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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 1 September 2018

A Cotswold Traverse from Moreton-in-Marsh to Broadway

SWC 288:  Moreton-in-Marsh to Broadway via the Escarpment T=SWC.288

Distance:  21.5 miles or 34.6 km for those more metrically minded – with options to shorten – see suggestions below and walk instructions for ideas.

Difficulty: 10 out of 10 (8 out of 10 for the Shorter Circular Walk and taxi-assist options)

Train:  Take the 8:22 AM Great Western Hereford train from London Paddington, arriving at Moreton-in-Marsh at 10:00 AM.  Return trains from Moreton-in-Marsh are at 20:48 and 21:56. Buy a day return to Moreton-in-Marsh. For those wishing a later start/shorter walk, you could take the 9:22 and catch a taxi to Longborough (see details below). The return trip will require a taxi from Broadway (roughly 4 pounds per person), I will make some arrangements for an 20:15 pick-up which should be sufficient for catching the 20:48 train.

This walk follows a similar route to the Grand Moreton-in-Marsh Circular that some of us did last June, as a midsummer marathon and provides great value per step in terms of train ticket cost…..Rather than completing a full circuit, this slightly shorter route continues along the escarpment from Snowshill, past Broadway Tower and down into the charming market village of Broadway.  As before, the route begins gently crossing fields to Longborough where the tempo increases with the first gentle climbs and descents to reveal stunning views far and wide.  After lunch, our adventure takes us out to the Cotswold escarpment with even more grand views and passes through three classically bucolic Cotswold villages – Stanway (with Stanway Manor), Stanton and Snowshill. More information and the walk instructions can be found here. 

A great option for a shorter more relaxed outing, would be to take a taxi to Longborough (ask to be dropped at the pub and pick-up the instructions at point 13.a or ask to be dropped at the top of the hill past the pub and pick up at the “small triangular green” reference in the same instruction point).  This would give a total walk of 18 miles/28.9 km and includes all of the highlights of the walk.  The walk instructions include some other taxi-assist options, as well as, numbers for various taxi services in the area. For something even more relaxed, the Shorter Circular Walk via Longborough is 12.5 miles/20.11 km and is also very nice – but does miss the excitement of the escarpment.  You should take a later train for this option (9:22 or 10:22 am).
The recommended lunch pub is the Plough Inn (01488 668 326) in Ford (10 miles/16.09 km into the walk), a 16th century inn serving traditional home-cooked food.  I have made a booking for 13:30. For any doing the Shorter Circular Walk, you should plan to eat at the Coach and Horses in Longborough.  

If arriving in Snowshill before 17:00 with enough energy for a 500-meter (there and back) diversion, tea can be had at the tea room at Snowshill Manor (entrance to the tea room requires either NT membership or the purchase of a garden ticket).  If arriving at Snowshill at 18:00 – you could make a brief stop at the Snowshill Arms before continuing on your way.  Do keep an eye on the clock as you will need to leave Snowshill by 18:30ish to catch the organized taxi in Broadway at 20:15!

Enjoy the walk!






4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Intend taking the 9.22 with a taxi to Ford, followed by lunch at the Mount Inn in Stanton and then another taxi from Broadway back to the station.

Anonymous said...

Jane is hoping to do a slightly less challenging Cotswolds walk to Broadway. This will involve a later start ie 10 05train from Ealing broadway to Slough then pick up Moreton train.
In addition it will be necessary to take a bus at the beginning and the end.
If anyione fancies an easier option they are welcome to accompany me.
jfk

John P said...

I'm planning on getting the 9.22 followed by a taxi to Longborough.

Stargazer said...

7 emerged from the specified train to meet 1 special guest on the platform and 3 more arrived on the later train, making for a total of n=11 on this epic journey on a w=warm-largely-sunny-with-some-clouds-late-summer-day. Of the original 8, one took at taxi to Ford with plans for lunch at the Mount Inn (in Stanton) and of the later group, 2 took a taxi to Longborough, arriving about 10 minutes before the 7 earlier starters (the whole group came together about a mile further along) with the third continuing in the taxi to Ford to also eat at the Mount Inn. After lunch at the Plough Inn in Ford, 1 of the main group decided to do the full circular walk back to Moreton and set off at a pace; while the remaining 8 continued in a more leisurely fashion to Broadway, enjoying the picturesque villages of Stanway, Stanton and Snowshill along the way. To our surprise we found the Snowshills Arms open (apparently it stays open all day on weekends during the school holidays) where we enjoyed restorative bevies of choice before the final push along the escarpment to Broadway -- timing was perfect to enjoy a setting sun against some western hills on our descent from Broadway Tower. In Broadway, we reconnected with the 2 Ford starters and were all whisked back to Moreton in our pre-arranged chariots with time to gather provisions for the delayed 20:48 back to London....A long and rewarding day out in good company and with all enjoying the particular routes chosen....