In the Cotswolds, Britain's premiere walking and hiking destination, every step forward is also a step back in time. Follow cobbled paths through quaint villages of honey-colored cottages. Walk along woodland trails and rolling hills. Explore an ancient castle and savor a fresh pint in a traditional English pub. Often quirky, always charming—experience the past from the comfort of the present.
Day
1 Enjoy tea at Hidcote Manor Garden, a UK National Trust treasure 
Walk through the property, created in 1907 and alive with splendid gardens, each with its own theme of color, shape or scent Stop for lunch in Chipping Campden, an ancient town with a rich wool-trading history Follow a trail to the dramatic Cotswold escarpment offering sweeping views of the beautiful English countryside.
Day
2 From secluded Snowshill, one of the prettiest villages in the Cotswolds, hike down into the valley Follow a footpath linking the exquisite hamlets of Stanton, Laverton and Buckland Linger awhile among the golden stone houses, shops and cafés of lively Broadway Walk to Broadway Tower, a typical "folly" structure, set at the Cotswolds' second-highest spot and offering an incredible 16-county panorama.
Day
3 Set out from the ruins of the 13th-century Cistercian abbey at Hailes, once an important pilgrimage destination Follow the celebrated Cotswold Way amid tranquil countryside and through quaint Winchcombe village en route to Sudeley Castle The castle's award-winning gardens and spectacular views are a feast for the eyes!
Day
4 Walk on the easygoing Warden's Way with a local guide alongside streams, through woods and pastureland The path links a series of quintessential Cotswold villages, including Lower and Upper Slaughter A traditional pub lunch awaits at the Black Horse in Naunton.
Days
5-6 Keep an eye out for deer as you venture through quiet forestland Ascend Cooper's Hill, hallowed site of the popular cheese-rolling race Fancy a taste of mead? Enjoy a sample today Walk to the wool town of Painswick, dubbed Queen of the Cotswolds for its lovely buildings of pale gray limestone From our hotel, set off on a final walk to stunning views of the Severn Vale, the Forest of Dean and the Welsh Mountains.
Everything about the trip was 5-STARS. The guides were terrific--real pros.- Berkeley, CA
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A warm welcome awaits at this beautifully restored 17th-century farmhouse, part of a stunning 400-acre estate. (pool, spa)
Dating back to 1485 and set on 90 acres of protected National Trust grounds, this elegant country manor features rooms overlooking the famous Cheltenham Racecourse. (pool, spa)
Nestled in one of the finest and best-preserved villages of the Cotswolds, this former prospect house is a newly renovated Palladium masterpiece offering views of the Slad Valley. (spa)
There's no better way to find out about Backroads than by hearing it from the people who have traveled with us. For more about the Backroads Experience, read our Guest Testimonials.
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Comments about England Walking & Hiking Tour:
Everything about the trip was 5-STARS. The guides were terrific--real pros.
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The earlier you book, the more choice you'll have and the lower your price. And you can always change your mind—you won't be charged to transfer to a different trip before your final payment is due.
Please click on a date below for specific pricing and possible itinerary variations.
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AVAILABLE TO BOOKi GOING FASTi CONTACT USi PRIVATE TRIP - RESERVEDi
Interested in a Private Trip? Check out the Make It Private tab for private dates available, or call us at 800-462-2848.
Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one day to the next—and your traveling companion's may differ somewhat from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.
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| Daily Route Options | ||||||||||
| Day | EASYGOING | ACTIVE | AVID | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 | ||||||
| miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | |
| 1 | 4* | 100 | 7 | 900 | ||||||
| 2 | 5* | 400 | 6* | 600 | 10* | 1300 | ||||
| 3 | 3* | 200 | 6* | 400 | 10 | 1100 | ||||
| 4 | 3* | 100 | 7* | 300 | 9* | 500 | ||||
| 5 | 4* | 300 | 6* | 600 | 10* | 1000 | ||||
| 6 | 2 | 300 | 4 | 500 | ||||||
Note: The terrain on this trip is rolling with a few steeper sections and includes a mix of sheep trails, well-maintained dirt paths and paved country lanes.
* Includes shuttle.
Learn more about how we determine our activity levels and fully support a range of abilities and interests.
Please note that our distance and elevation figures come from Ride with GPS. Other sources (such as Map My Ride and Garmin devices) may give differing elevation figures due to different GPS and mapping technologies. Readings from a Garmin or a smart phone are influenced by other factors such as air pressure.
Drew Smith, a veteran Backroads Trip Leader, has painstakingly designed this trip to take you to deep into the English countryside, following scenic rambling trails through farmers' fields, among grazing sheep and into the storybook villages of the Cotswolds.
On our England trips we have an extra leader supporting you along the trail—for a total of three, compared to the industry standard two. So we can be in more places at once, giving personal attention to guests traveling at their own pace. Here's more on our Trip Leaders.
Backroads has the best-qualified people to lead your trip in England, and our guests back that up, rating our Trip Leaders an average of 9.75 out of 10 for all-around quality of performance. Get the facts (and no fluff) on how we recruit and develop the very best people for your trip.
Guests rave about our picnic spreads. Enjoy a welcome break in a scenic spot, or a quick refuel stop if you don't want to lose momentum. And because we have two vans, one can host lunch while the other is out providing support along the route.
On this Premiere Inn trip, you can count on the best lodgings England has to offer. In fact, the hotels we've chosen in this region have higher retail room rates than those offered by any other active travel company—even when their trips cost more.
In choosing the ideal experts to enrich your travel experience, we look for people with a wealth of local knowledge, but also the ability to convey their insights in English. Too often travelers find themselves smiling politely, not quite understanding what they're being told. Our experts share intriguing facts, anecdotes and inside stories that stay with you forever.
Our Trip Leaders combine deep local expertise with a firm grasp of North American expectations around quality of service. By the same token, we pair experienced Backroads leaders with local guides who know how to cater to your needs while cracking open the culture or natural history in ways that are meaningful, memorable and often magical.
We design and support our England trips to suit mixed abilities and varied interests—so you can set your own pace, then change things up as the day unfolds. And all guests are free to do the same, traveling together or apart, with no one cramping anyone else's style. Which sounds easy in theory, but it's hard to pull off. Here's more on how we do it.
Backroads is the only active travel company providing two support vans in England—because we know it's essential to ensure a truly great travel experience. It doubles our ability to be there when you need us to offer hydration, lighten your load or give you a lift if it's time to take a break. Read more on why two vans make all the difference.
Backroads has been welcoming active travelers to Europe since before the Berlin Wall came down. Today it's virtually our second home. We know the perfect roads and trails, the most scenic valleys and hilltop towns, the hidden churches and gem-like museums, the up-and-coming vintners and celebrated chefs—and, of course, all the best places to stay.
Since 1979, Backroads Founder and President Tom Hale has shown that staying #1 means constantly evaluating our performance using the best possible source of information: our guests. As we systematically analyze your feedback on our trip consultants, leaders, hotels, meals and on-trip activities, we never stop working to make a great company even better.
Under our Book with Confidence policy, your Backroads trip will run even for one or two people (or a family of three or four), subject to a nominal extra fee. Or transfer to another trip, and we'll give you a credit. It's all part of our trademark commitment to treating guests with integrity, transparency and total accountability. Read all the details.
For nearly four decades we've worked to earn and maintain our right to call Backroads the world's #1 active travel company. In pursuing that vision on behalf of our guests, we believe we've set the standard for our industry—captured in the Backroads Quality Guide, which clearly sets out the benchmarks of excellence, choice and support that we live by
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Gather your favorite people to share a Backroads adventure on a ready-to-book Private Trip - featuring all the legendary Backroads hallmarks from expert leaders to unforgettable activities. You can pick from the selection of dates below for your group; some dates are only available for 16 or more guests while other dates are available for 8 or more guests. If your party has fewer than 8 guests, or your preferred date is not available, we'll create a departure just for you. Call or email us to reserve your date.
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8 AVAILABLE TO BOOK FOR 8 OR MORE GUESTS 16 AVAILABLE TO BOOK FOR 16 OR MORE GUESTS RESERVED
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Invite your family and friends on an adventure that's entirely your own - for your group of 8 or more. Find out more
I simply can't imagine a better way to immerse yourself in the life of a region, to explore hidden corners and appreciate nuances while enjoying the benefits and enormous satisfaction of traveling under your own power. These are experiences you cannot have behind the wheel of a car, or on a train or a tour bus. Active travel is, at its heart, a way of connecting more authentically with the world. Sure, Backroads provides amazing leaders, superb accommodations and meals, and opportunities you could never arrange on your own. But all of our comprehensive planning and support is aimed at something far simpler: bringing you the immediate, highly personal satisfaction of discovering a new world on your own terms.
— Tom Hale, Founder & President
