Countryside Walks in The Cotswolds

Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds offer lots of walks and walking routes to enjoy. The Cotswolds are mostly hilly, so there are plenty of opportunities for hilly routes in the area. However, there are also options for flat routes.

There are many dog-friendly pubs in Gloucestershire, many of which are starting points for circular walks. I’ve been enjoying the countryside here for over 40 years and really enjoy the scenery.

Walks in the Cotswolds

These are some of my favourite places to walk. This includes some popular places for hiking in the Cotswolds that aren’t so well known.

The Cotswold Way Long Distance Hiking Trail

The Cotswold Way is a 102-mile long-distance hiking trail. The route runs along the Cotswold Hills escarpment. It is a popular route for long hikes through the area or for day-long walks on a section of the route. The route runs from Bath in North East Somerset to Chipping Campden. You can also do the route in reverse, depending on where you wish to start and finish.

The route passes through many beautiful villages, towns, and sights. These include Wotton-under-Edge, Dursley, Stroud, Painswick, Cranham, Leckhampton, Cheltenham, Winchcombe, Stanway and Broadway. Popular places to visit along the route include Sudeley Castle, Cleeve Hill, Hailes Abbey, and Broadway Tower.

National Trails has an excellent resource about the long-distance hiking trail. When hiking the trail, you’ll find many dog-friendly pubs in the Cotswolds, ideal for breaks along the route.

Rodborough Common

Rodborough Common is an expansive place with lots of route options and splendid views. The common is 250 acres in size, so it is great for some alone time. Cattle roam free on the common, which can be intimidating to some or fascinating to others.

The common is also home to Rodborough Fort, a pleasant building that you unfortunately cannot visit. A few pubs in the village, including The Prince Albert, are a great spot to start a circular walk.

For those who like a longer hike, you can head into the valley and meet the Thames & Severn Canal after hiking across the Common. This can then lead to Stroud or towards Cirencester. This map is a handy circular walk to take in most of the common.

Thames & Severn Canal & River Frome

For something different, the Thames & Severn Canal is a fantastic route with a footpath. The route offers many opportunities to see wildlife, including kingfishers in the River Frome, and features a lovely viaduct. This is part of a longer trail, the Severn & Thames Way.

In Stroud is a junction of two canals, the Thames & Severn Canal and the Stroudwater Navigation. These are great options for walking in either direction: one towards Cirencester and the other towards the River Severn.

You’ll also see the usual canal-side scenery: bridges, locks, and viaducts. These canals are also a hive of wildlife activity, including some interesting birdwatching opportunities. The Cotswolds Canals website provides additional information about this route.

Haresfield Randwick Woods & Standish Woods

My favourite hiking areas for views are Haresfield Beacon and Randwick Woods. Both share a National Trust car park. The views from the beacon include the nearby hills, the Severn Estuary and the Severn Bridge.

Haresfield Beacon is a great place for a standalone walk. It is best to visit both viewpoints to enjoy their beauty. However, for me, Standish Woods is a great downhill route through the woods, then onwards into Stroud. You can reach both on public transport on the 66 bus route between Stroud and Gloucester.

It is a few hours’ walk to the nearest refreshment stop here, so carry enough water and food. Haresfield Beacon is also popular with walkers, and Standish Woods with off-road cyclists. Komoot has lots of circular routes. These are of a variety of lengths and difficulties. I’ve often spotted wildlife here, including rabbits and birds of prey hunting.

Next to the beacon are Randwick and Standish woods. These are great places to hike or enjoy off-road cycling. This is actually on the Cotswold Way, a long-distance walking route. You can find many options on the AllTrails website, including circular walks.

Stinchcombe Hill

Near Dursley is Stinchcombe Hill, a lovely place for a walk. Start the hike at Leaf And Ground garden centre, then follow the trails up. There are lots of marked routes and good footpaths to follow. The hill has some fantastic views of the Severn Estuary.

The hill is home to many species of wildlife. Stinchcombe Hill also has three sites of special scientific interest. At the end point, if doing a circular walk, there is a lovely lake to rest by, or you could get refreshments from the garden centre. Komoot has many hiking options here, as well as some mountain bike routes. You can find various walking routes in this part of Gloucestershire on the Komoot website.

Haresfield to Painswick

Another fantastic car-free walk is from Haresfield to Painswick. The walk passes through some woodland and then onto some open countryside. A highlight of the first section is passing through Rudge Hill, a national nature reserve. From the nature reserve, the route takes you past the Edgemoor pub. The pub is lovely, and its garden has some splendid views of Painswick.

After leaving the pub, you take a lane, then off-road again into a pretty valley with a stream and some fantastic views. After a short climb, you reach Painswick, with plenty of pubs for hikers. You can see the route on my Komoot profile.

Tyndale Monument in North Nibley

The Tyndale Monument is a tower on a hill in North Nibley and offers fantastic views. The hill in North Nibley offers fantastic views, including the River Severn from above. A topograph on the hill helps you spot other places of interest from the viewpoint. Hiking on the hill is great; however, it is quite steep. BBC Countryfile has a great route for visitors to follow on their website.

Woodchester

The area near Gothic Woodchester Mansion and Woodchester Park is great for walks, including in the woods. You can incorporate the mansion into longer routes in the area, including from Dursley to Stroud. You can find many walking route options in this part of the Cotswolds on the Komoot website.

Minchinhampton

Four miles from Stroud is the ancient market town of Minchinhampton, a very picturesque place. The village is on a hill with splendid views of the local area and the Severn Estuary. The area is fantastic for walking, including on the popular Minchinhampton Common.

Minchinhampton Common is a 182.7-hectare biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest, making it a great place to walk. The site is owned and managed by the National Trust, including the caparks.s. In fact, Minchinhampton Common is one of the largest grassland commons in the Cotswold area. Minchinhampton Common has a great pub and restaurant, The Old Lodge, for refreshments.

The common has many cows grazing year-round, along with other wildlife you may spot while exploring. Minchinhampton has lots of hiking options; some of the most popular include: Minchinhampton has great independent shops and pubs for drinking or dining out.

Broadway Village & Tower Circular Route

Broadway Tower is a great place to enjoy a walk, an epic spot in the hills. Broadway Tower is an 18th-century folly in the hills above the village of Broadway. It is a Grade II listed building that was built with limestone ashlar. Broadway Tower is three storeys high, with three round corner turrets and battlements. You can pay to visit the tower.

The park and the tower are beautiful and offer lots of walking options. The deer park has public rights of way and other areas available only to ticket holders. You can also do a circular route that includes the tower and the picturesque village. This takes over two hours, plus stops on the way to see things.

Breakheart Quarry Near Dursley

Near Dursley in Gloucestershire is Breakheart Quarry, a great place to go for a walk or picnic. The area is a former quarry and a great place to study the geology or maybe find a fossil. It is also a great place to see some wildlife while hiking. This includes frequent sightings of rabbits, squirrels, and kestrels circling above. There are also some nice picnic tables in the area. The Komoot app has many options for circular walks in the area.

Slad Village & Valley

Made famous by Laurie Lee, the author of Cider with Rosie, is the Slad Valley. Slad village and the valley are an absolutely gorgeous place with splendid views and great options for hiking. The picturesque village has many holiday cottages that tourists can rent, or bed and breakfasts for your break in the village.

The village pub, The Woolpack, serves great beer and food. The pub is a good starting or ending point for walking in the valley. Komoot has details of a 3.9-mile circular hike in the Slad area.