2025, the ETA requirement was extended to visitors from eligible non-European countries, including Australian, Canadian and US nationals. Then, on 02 April 2025, the ETA requirement was extended to eligible European countries, referring to most of Europe.
You can view the full list of countries that this applies to here and apply for your ETA here, or on the UK ETA app. The ETA usually takes up to three working days to be processed, although we advise applying as early as possible, in advance of your travel dates. People travelling with an Irish passport don’t need an ETA.
You can read more about the UK entry requirements on our blog.
Inclusions
Included
- 5 nights accommodation
- 5 breakfasts
- Door-to-door luggage transfers on all walking days (one piece per person, max 20kg)
- Access to your digital pre-departure information (accommodation list, GPS map of the route, baggage transfer information, itineraries, route information of cafes, restaurants, local bus timetables, etc.)
- 24/7 phone assistance by our local office/representative
Excluded
- Airfare and connecting land transfers
- Lunches, dinners, drinks and snacks
- Travel insurance (required – get a quote online)
- Personal expenses
- Local tourist taxes and entry fees (payable locally)
- Any items not specifically mentioned as included in the programme
- eSIM data for international travel (get an eSIM)
Options, extras and supplements
- If you’re travelling in a group, a supplement applies to group members who would like to have a room of their own
- This holiday is available for solo travellers. However, a supplement will be charged as the cost of rooms and also luggage or private transfers (when applicable) is not shared. Please note that solo travellers are always accommodated in their own room. For logistical reasons, we don’t offer an option for solo travellers to share rooms with other solo travellers
- Extra nights along the trail are bookable upon request
