Street on Market Square, Moreton-in-Marsh, the Cotswolds. ©Laurel Kallenbach

Street on Market Square, Moreton-in-Marsh, the Cotswolds. ©Laurel Kallenbach

May 2021: Because the COVID pandemic is keeping most of us at home, now is a great time to reminisce about past travels. As of this posting, travel to England is allowed, but two COVID tests plus a 10-day quarantine is required upon arrival.)

Originally published: September 2017

Cotswolds Walking Trip Motivation: After three major surgeries over three consecutive years to remove non-cancerous tumors from my hip, I wanted to celebrate my recovered mobility by doing a walking tour.

The Inspiration: While recovering from my last surgery, I visualized walking from village to village in England’s rural Cotswold Hills. The green landscape there is filled with farmland, woodland, and villages dating to medieval and Tudor periods. Now it was time to make my dream come true!

The Company: My husband and I signed up with Cotswold Walks, a locally based company that offers a variety of long and short self-guided walking tours in the region. We chose the “Best of the Cotswolds” itinerary because it offered shorter distances (from 3.5 to 8 miles per day) with more time to go at a leisurely pace. And the villages looked stunningly gorgeous! All Cotswold Walks include accommodations in small inns and B&Bs (breakfast included), an up-to-date guidebook showing your route with detailed instructions, and transfer of one suitcase per person from inn to inn.

The Timing: August 2017, exactly one year after my hip replacement.

Day 1: Moreton-in-Marsh to Stow-on-the-Wold

Hiking through the fields of barley ©Laurel Kallenbach

Hiking through the fields of barley ©Laurel Kallenbach

After two nights adjusting to the time change from Colorado to England, Ken and I headed out on the first leg of our journey: the 7.5-mile trek from Moreton-in-Marsh to Stow-on-the-Wold.

My heart was pounding, and I hadn’t even started walking yet. I was nervous about beginning with such a long walk. How tough would it be? Would we get rained on? We set off from the Market Square, made our way down the sidewalks and along a busy road, and then we turned off into tranquil farmland on The Monarch’s Way trail.

Old Shop 2 in Longborough ©Laurel Kallenbach

Old Shop 2 in Longborough ©Laurel Kallenbach

So we began navigating through field gates and kissing gates (?!) and across pastures inhabited by sheep and cows in England’s lush countryside.

Our guidebook, which included Ordinance Survey maps, was easy to follow. A typical instruction was: “With the field gate on your right, continue up the hill. Pass through another field gate and past Lower Keeper’s Cottage. Turn left (east) before the cattle grid and follow the Heart of England trail alongside the field boundary to a field gate.”

We met locals walking their dogs, as well as other Cotswold Walks hikers on the paths. (We could identify the latter because they were carrying the same white guidebook that we had, and when we struck up conversation, we found that they were all fascinating people.) Soon I was relaxed and smiling. I felt free and unburdened: I carried just my hiking poles, my iPhone, a notebook (because that’s essential gear for a writer) and a daypack with rain wear and snacks/water. And Ken did most of the navigating.

We ate lunch at the Coach and Horses pub in Longborough ©Laurel Kallenbach

We ate lunch at the Coach and Horses pub in Longborough ©Laurel Kallenbach

By the time we reached the picturesque village of Longborough, I was more than ready to rest my feet and stop for lunch at the Coach & Horses Pub and Inn. Lots of locals were congregating at tables or around the bar, catching up on the town gossip and enjoing a pint. We ordered bowls of soup and glasses of Cotswold Gold Ale, made at Donnington Brewery, the next village down the road.

Hollyhocks in Longborough, a village in the Cotswolds ©Ken Aikin

Hollyhocks in Longborough ©Ken Aikin

We chatted with a couple of old-timers and we giggled at some of the bar’s signs: “Save water; drink beer” and “Nobody notices what I do until I don’t do it.”

A lively group of eight young women celebrating a baby shower rounded out the crowd.

Refreshed, we set out for the second half of the walk: first admiring the gardens and dry-stack stone walls of Longborough. We climbed up a hill with a huge muddy patch and looked back to see a manor estate in the distance. Think Downton Abbey.

We ambled through the farm of yet another country estate, across a ridge with views for miles, and then up a steep incline before arriving at a tunnel through dense trees. We felt like we’d walked into the set of The Hobbit.

This tunnel through the trees was a thrill to walk through. ©Laurel Kallenbach

This tunnel through the trees was a thrill to walk through. ©Laurel Kallenbach

At last we descended into Stow-on-the-Wold, right at tea time, and the tea shops along Sheep Street were packed with tourists; the Old Town Square was filled with buses and cars. (In medieval times it would have been filled with sheep, as wool was big business.)

I was bushed and couldn’t wait to get to our hotel, the Old Stocks Inn, where I took off my hiking boots, sank onto the bed, and elevated my feet—just to let the blood flow the opposite direction.

But I did it! I survived the first day of walking in the Cotswolds—my dream trip. My hip felt great; my left foot with its arthritic toe did OK. And after half an hour of rest—and a cup of tea in the room—I felt restored enough to walk around the Square. I was particularly interested in St Edward’s Parish Church, a typical Norman church with a stone, crenellated tower. Its north door is flanked by ancient yew trees, and it looks like it’s straight out of The Hobbit or a medieval fairy tale.

Celebrating my first day of walking at our destination, Stow-on-the-Wold. ©Laurel Kallenbach

Celebrating my first day of walking at our destination, Stow-on-the-Wold. ©Ken Aikin

We were ravenous, and the historic Queen’s Head Pub in Stow-on-the-Wold was ideal. The sign was painted with red-haired Queen Elizabeth I’s portrait and was furnished in Tudor style with rough, blackened beams; stone and wood floors; hops hanging from the ceiling; mullioned windows, and an old man in his cap reading a book while his dog yawned beneath the table.

Cotswold ales on tap at the Queen's Head pub ©Laurel Kallenbach

Cotswold ales on tap at the Queen’s Head pub ©Laurel Kallenbach

I ordered a Moroccan Chicken with Rice with Hummus and Harissa, and for dessert Ken and I shared Plum Crumble with Vanilla Ice Cream. We’d earned the calories!!

Then it was off for an early bedtime; luckily The Old Stocks Inn was just across the street.

Laurel Kallenbach, freelance writer and editor…and walker

Read more about my Cotswold hiking trip:

More about my travels in England:

We walked past this farmhouse outside Moreton-in-Marsh ©Laurel Kallenbach

We walked past this farmhouse outside Moreton-in-Marsh ©Laurel Kallenbach

Showing 17 comments
  • Julie Greene
    Reply

    Fun to hear about your travels!!

  • Lisa Paulos
    Reply

    Looking forward to reading all of these! We’ve been talking about a walking or biking trip in Europe or UK.

  • Elizabeth Wrenn
    Reply

    I was just there! But only for 2 days. Am def. going to go back and do walking tour

  • Sally McClellan
    Reply

    What a great adventure! I was heartened to hear about your success with your new hip, and everything you’d gone through in the past three years. I’m up for a hip restoration, and it’s good to know that I could walk long distances again, too.

    • Laurel
      Reply

      You’ll do great! And yes, you can indeed do long walking, although you have to build up to it slowly over several months. It’s amazing how much better I felt after hip replacement. I had surgical pain, but that paled compared to the joint-malfunction pain, which in my case was immediately gone. Good luck!

  • Gye
    Reply

    So wonderful to hear that you’re healed and out exploring the world again! I’ll be following and enjoying your adventures. Thanks for sharing.

  • KellyPrendergast
    Reply

    Way to realize your goal Laurel. Looks and sounds like a lovely place.

    • Laurel
      Reply

      The Cotswolds are indeed magical!

  • Sarah G
    Reply

    What a great way to celebrate – one year after the surgery!
    I love the path under the tunnel of trees. : )

  • Bonnie Mettler
    Reply

    Laurel, your writing and photos make me yearn for the open farm path! The tunnel through the trees was especially magical. Thank you for this wonderful report!

  • Laura
    Reply

    Great travel resource, Laurel! Thank you.

  • Tami
    Reply

    Oh I loved your descriptions and pictures. This is a trip I’d like to take someday, maybe for my 50th birthday!

    • Laurel
      Reply

      It would be the perfect 50th birthday trip! I had my 55th birthday on this trip, in the village of Guiting Power–the next village I’ll write about this week!

  • Kim
    Reply

    Thank you so much for sharing your trip. My husband and I have booked the same self-guided itinerary with Cotswold Walks for May 2018. I’m both excited and nervous (mainly about getting lost and, like you, being able to make it!). It all looks so beautiful. We’re looking forward to exploring the villages and countryside.

    • Laurel
      Reply

      You will have a blast! It’s gorgeous even when it rains, and you really can go at your own pace. And before the trip I promised myself that if ever I was too tired to keep walking that I would just call a taxi. But that was never necessary! We did usually take a pretty leisurely lunch break to rest up, and I generally took off my boots so my feet could stretch out a little. Little things like that help!

  • spark
    Reply

    i am wanting to do this walking trip on my own this coming may.
    figuring there will be a good amount of others doing the same thing, especially on a sunday, but was wondering if you felt there were any concerns for a solo female to do this.
    it sounds amazing!

    • Laurel
      Reply

      Yes, there will be plenty of people on the trails.I don’t think you’ll have any problems as a single woman. Have fun!

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