If you love getting outdoors and into the English countryside as much as I do, today I want to share my top picks for Cotswolds walks by train with you. These beautiful country walking routes offer scenic trails to follow to immerse yourself in some of the most bucolic scenery in the United Kingdom. With traditional villages, rolling hills, and plenty of sheep, they’ll show you the best of the Cotswolds. I’ve done them all and I can personally vouch for them. I’ve included a map, too.
Cotswolds Walks by Train
No matter if you’re looking for charming villages or market towns, rambles through fields or routes that follow in the footsteps of royalty, you can find amazing walks in the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
The routes on my list are all easy day trips from London by train, so you can do them without needing to spend a night here. That said, basing yourself in the area is not only the perfect way to get more walking in, but also an ideal way to see more of the Cotswolds. If that appeals, you can book a place to stay here.
You can find more walks in the region in the book 50 Walks in the Cotswolds as well. You can get it on Amazon here. I’ve also published a blog post about circular walks in the Cotswolds if you’re looking for a specific type of ramble.
1. Moreton-in-Marsh Walk
The first of my Cotswolds walks by train is a circular route that starts and ends in Moreton-in-Marsh. There are direct rail services from London, and they’ll take you right to the heart of this historic market town in the Evenlode Valley in 90 minutes.
The fairly flat 7-mile (11-kilometer) route in Gloucestershire is one of my favorite country walks in Britain. It offers a unique opportunity to get outdoors and into the Cotswolds without a car.
Along the route you’ll pass by chocolate-box villages like Bourton-on-the-Hill and Longborough, unusual stately homes like Sezincote House, and natural highlights like the Batsford Arboretum.
There are great places to take a break for lunch and drinks along the way as well. My friends and I went to The Coach & Horses, a country pub in Longborough. We loved sitting outdoors in the sunshine to rest our legs in the middle of the walk.
If all that appeals, you can find the full route, map, video, and photos for this circular ramble on my blog post about a Moreton-in-Marsh walk.
If you want to stay a night in town, there are lots of great places to call home-away-from-home in Moreton-in-Marsh. You can see options and book one here.
2. Kingham Walk
Another of my favorite Cotswolds walks you can get to by train is a circular route in Kingham. There are direct rail services from London, and they’ll take you to the outskirts of the Oxfordshire village in just 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Once there, this relatively flat 10.5-mile (17-kilometer) walk will whisk you off through the village of Kingham and into the English countryside.
Along the way you can stop at a beautiful local pub in Churchill, explore the market town of Chipping Norton, and take in unusual sights like the Bliss Tweed Mill, a heritage building that looks like a cross between a factory and a stately home.
The ramble goes up rolling hills, past ha-has, over culverts, and through stiles. You’ll also walk by the eye-catching 17th-century almshouses in Chipping Norton.
This walk is for you if you’re looking for a day hike near London with lots of bucolic scenery and picture-pretty towns and villages. It offers a great mix of everything the Cotswolds AONB is known for.
The route is a combination of two separate walks. On the way out you can follow the Cotswolds Conservation Board’s “Walk Eight: Kingham and Churchill”.
On the way back, you can follow the board’s “Walk Eleven: Mills and Meadows” route backwards. You can find the detailed directions, maps, photos, and video on my blog post about a Kingham circular walk.
You can do this hike in a day, but it’s easier to spend a night in Kingham (the village is so beautiful you’ll want to). There are amazing pubs with rooms and great restaurants in town, not to mention other walks you can do. You can see more on my blog post about how to spend 3 days in the Cotswolds without a car.
If you want to take my advice, there are good places to stay in Kingham. You can book one here. My favorite is the The Kingham Plough. I stayed here when I did this walk, and I loved the beautiful guest rooms, location, and dining areas.
3. Charlbury Walk
Next on my list of the best Cotswolds walks by train is a circular one in Charlbury. There are direct rail services from London, and they’ll take you to the outskirts of the town in just 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Once there, this 4-mile (6.4-kilometer) route will take you into the Evenlode Valley and through the ancient Wychwood Forest.
The route is officially called “Circular Walk: Charlbury No.2 (Oxon Way)”, but the walk is much more fun than the rather clinical name implies.
The ramble starts and ends in the Oxfordshire town of Charlbury. There are beautiful country pubs and pretty streets to see here, so it’s worth stopping to eat and explore before or after setting off on your walk.
Much of this route follows the Oxfordshire Way. This beloved long-distance walk from Bourton-on-the-Water in Gloucestershire to the Thames in Henley is famous. The part of the Oxfordshire Way this walk covers crosses over the River Evenlode and passes wooded groves and copses.
This hike is ideal if you’re interested in seeing both a historic town and rural landscapes. It’s shorter than the others, too, so it’s a good one if you’re looking for a country walk near London you can do in an afternoon.
It’s worth staying longer to experience more of the town and surrounding countryside, though. If you have time to spend a night or two in Charlbury, there are lots of great places to stay. You can see options and book one here.
Whether you come for a day or make a longer trip of it, you can find the full route, map, video, and photos for this ramble on my blog post about a Charlbury circular walk. It has all the details you’ll need to have a great time.
Cotswolds Walking Map
As promised, I’ve created an interactive map of all the Cotswolds walks by train I mentioned. You can find it here. If you click on the pins, you can see my relevant blog posts about each one. I hope it helps you plan a great trip of your own.
Cotswolds Walks You Can Get to By Train
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about these Cotswolds walks. They’re great ways to see the English countryside, and they’re so easy to get to there’s no excuse to stay away.
You can easily combine all three of the walks in this blog post in one trip if you want to. Moreton-in-Marsh, Kingham, and Charlbury are on the same train line, and they’re short rides from one another. If you have a few days, you can do them all in one trip.
I’ve published a lot of other walks and compiled them in my country walks near London guide and my list of the best walks near London by train. I’ve also written about additional walks in the Cotswolds if you want to see more in the region.
I’ll add more Cotswolds walks by train to this blog post as I publish about them, so you can bookmark it or Pin it on Pinterest for future reference.
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