Dog-Friendly Walks in the Cotswolds
The Cotswolds is just about one of the most dog-friendly holiday destinations in the UK, with plenty of ancient woodland for your four-legged friends to explore and stretch their legs.
If you've brought your beloved pooch to stay at Cotswolds Holiday Cottages, we've made a brief list below of some of our favourite dog-friendly walks around the local area. It also may or may not be a coincidence that most of these walks include a visit to some of the finest country inns for a well-deserved water break (don't worry, they're also dog-friendly)!
The Windrush Way (13.5 miles)
- Start: Bourton-on-the-Water/Finish: Winchcombe
Before you let the distance put you off, this linear is relatively moderate in terms of elevation, with gentle inclines throughout and plenty of viewpoints to take a well-deserved break.
This path takes its name after River Windrush, which you follow you as you depart from Bourton.
Though there are no refreshments along the way, you are rewarded with a stop at the majestic Sudeley Castle, which has stood watch over these rolling hills since the Tudor times.
Stanton, Snowhill & Stanway (8 miles)
- Start/Finish: The Mount Inn, Stanton
Stanton is known to be one of the recognisable of the Cotswolds villages, with beautiful honey-coloured stone cottages and a refreshing break from souvenir and gift shops.
Though this walk is slightly too long to be placed in the “afternoon stroll†category, this circuit means you get to visit 3 equally charming villages and some of the most famous Cotswolds attractions, including the famous Stanway Fountain.
Broadway Tower (4.5 miles)
- Start/Finish: Crown & Trumpet Inn
With a 360-degree panoramic view over as many as 13 counties, Broadway Tower is undoubted an attraction you don't want to miss.
This walk is centred around the Broadway Tower Country Park and takes you partly through the Cotswold Way and makes a stop at the 11th Century St Eadburgha's Church to appreciate its glorious architecture before returning to Broadway for the opportunity to sample some of the Crown & Trumpet's scrumptious menu.
Chipping Camden (3/4.5 miles)
- Start/Finish: The Noel Arms Hotel
This short walk is ideal for a leisurely stroll around the charming market town of Chipping Campden, with an optional shortcut available to reduce the journey down by roughly a third.
As you depart from the main street in the town, follow signs for the Cotswold Way until you come to Dover's Hill. Part of this moderate circular walk takes you through Lynches Wood, an ancient patch of woodland which offers an excellent chance to observe some local wildlife.
Honourable Mentions
The following paths are by no means a day-outing; however, as several of our walks above actually include parts of these well-known hiking paths, we thought we'd briefly mention them:
The Diamond Way (65 miles)
Although there are no real diamonds, there are surely hidden gems to be found along the way; it was named after the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, for which a local group of Ramblers devised this route. This trapezoidal path winds along some of the lesser-known, but by no means less-charming, villages around North Cotswolds.
The Gloucestershire Way (94 miles)
As the name suggests, the Gloucestershire Way crosses almost the full width of the county, connecting Chepstow, Tewkesbury and everything in between, including the Royal Forest of Dean, the Severn Vale and ending in the unspoiled fields of Northern Cotswolds.
The Cotswold Way (100 miles)
Perhaps one of the most well-known walking paths in the country, you can find the acorn-adored signs for the Cotswold Way down the length of the AONB, connecting Chipping Campden in the North and Bath in the south. printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.
Are you looking for dog friendly holidays in the Cotswolds? If you would like to learn more on our self catering, dog-friendly cottages in Stow-On-The-Wold, please follow to links below.