The Cotswolds · Linear (one way)

Cotswold Way: Wood Stanway to Winchcombe

Section 3 of the National Trail, along the escarpment to the town of Winchcombe.

Official trail pageNational Trails: Cotswold Way route description

Distance 8.8 km · 5.5 miles As stated on the official page
Typical time Not stated The official page gives no time, so we show none.
Ascent 172 m As stated on the official page
Grade Moderate Our rule, see below
Route typeLinear (one way) Wood Stanway (trail) to Winchcombe (trail)

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 5.3 km away)Photo: Ruth Sharville, CC BY-SA 2.0

St Michael and All Angels, Broadway — Near the finish: St Michael and All Angels (about 11.1 km away)Photo: Steve Daniels, CC BY-SA 2.0

Gordon Russell Design Museum, Broadway — Gordon Russell Design Museum (about 6.3 km from the start)Photo: Philip Halling, CC BY-SA 2.0

The Lygon Arms, Broadway — The Lygon Arms (about 6.3 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 National Trail between the hamlet of Wood Stanway and the market town of Winchcombe. It is waymarked, so you follow the trail's acorn symbol. Plan a way back by bus or taxi, or turn the walk into a two-day return.

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

Along the way

Start: Wood Stanway (trail)
Finish: Winchcombe (trail)

The line is drawn from OpenStreetMap data and simplified to 309 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

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 dataToddington (heritage, Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Steam Railway), about 1.0 km in a straight line.
Nearest to the finishWinchcombe (heritage, Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Steam Railway), about 1.3 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

The trail is well waymarked, but the National Trails page advises carrying a guidebook or map, and warns that steep climbs are frequent. National Trails: Cotswold Way (opens in new tab)

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 9.8 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

National Trails: Cotswold Way route description (opens in new tab). section length 8.8 km and ascent 172 m. Checked on 2026-10-25.
National Trails: Cotswold Way (opens in new tab). waymarking, map advice, steep climbs. Checked on 2026-10-25.
Wikidata: Cotswold Way (Q1136661, OSM relation 65239) (opens in new tab). identifies the OpenStreetMap relation used for the line. Checked on 2026-10-25.
OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in new tab) (ODbL). Route geometry. Saved 2026-10-25.

More walks in the Cotswolds

Cotswold Way: Winchcombe to Cleeve Hill
Section 4 of the National Trail: a steady climb from Winchcombe onto the highest Cotswold ground.
Cotswold Way: Leckhampton Hill to Birdlip
Section 7 of the National Trail, along the escarpment edge from Leckhampton Hill to Birdlip.

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