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0 - Introduction | Go on to 1 - Chipping Campden to Stanway
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The Cotswold Edge - Jurassic Escarpment
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The Cotswold Way! We have been planning to walk the 100 mile long Cotswold Way, a national footpath trail, for several years and now we've started to do it! But before we get involved with Part 1, Chipping Campden to Stanway, a few brief notes about the Cotswold Way. The Cotswolds are a unique part of rural England. With a history that goes back to prehistoric times, as far as human habitation is concerned, the main reason for the Cotswolds being anything at all is the underlying geology. For the area is synonymous with a significant escarpment of Jurassic limestone that stretches north from Bath as far as Edge Hill. The escarpment's face forms a west-facing steep ridge up to 1,000 feet above sea level looking down on the Severn and Avon valleys, or Vales. A few outliers such as Bredon Hill break the monotony. The dip slope forms the "wolds", a region of bleak rounded hills and cosy valleys that form the headwaters of the River Thames. The upland region was always an area for easy communication - it is no surprise that the Fosse Way, a major Roman Road, follows the ridge, along with other Roman roads that emanate from Cirencester, an important Roman settlement. Drovers used the high ground to move flocks of sheep and cattle, while ancient salt ways were also effective for the transport of salt from places like Droitwich to the capital. Today the railways and motorways largely avoid the high ground and it is perhaps the fact that the area was neglected throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that has allowed for its preservation as an area of outstanding natural beauty. Today the area has been rediscovered, not always to its benefit. However, it is a friendly place, blessed with what we call "rural sophistication". An oxymoron, perhaps, until you experience the place and let it get under your skin. |
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A simple sketch map shows the route of the Cotswold Way. This has become eligible for National Trail status through the hard work of local authorities, volunteer groups and the various landowners the path crosses. What are often conflicting sets of interests have been brought together under an umbrella of understanding that the Cotswold Way is good for the area.
Because we live at the northern end, we naturally think that the Cotswold Way starts at Chipping Campden and ends at Bath. If we lived in Bath we would probably disagree! Whatever, the trail can be walked in either direction! The trail follows the Cotswold Edge but is not always along the top of the ridge. It often drops down the scarp to the many spring line settlements, such as Broadway and Winchcombe at the base of the escarpment. Thus the cumulative vertical climb along the way is probably several thousand feet! |
| Our original plan was to take off ten days and simply walk from one end to the other, staying at B&Bs and small hotels along the way. We went so far as to plan such a trip but soon realized that our lifestyle was probably not going to allow this to happen.
So when the BMW arrived from Houston we had a new solution to our problem. With two vehicles we could easily set up a start and finish along the way, selecting suitable parking areas. Thus we could plan to do a section at a time when other priorities allowed and when the weather promised to be good. For, although we don't mind walking in bad weather, good weather is much more enjoyable, whether it be in January or July! The cost of such a plan is largely in fuel for in every other respect this is a very inexpensive pastime - packed lunches and an occasional drink in a pub are the other expenses. Compared with the ten days in one go itinerary the expenses work out a lot less. |
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Equipment can be limited to good weatherproof clothing, plenty of warm clothes during winter, good hiking boots, a day pack, maps and cameras. The Cotswold Way is extremely well waymarked and maps are not essential but it does help to know just how far there is left to go! The clays at the base of the scarp can be very sticky in wet weather as daughter Lucy and son-in-law Jeff demonstrate near Winchcombe. In early summer the vegetation can get out of control (including stinging nettles). |
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Go straight to: 0 - Introduction | 1 - Chipping Campden to Stanway | 2 - Stanway to Belas Knapp
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Travel Notes
The Photos
Maps
"Official Resources"
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