The Cotswolds · Linear (one way)

Cotswold Way: Winchcombe to Cleeve Hill

Section 4 of the National Trail: a steady climb from Winchcombe onto the highest Cotswold ground.

Official trail page (opens in new tab)National Trails: Cotswold Way route description

Take this walk offline

Near the start, along the way and at the finish

St Eadburgha's Church, Broadway
Near the start: St Eadburgha's Church (about 10.5 km away)Photo: Ruth Sharville, CC BY-SA 2.0
St Michael and All Angels, Broadway
St Michael and All Angels (about 11.1 km from the start)Photo: Steve Daniels, CC BY-SA 2.0
Gordon Russell Design Museum, Broadway
Gordon Russell Design Museum (about 11.4 km from the start)Photo: Philip Halling, CC BY-SA 2.0
The Lygon Arms, Broadway
The Lygon Arms (about 11.4 km from the start)Photo: Jeff Buck, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photos of named places from our guides closest to each point of the walk, with the straight-line distance. They show the area, not the path itself: follow the waymarks and the official page.

The route

A one-way section of the Cotswold Way from Winchcombe up to Cleeve Hill. The National Trails page records the biggest ascent of the first six sections here. Check bus times for the return, or walk it as part of a longer stage plan.

The interactive map needs JavaScript. The start and finish are listed below.

Along the way

  1. Start: Winchcombe (trail)
  2. Finish: Cleeve Hill (trail)

The line is drawn from OpenStreetMap data and simplified to 400 points. It can differ from what is on the ground: waymarks and the official page take priority.

Route and map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), saved 2026-10-25. Spotted a mistake? Fix the map.

Download GPX Official trail page (opens in new tab)

The GPX file holds the route as a track and the start, finish and waypoints, for use in a walking or hiking app. It is a planning aid, not a navigation guarantee.

Before you go

Safety and access notes come from official pages. Conditions change, so read the linked page for the day you walk.

Getting there

  • Nearest station or stop to the start in our dataWinchcombe (heritage, Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Steam Railway), about 1.3 km in a straight line.
  • Nearest to the finishCheltenham Racecourse (heritage, Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Steam Railway), about 3.2 km in a straight line.

Straight-line distances from our station list, not walking distances. Check timetables and the route to the start before you travel. Getting between regions

Step-free and pushchair access

The official page does not say whether this route is step-free or suitable for pushchairs, so we do not either. Check the official page (opens in new tab) or ask the site.

Safety

How these figures were worked out

  • Distance: taken from the official page (source (opens in new tab)).
  • Grade: our rule, because the official page gives no grade. Easy: up to 8 km and up to 150 m of ascent. Hard: over 16 km or over 600 m of ascent. Moderate: everything else.
  • The line on the map measures about 10.6 km from OpenStreetMap geometry, which differs from the official figure because the start and finish points of the drawn line are approximate and the data is simplified. Use the official figure and the waymarks.
  • Time: only shown when an official page states it.

Sources

  1. National Trails: Cotswold Way route description (opens in new tab). section length 9 km and ascent 330 m. Checked on 2026-10-25.
  2. National Trails: Cotswold Way (opens in new tab). waymarking, map advice, steep climbs. Checked on 2026-10-25.
  3. Wikidata: Cotswold Way (Q1136661, OSM relation 65239) (opens in new tab). identifies the OpenStreetMap relation used for the line. Checked on 2026-10-25.
  4. OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in new tab) (ODbL). Route geometry. Saved 2026-10-25.

More walks in the Cotswolds

All walks · The Cotswolds guide · Beaches · Parks and gardens