Winchcombe Way

The Winchcombe Way on Cleeve Hill

The Winchcombe Way is a walking route of 42 miles in Gloucestershire, all within the Cotswolds. It starts and finishes in Winchcombe, running a figure-of-eight in the countryside around the town.

The route is waymarked, and designed to display the hidden gems of the northern Cotswolds.

Route

The eastern loop climbs out of Winchcombe and follows the Farmcote valley to Guiting Wood. From here it passes through quiet valleys in which sit a series of hamlets; Cutsdean, Taddington and Snowshill. From here the route follows the Cotswold escarpment through the villages of Buckland, Laverton and Stanton. The trail passes Stanway House and the restored watermill before passing Hailes Abbey on the return to Winchcombe.

The western loop from Winchcombe climbs Langley Hill to a famed viewpoint, then dropping down into Gretton and across to Alderton. From here the trail skirts around Dumbleton Hill and down to Alstone. Here the tail climbs Nottingham Hill and onto Cleeve Common, where the county's highest point is found, on Cleeve Hill, which has a broad vista out beyond the Cotswold Hills. Here too is Belas Knap long barrow.

Back to Winchcombe, Sudeley Castle is in view.

Linking paths

The Winchcombe way crosses a number of other walking route around the Cotswolds, including the:

• Cotswold Way
• Gloucestershire Way
• Wardens' Way
• Windrush Way

Outside links

• The Winchcombe Way on LDWA