The Cotswold Way starts in the eye-achingly pretty town of Chipping Campden in the North of Gloucestershire and finishes in historic Spa Town of Bath, in Somerset. Getting to the start of the route to begin your walk, and the end for onward travel is straight forward due to the good transport links with London
Getting to Chipping Campden
London to Chipping Campden
Using public transport it will take you approximately 2 1/2 hours to reach Chipping Campden from London. From Paddington Station [PAD], you will need to catch the Great Western Line to Moreton-in-Marsh [MIM] which takes approximately 1h 49m with a standard advance ticket being about £35.00.
From Moreton-in-Marsh Railway Station you can catch the #1 Johnson’s Excelbus towards Stratford-upon-Avon which takes approximately half an hour and arrives by the Chipping Campden town hall.
Cardiff to Chipping Campden
If Birmingham is your main city of entry or onward travel you will have a quicker journey. Starting at Birmingham Moor Street [BMO], you will need to catch the West Midlands Trains Stratford-upon-Avon [SAV] which takes about 55 minutes. From outside Natwest Bank, in Stratford-upon-Avon you can again get the #1 Johnson’s Exelbus, which takes about half an hour and arrives by Chipping Campden Town hall.
Getting From Bath
Bath to Bristol
If you are traveling onward to Bristol you have a simple 18 minute train journey. From Bristol, a major UK city, onward travel to many UK cities is relatively straightforward. You can catch the Great Western Railway from Bath Spa [BTH] to Bristol Temple Meads [BRI]. The ticket price, at the time of writing is about £5.00.
Bath To London
A Train from Bath Spa [BTH] to London Paddington [PAD] takes 1h, 22m in total, and does not include changes making onward travel to the capital easy. Some other routes in the same direction to include changes so be sure to check the details of your transport if unsure.
Other Options
Car Hire
If you are looking to hire a car to get to the start of the route there are a handful of reputable companies. We reccommend Enterprise Rent who offer a competative, professional and polite car hire service, completed with pickup and drop off options throughout the UK. Enterprise Rent-A-Car has locations in Stratford-Upon-Avon, and Bath.
Private Transport
If you are traveling to the start of the walk using private transport we recommend contacting your B&B to check availability for parking for the duration of your walk in Chipping Campden. Alternatively use the Just Park app which allows you find and book millions of parking spaces in the UK.
Returning to the Start of the Trail
Traveling from Bath to Chipping Campden
If you have parked in Chipping Campden or in a nearby town you will want to return to the start of the trail. You can do this mostly by train, by traveling from Bath Spa [BTH] to Reading [RDG] (0h 53m) then catching a second line from Reading [RDG] to Moreton-in-Marsh [MIM] (1h 00m)
