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This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Saturday 24 February 2018

Saturday Walk - The Cotswolds: Moreton-in-Marsh Circular (via Chipping Campden), now with words

Length: 24.1 km (15.0 mi)
Ascent/Descent:  420 m
Net Walking Time: ca. 5 ½ hours
Toughness:  7 out of 10 

or longer (via Dover’s Hill)
Length: 27.8 km (17.3 mi)
Ascent/Descent:  490 m
Net Walking Time: ca. 6 ½ hours
Toughness:  8 out of 10 

or shorter (not via Chipping Campden)
Length: 19.9 km (12.3 mi)
Ascent/Descent:  370 m
Net Walking Time: ca. 4 ½ hours
Toughness:  6 out of 10 

Take the 09.22 Worcester Foregate Street train from Paddington (09.38 Slough, 09.53 Reading, 10.23 Oxford), arriving Moreton-in-Marsh at 10.59.  
From Ealing B’way: 09.05 to Slough (09.27). From NW London the 09.06 Oxford service from Marylebone (via Haddenham & Thame) may be a better option.
Return trains: 16.42, 17.45, 18.48, 19.47, 20.48 & 21.56.

A Cotswold Classic from the market town of Moreton-in-Marsh, formerly map-led, but now (after a long gestation period) fully revised and written up (only the short version though, for now). It provides a fine introduction to the gentle rolling landscape of the Cotswolds and passes through some charming honey coloured villages for which the area is famous.
It is a peaceful anti-clockwise circular walk heading north from Moreton through the gentle foot hills of the Cotswolds visiting a number of pretty honey coloured villages, including Paxford, Broad Campden and Blockley. The morning route passes through some gently rolling fields before commencing a steady climb up a hill with lovely views then descending down to Broad Campden. The afternoon stretch again gently climbs up and follows the top edge of a picturesque valley for a spell before passing through a dramatic dip on the approach to Blockley.
Walk Options: From Broad Campden a map-based extension via Chipping Campden (24.1 km version) or onto Dover's Hill (27.8 km version) is possible. The latter is of course a stretch target to finish before darkness falls.

For summary, walk directions, map, height profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here.
Lunch: Churchill Arms in Paxford (6.7 km/4.2 mi) or Bakers Arms in Broad Campden (10.1 km/6.3 mi, food to 14.00) and several options in Chipping Campden.
Tea: a pub and a café (to 16.00) en route in Blockley, loads of options in Moreton. T=swc.115.a

8 comments:

tartanrug said...

Split my ticket websites currently achieving 11% discount on train fare ( or DIY Paddington/BZ6 to Slough and Slough to MinM.)

Anonymous said...

Interesting walk. How much will the train fare be, please?

Marc Ricketts said...

Now I might do the Walk on Saturday. But I can't Guarantee I will. But is the Return Ticket to Moreton on Marsh there and back?

Thomas G said...

Hi Marc. Yes, a Moreton-in-Marsh return is needed. See you Saturday.

Anonymous said...

Hi, New to the U.K. What is 'Split my ticket' and how much will travelling to this walk by train cost, please? Thank you.

David said...

About nine months ago, I took the train to Moreton-in-Marsh to do an 18-mile walk in the Cotswolds, from Chipping Camden to Winchcombe. I booked six weeks in advance and it was incredibly cheap (something like £6.90 single with my senior rail card). Unfortunately, the cheapest fares go very quickly, and national rail is showing a return ticket at £41.30 (travelling tomorrow). Still, I would very much recommend the Cotswolds. I am going back in mid-April to complete the last 39 miles of the Cotswold Way, from Dursley to Bath.

Anonymous said...

Off-peak day return £27.25 with a Network Southeast National Railcard.

Thomas G said...

Alas: no tartanrug, no Marc R., and no one new to the UK...
But n=9 walkers braved the standing-room only packed train (full with tourists going to Windsor and Oxford) and the w=sunny-and-cold weather, 7 walked the long 28 km version, the other 2 the middle, 24 km, version.
Very pleasant landscape, as usual, even if along the stretches close to Moreton it's basically field boundary after field boundary. Fantastic views though in the middle part and up to the final descent back into Moreton.
1 of the long walkers had met up with a local friend (plus hubby plus two young kids) at lunch in Chipping Campden and we all walked the Dover's Hill loop with them.
The 3 sandwichers and the 2 mid-length walkers got back on the 17.45, the other 4 needed headtorches for the last few minutes (the 2/3 moon had helped until then) and decided to have dinner in Moreton, at the commendable Black Bear. Their restaurant area was near empty as the next door bar was showing the Calcutta Cup clash, but the eerie quiet suggested that things weren't quite going to plan for Ingerland, and so it proved. 19.47 train with a bottle of bubbly for the company. Drinks in the Fuller's pub in Paddington Station. A late return home.