
Article · 6 Sept 2023
A guidebook to 30 circular Cotswolds walks in the largest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England. Fourteen of the routes include sections of the Cotswold Way National Trail, a 102-mile walk that winds its way from Chipping Campden to Bath. Covering 790 square miles, the Cotswolds is home to lush green hills, picturesque valleys and beautiful beech woodlands. The impressive Edge - a remarkable limestone escarpment - offers ethereal views across the Vales of the Severn, Berkeley and Gloucester to the Malverns and the distant mountains of Wales.
Ranging from 4 to 12 miles in length, the routes are graded from easy to strenuous, offering something for every walker.
Step-by-step route descriptions are accompanied by 1:50,000 mapping. There is plenty of information on the many points of interest passed en route, including Roman ruins, ancient stone circles, Neolithic long barrows and historic villages. Also included is a useful route table summary, information on accommodation, and details on the region's geology, landscape, plants and wildlife.
Damian Hall is an athlete, author and activist who grew up in Nailsworth and still lives in the Cotswolds. Before he was competing in the world's toughest ultramarathons such as the Spine Race, UTMB and the Barkley Marathons, he completed many of the world's famous long-distance walking trails, such as Everest Base Camp trek, the Inca Trail and Australia's Six Foot Track, where a hungry possum stole his walking boot. He mainly works as a running coach now, but has written regularly about outdoor, travel and fitness for The Guardian, The Telegraph, Runner's World, Country Walking, Rough Guides and others. His books include Cicerone's Walking in the Cotswolds, In It For The Long Run, We Can't Run Away from This, and the official Pennine Way guide. He is a co-founder of The Green Runners and he has a tea problem. More at www.ultradamo.com.
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